Categories: Windows Server

SOLVED: How To Force a Clean Up of WSUS Data & Resolve SERVER NODE RESET Using PowerShell

Updated: January 2022

If you cannot complete a clean up of your WSUS server through the WSUS console because it keeps erroring out with SERVER NODE RESET, you can hopefully complete through the following PowerShell command line:

Invoke-WsusServerCleanup -DeclineSupersededUpdates -DeclineExpiredUpdates -CleanupObsoleteComputers -CleanupObsoleteUpdates -CleanupUnneededContentFiles -CompressUpdates

If this fails or times out, you can run each of the commands one by one:

Invoke-WsusServerCleanup -CleanupUnneededContentFiles -CompressUpdates
Invoke-WsusServerCleanup -DeclineSupersededUpdates
Invoke-WsusServerCleanup -DeclineExpiredUpdates
Invoke-WsusServerCleanup -CleanupObsoleteComputers
Invoke-WsusServerCleanup -CleanupObsoleteUpdates -CompressUpdates

Whichever command you finish on should include -CompressUpdates because that is the command which actually deletes the garbage from the database.

If you want to know what the switches are for INVOKE-WSUSSERVERCLEANUP, skim through THIS Microsoft article.

Note that if your WSUS database is corrupted or has other issues, you will want to run WSUS Database cleanup as we describe HERE.

There are a few notes to this script:

  1. You need to run POWERSHELL as an Admin
    .
  2. If you see the following error go to your SERVICES and start WSUS Certificate Server or just type NET START WSusCertServer
    Invoke-WsusServerCleanup : The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it
    .
  3. As you can see in the screen shot my first round at this failed.  I also had .NET error the appeared which I mistakenly cleared before reading carefully.  Then I shortened up the script to do less:

Invoke-WsusServerCleanup  -CleanupUnneededContentFiles -CompressUpdates

Then I ran the other half of the script:

Invoke-WsusServerCleanup -DeclineSupersededUpdates -DeclineExpiredUpdates -CleanupObsoleteComputers -CleanupObsoleteUpdates

Then I ran the entire script again, which apparently did nothing.  After that I was able to the WSUS SERVER CLEAN UP WIZARD from the WSUS console without problem.

.

I found some information on this command HERE and HERE.

View Comments

  • Hello, does this solution apply to WinSer2019? because I tried 3 times and this error occurs in PowerShell.

    Invoke-WsusServerCleanup: Execution Timeout Expired. The timeout period ended before completion
    operation or the server is not responding.
    The instruction has ended.
    In line: 1 character: 18
    + ... susServer | Invoke-WsusServerCleanup -DeclineSupersededUpdates -Decli ...
    + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo: InvalidData: (Microsoft.Updat ... rCleanupCommand: InvokeWsusServerCleanupCommand) [Invoke-
    WsusServerCleanup], SqlException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId: UnexpectedError, Microsoft.UpdateServices.Commands.InvokeWsusServerCleanupCommand

    • Hi Tiago;

      I do not have a Server 2019 box but I doubt it is different as WSUS has not changed from version 3 in years. I no longer have access to a WSUS box as several of my customers just shut down due to COVID and world oil prices; the next time I expect to have my hands on one is in December and that is likely too late to assist.

  • Is there a version of this that works with Powershell Version 2? Installing any newer version of Powershell on SBS 2011 or earlier will break things - badly.

  • Hi,

    The screenshot shows the reverse of what you state in step 3, i.e.:

    First you ran:

    Invoke-WsusServerCleanup -DeclineSupersededUpdates -DeclineExpiredUpdates -CleanupObsoleteComputers -CleanupObsoleteUpdates

    Then you ran:

    Invoke-WsusServerCleanup -CleanupUnneededContentFiles -CompressUpdates

    And then you ran the whole script.

    Just clarifying....

    Thanks, in advance.
    Stephen

  • Hey,

    I just stumbled across this post and it looks fantastic.
    I have a 2008R2 server with WSUS and powershell 4.0 on it. When I try to run the 'Invoke-WsusServerCleanup' command I get this error:
    The term 'Invoke-WsusServerCleanup' is not recongized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file...

    Can you point me in the right direction?

    Thanks

    • Two things come to mind. 1: Are you running PowerShell as an Admin (not just logged into Windows as an Admin, but running the PowerShell app as an Admin) 2: See if you can access any WSUS PowerShell commands like: Get-WSUSServer | fl *

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Published by
Ian Matthews
Tags: either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with itInvoke-WsusServerCleanuppower shellpowershell wsusSERVER NODE RESETThe service cannot be startedwsus
8 years ago

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