Windows server essentials 2016 email service won't start

[samsquared2]

When I try to start the service I get a 1067 error - service terminated unexpectedly. The event viewer shows a .Net error with Event ID 1025:

Application: SharedServiceHost.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The application requested process termination through System.Environment.FailFast(string message).
Message: Unhandled exception in OnStart: System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: providerServiceInfo
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Productivity.EmailProviderService.ParseProviderServiceInfoString(String providerServiceInfo)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Productivity.EmailProviderService.GetHostedEmailServices()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Productivity.EmailProviderService.CreateProviderHosts()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Common.ProviderFramework.ProviderServiceBase._OpenHosts()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Common.ProviderFramework.ProviderServiceBase.OnStart(String[] args)
Stack:
at System.Environment.FailFast(System.String, System.Exception)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Common.ProviderFramework.ProviderServiceBase.OnStart(System.String[])
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Productivity.EmailProviderService.OnStart(System.String[])
at System.ServiceProcess.ServiceBase.ServiceQueuedMainCallback(System.Object)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
at System.Threading.QueueUserWorkItemCallback.System.Threading.IThreadPoolWorkItem.ExecuteWorkItem()
at System.Threading.ThreadPoolWorkQueue.Dispatch()

Two services it depends on are running. I also ran sfc /scannow and although it found and fixed some corrupt files, it still won't start. I also downloaded and ran the NetFxRepairTool which re-registered and restarted the Windows Installer service but that didn't help either.

 

[ChatGPT]

Thanks for the full stack trace — that pinpoints it. The “providerServiceInfo” null error is thrown by the Windows Server Essentials Email Service when its provider metadata is missing/corrupt. In plain English: the Email service is trying to load “email providers” (Office 365/Hosted Exchange integration), but the configuration it reads is empty or broken, so it crashes at startup.
Before fixing it, quick sanity check

• Do you actually use WSE’s email integration (Office 365/Hosted Exchange) on this box? If you only use Essentials for client backups, you can safely disable this service and ignore the error.

If you do NOT use email integration (simplest)
1) Open Services (services.msc).
2) Find “Windows Server Essentials Email Service”.
3) Set Startup type = Disabled, click Stop if running, OK.
Nothing else in Essentials (client backup, dashboard, Anywhere Access) depends on this service.
If you DO want the service to run (repair path)
1) Check the Essentials logs for more detail

• Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows Server Essentials > ProviderFramework and ManagementService.
• Note any warnings about provider parsing/loading just before the 1067.

2) Rebuild the provider metadata (GUI only)

• Dashboard > Services > Email (or the Office 365 integration page).
• If it shows a configured provider, click “Remove integration” (or Disconnect).
• Then re-run the email integration wizard and finish sign-in. This recreates the provider entries the service needs.

3) If the wizard won’t open or still fails, clear the broken entries and let Essentials recreate them

• Close the Dashboard.
• Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and export a backup of:
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Server
• In Registry Editor, press Ctrl+F and search for ProviderServiceInfo. For any Email/HostedEmail or ProviderFramework keys where ProviderServiceInfo exists but is blank, delete that specific provider subkey (only the obviously empty/broken entries). Don’t remove unrelated providers.
• Restart the server, then open the Dashboard and run the email integration wizard again.

4) Ensure the minimal .NET/WCF features are present (sometimes removed by hardening)

• Server Manager > Manage > Add Roles and Features > Features > .NET Framework 4.6 Features:
  • WCF Services → HTTP Activation (and Non-HTTP Activation if you had it before).
• Reboot and retry starting the Windows Server Essentials Email Service.

5) Last‑resort reset of Essentials provider framework (if the above still fails)

• From Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on/off, confirm “Windows Server Essentials Experience” dependencies are intact.
• If you recently restored from image or had power loss, running a repair install of the Essentials components (or an in‑place repair of Server 2016) can re-lay the provider files and config. Only do this after a full backup.

Why this happens

• Power outages/reinstalls can leave the ProviderFramework registry or metadata files partially written (empty ProviderServiceInfo strings). The Email service starts, enumerates providers, hits an empty string, throws ArgumentNullException, and Service Control Manager reports 1067.

If you prefer, I can walk you through the exact registry locations with you sharing what you see for:

• Event Viewer entries under “Windows Server Essentials/ProviderFramework”
• A screenshot of the registry search results for ProviderServiceInfo

And if you decide you don’t need email integration at all, disabling the service is the cleanest fix.

 

[samsquared2]

A couple of things under the "repair" option:

1. Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows Server Essentials > ProviderFramework and ManagementService. This path does not exist.
2. I did not find "Dashboard > Services > Email (or the Office 365 integration page)" nor can I find an email integration wizard.

Before I go further, I noticed that the SMTP Server feature has not been activated and it seems that it should be.

 

[ChatGPT]

Short answer: don’t enable SMTP. The “Windows Server Essentials Email Service” is not an SMTP server; it’s the plugin host that powers the old Essentials “Hosted/Office 365 email” integration. When its provider metadata is missing it crashes with providerServiceInfo null (your 1067). If you don’t actually use the Essentials email integration, the clean fix is simply to disable this service — it won’t affect client backups or the Dashboard.
What to do now

• If you don’t use email integration
  • Services (services.msc) > Windows Server Essentials Email Service > Startup type: Disabled > Stop. You can ignore the Event Viewer errors going forward because the service won’t start.
• If you do want Essentials’ email integration running
  • The missing “Email/Office 365” page in the Dashboard and the absent “Windows Server Essentials” event log branch suggest the integration was never set up (or its provider entries were wiped). Essentials won’t show the Email section until that wizard is run. Re-enable it like this:
    1) Open the Essentials Dashboard and look for the Microsoft/Office 365 integration wizard (in some builds it appears under Home/Get Started or Services). Run it and complete sign‑in; this recreates the provider entries the service needs. If you still can’t find it, the service is optional—disabling is acceptable.
    2) Make sure .NET 4.x WCF HTTP Activation is installed (Server Manager > Add Roles and Features > .NET Framework 4.x Features > WCF Services > HTTP Activation), then restart the server and try starting the service again.

Why SMTP won’t help

• The “SMTP Server” Windows feature is an IIS 6.0 SMTP relay. It’s unrelated to Essentials’ Email Service and won’t fix a providerServiceInfo crash. If you don’t need to relay mail from this server, leave SMTP off.

If you’d like, tell me whether you actually use the Essentials/Office 365 integration. If not, we can mark this solved by disabling the service. If yes, I’ll give you a quick, GUI‑only checklist to surface the wizard in your Dashboard and re-create the provider config.