Server displaying not connected – After Windows 10 Update

The following article will assist in diagnosing and resolving an issue that occurs in certain circumstances after the application of an update to Windows 10 1703 (Creators Update) build number 10.0.15063 and above.

After updating Windows 10 and attempting to connect to the Expert Estimation Server, you may be presented with a red warning indicating that the server is ‘NOT CONNECTED’. As a result, you are unable to connect to the server and access the projects saved there.

Symptoms

• Can’t connect to the local Expert Estimation Server
• The Windows Service labelled ‘Expert Estimation Server’ does not start after restarting Windows
• Attempting to start the Windows service labelled ‘Expert Estimation Server’ results in the service failing to start

Description of the problem

To provide access to the configuration portal, the Expert Estimation Server component requires elements of the core functions associated with Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services). During an update of Windows 10 1703 (Creators Update) build number 10.0.15063 and later, a number of these features will be turned off, preventing essential components of the Expert Estimation Server from initiating and ultimately preventing the Service from starting at all. Attempting to open Expert Estimation at this point will display the Select Server window that indicates the localhost server is not connected.

Resolution

In resolving this issue, certain Windows features must again be enabled after Windows has updated. These features are related to the Operating System itself and as a result, may require Administrative Privileges to perform the following steps. If your machine is managed by an IT department, you may wish to contact them with a link to this article.

This issue can be resolved through the following instructions:

1. Click the start button and type ‘Turn Windows Features On or Off”
2. Select the highlighted option
   
3. Scroll down the list of available features until you find Internet Information Services
4. Select the Internet Information Services features so that it looks like the below image
   
5. Once the install is complete, restart the computer
6. Open Expert Estimation Genesis and your server should now be available for connections
   

Next steps

If you have gone through each of these and are still having troubles connecting to an Expert Estimation Server, please contact Support for more assistance.