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Memory Leak Issues with Windows Deployment Services (WDS) and MDT Setup

jbrduka 0 Reputation points
2025-02-12T09:05:30.6633333+00:00

There are ongoing issues with a WDS (Windows Deployment Server) and MDT (Microsoft Deployment Toolkit) setup. When attempting PXE booting on devices, most do not progress far enough to initiate the MDT process. Many machines are stuck at the “Getting boot file: boot\x64\wdsmgfw.efi” screen, and during this time, the WDS Service gradually consumes all available RAM, rendering it unusable and requiring a hard reset.

Previously, when this occurred about a month or two ago, uninstalling a Windows Update resolved the issue. Since then, Windows Updates have been disabled, yet the problem has reoccurred.

Currently, the only consistent factor among the affected machines appears to be the BIOS vendor, which is Insyde, while a model with AMI BIOS does not exhibit this issue.

Efforts to find solutions have included adjustments to TFTP, Variable Window Size, and other settings without success. Additionally, switching to a different server installation temporarily resolved the issue before it also exhibited the memory leak problem.

Is anyone else experiencing similar problems?

Server setup: VM on Hyper-V, Windows Server 2022, 16GB RAM, 12 Virtual Cores.

Client setup: Various HP laptops.

Any and all tips would be appreciated!

Windows Server
Windows Server
A family of Microsoft server operating systems that support enterprise-level management, data storage, applications, and communications.
13,730 questions
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
A collection of Microsoft tools and documentation for automating desktop and server deployment. Previously known as Microsoft Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment (BDD).
937 questions
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  1. Simon Ren-MSFT 38,901 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2025-02-13T01:09:30.8033333+00:00

    Hi,

    Hope everything is going well.

    1,Similar thread for your reference: Windows Deployment Services Server (WDS) Memory Leak?

    The workaround in this thread is:

    Open Windows Deployment Services from Windows Administrative Tools. Expand Servers and right-click a WDS server. Open its properties and clear the Enable Variable Window Extension box on the TFTP tab.

    If you encounter TFTP perf issue, on the same tab you can try to change the TFTP max block size to one of these value:

    1432, 4096, 8192, 16384, 32678

    2,If the issue persists, may we know if the secure boot is disabled on the client computers?

    3,How are the boot files specified? You may need a different boot file for UEFI ( boot\x64\wdsmgfw.efi ).

    Thanks for your time. Have a nice day!

    Best regards,

    Simon

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