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Require suggestion for the AD system state restore from backup

sys 0 Reputation points
2025-11-03T09:29:21.6366667+00:00

Hi Team,

Require your suggestion.

We are performing a firedrill of Active directory restore in an isolated network in Azure.

production servers are in prod azure subscrption , and firedrill is happening in azure diffrent subscription which is fully isolated from network.

System state backup is taken using windows server backup feature and that backup is used for restoration in the isolated network in DSRM mode. server was set with identical configuration but after the restoration we got bluescreen error 0xc000021a . We use the command wbadmin start systemstaterecovery –version:xxxyyyzzz -backuptarget:f: -authsysvol

Just want to know the reason for bluescreen and best practice.

Since its Azure VM we cannot test the baremetal restore and fully rely on System state restore

Azure Backup
Azure Backup
An Azure backup service that provides built-in management at scale.
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  1. Vinodh247 40,031 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-11-04T01:12:07.1+00:00

    Hi ,

    Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

    TLDR: System state restore is not reliable for AD DC recovery across different hosts in Azure. Use IFM + DCPromo or Azure VM restore (from backup snapshot) for fire drills.

    The 0xc000021a (STATUS_SYSTEM_PROCESS_TERMINATED) error after a system state restore typically occurs due to mismatch between OSlevel security identifiers, drivers, or registry hives during restore especially when restoring to a different VM (hardware/virtual platform) than the original.

    Probable Reasons:

    1. Driver or HAL mismatch - even if VM configuration looks identical, Azure regenerates hardware IDs and boot drivers differ.
    2. SID and LSASS mismatch - system state restores restore SAM/SECURITY hives, which can conflict with the new OS install.
    3. Pending operations in restored registry - the restored state may expect previous volumes or network adapters that no longer exist.

    Best practices:

    1. Always perform system state restore on the same VM (original AD DC) or a cloned VM using Azure Backup’s restore as VM method, not a fresh OS.

    If restoring to isolated network, build a DC from backup using IFM (Install From Media) instead of system state recovery.

    1. Do not preinstall OS - instead, restore system state onto the same build captured via backup or use a full VM restore snapshot.

    Ensure matching OS patch level and identical drive letters before recovery.

    Please 'Upvote'(Thumbs-up) and 'Accept' as answer if the reply was helpful. This will be benefitting other community members who face the same issue.

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