Blue Question Mark on Remote SSMS

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Blue Question Mark on Remote SSMS

tony95

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Points: 172
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June 28, 2022 at 5:13 pm

#4056204

I am really starting to regret upgrading to SQL2019. I had to install SQL2017 Express along side of 2019 just to get my TFS working again. Now, if I run SSMS from any computer other than the local host I get the blue question mark and cannot start/stop the database server. I am logging in as 'sa' and queries run fine. The number one answer seems to be firewall but mine are all disabled. I have also tried checking the Allow Remoted Enable permission for all the ROOT\CIMV2 users which I have never had to do in any previous version of SQL Server, but didn't work anyway. I have tried everything on StackExchange but I think 2019 is different from 2016 so nothing is working. I don't use a domain so I need to be able to use 'sa' as my login.

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Site Owners SSC Guru Points: 80325 More actions · Answer 1

Thanks for posting your issue and hopefully someone will answer soon.

This is an automated bump to increase visibility of your question.

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004406 More actions · Answer 2

Perhaps you need to right click on the SSMS icon and select "Execute as Administrator".

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Jackie Lowery SSCommitted Points: 1889 More actions · Answer 3

Recently ran into this and none of the solutions I found online worked, so posting my solution here.

I found my issue by checking the SQL server system event logs and discovering a bunch of DCOM errors.

Turns out, there is a Microsoft DCOM Security Update KB5004442 that was causing the issue.

Our SQL Server had the update installed, but the server we run SSMS from didn't have it, so the SQL server is rejecting the DCOM connections from SSMS. Errors in event viewer system logs look like this:

The application-specific permission settings do not grant Local Activation permission for the COM Server application with CLSID

After updating the server with SSMS to the most recent cumulative update, SSMS no longer showed the blue question mark and we can now start/stop services on the SQL server through SSMS.

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004406 More actions · Answer 4

Thanks, Jackie!

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)