Fix: Application Errors on Windows Server (Corrupted RDS Profile)

A customer working remotely on a Windows Server via Remote Desktop kept getting error dialogs and freezes every time they clicked on a PDF. The errors had been going on for weeks and affected Adobe Reader, Microsoft Teams, and other applications. Server reboots and Adobe reinstalls did not help. After investigating, we discovered the errors appeared in the same format across multiple applications but only on one user’s profile. Other users on the same server had no issues. The root cause was a corrupted user profile on the server, and recreating it resolved all the errors.

Symptoms

A user connecting to a Windows Server via Remote Desktop (RDS) experiences repeated application errors and system freezes. The errors appear across multiple applications, not just one. Common symptoms include:

• Error dialogs appearing when opening applications such as Adobe Reader, Microsoft Teams, or Veeam components
• PDF files failing to preview in File Explorer
• The system freezing temporarily when clicking on PDF files
• Errors persisting after rebooting the server or reinstalling affected applications

Typical error messages include:

AcroRd32.exe – Application Error: The instruction at 0x000000007DCD5EA referenced memory at 0x00000000FFFF0001. The memory could not be read.

Veeam.MBP.AgentConfigurator.exe – Application Error: The exception unknown software exception (0xe0434352) occurred in the application at location 0x00007FFFCAB66EA8.

Cause

These errors are caused by a corrupted user profile on the Windows Server. On RDS (Remote Desktop Services) servers, each user who logs in has a separate profile stored on the server. When that profile becomes corrupted, it can cause unpredictable errors across many different applications.

The key diagnostic clue is that the errors follow a pattern:

• Only one user is affected. Other users logging into the same server work normally.
• The same error format appears across multiple applications. Adobe Reader, Microsoft Teams, and other programs all produce similar “Application Error” dialogs with memory reference or exception codes.
• The errors follow the user, not the device. The same errors appear regardless of which computer the user connects from, confirming the issue is on the server side.
• Reinstalling applications or rebooting the server does not help. Because the corruption is in the user profile, not in the applications themselves.

This is a well-known issue on RDS servers. Profile corruption can be caused by improper shutdowns, disk errors, antivirus interference, or Windows Update issues.

Resolution

How to Identify Profile Corruption

Before recreating a profile, confirm that corruption is the root cause:

1. Check if the issue is user-specific. Ask another user to log into the same server and try the same tasks (opening PDFs, launching the affected applications). If other users work fine, the issue is profile-related.
2. Check if the issue follows the user. Have the affected user log in from a different device. If the same errors appear, the problem is on the server profile, not on their local machine.
3. Look for a pattern across applications. If the same style of “Application Error” dialog appears for multiple different executables (e.g. AcroRd32.exe, Teams.exe, other .exe files), this points to profile corruption rather than a single broken application.
4. Check the Event Viewer. On the server, open Event Viewer and look under Windows Logs > Application. Filter by the affected user’s session. Look for repeated application crash events with different source applications but similar error patterns.

How to Recreate the User Profile

Important: This process will reset the user’s desktop, taskbar, application settings, and Outlook profile on the server. Back up any important data from their profile folder before proceeding.

1. Sign the user out of the server completely. Open Server Manager or Task Manager on the server, go to the Users tab, and sign out their session. Do not just disconnect, make sure the session is fully signed out.
2. Back up the user’s profile folder. Navigate to C:\Users\ on the server and find the affected user’s folder (e.g. C:\Users\john.smith). Copy any important files from their Desktop, Documents, or Downloads folders to a temporary location.
3. Rename the profile folder. Rename the user’s profile folder by adding .old to the end (e.g. rename john.smith to john.smith.old). Do not delete it yet in case you need to recover files later.
4. Remove the profile registry entry. Open regedit and navigate to:
   HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
   Each subkey is named with a SID (Security Identifier). Click through each one and check the ProfileImagePath value to find the entry that points to the affected user’s folder. Once found, delete that entire SID subkey.
5. Have the user log back in. When the user next connects via Remote Desktop, Windows will automatically create a fresh profile with default settings.
6. Reconfigure the user’s environment. After the fresh profile is created:
   • Set up their Outlook profile (the email account will need to be re-added)
   • Restore any desktop shortcuts or pinned taskbar items
   • Reconfigure any application-specific settings (e.g. default printer, Adobe Reader preferences)
   • Copy back any files from the backup that the user needs (Desktop files, Documents, etc.)
7. Verify the fix. Ask the user to open PDF files, launch the previously affected applications, and confirm that the error dialogs no longer appear.

Important Notes

• Back up before deleting. Always rename the old profile folder rather than deleting it immediately. This gives you a safety net to recover files or settings if needed. Once you have confirmed the new profile is working, you can delete the .old folder after a reasonable period (e.g. two weeks).
• Outlook will need reconfiguring. The user’s Outlook profile is stored within their Windows profile. After recreating the profile, Outlook will launch as if it is a fresh install and the user will need to set up their email account again. If using Microsoft 365, this is usually just signing in with their email address.
• Mapped drives and printers. If the user had manually mapped network drives or added printers, these will need to be set up again. Consider using Group Policy to deploy these automatically so they persist across profile resets.
• Do not just delete the folder. You must also remove the corresponding registry key under ProfileList. If you only delete the folder without removing the registry entry, Windows may create a temporary profile or produce additional errors on next login.
• Consider roaming or mandatory profiles. If profile corruption is a recurring issue on your RDS server, consider implementing FSLogix profile containers or roaming profiles with proper exclusions to reduce the risk of future corruption.

Related Resources

• Microsoft: Fix a corrupted user profile
• Microsoft: Remote Desktop connection troubleshooting
• Microsoft: What is FSLogix?

If you need help with Windows Server or Remote Desktop issues, get in touch with our team.