MSMQ unavailable after Windows Server 2022 update: service running but API reports “Message Queue service is not available”

Frank Krol 0 Reputation points
2026-11-12T07:46:08.98+00:00

We are experiencing a recurring MSMQ issue on a Windows Server 2022 VMware VM running a Genetec camera system.

After installing Windows Updates, the MSMQ service appears to be running, but the application can no longer access its private queues. Genetec Support reviewed the application logs and did not find evidence that Genetec caused the issue.

The following local test fails:

PowerShell

[Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.Messaging") | Out-Null

 

Error:

Plain Text

Exception calling "GetPrivateQueuesByMachine" with "1" argument(s):

"Message Queue service is not available."

 

FullyQualifiedErrorId: MessageQueueException

At the same time, Windows reports:

Plain Text

SERVICE_NAME: MSMQ

STATE: RUNNING

 

Update and restart timeline

The server performed two automated restarts during Windows servicing:

Plain Text

00:19:53 - shutdown.exe initiated a restart as SYSTEM

00:21:04 - Event Log service stopped

00:21:13 - Event Log service started

00:22:07 - TrustedInstaller initiated another planned OS upgrade restart

00:22:23 - Event Log service stopped

00:22:41 - Event Log service started

MSMQ storage activity occurred between these restarts:

Plain Text

00:21:14 - MQInSeqs.lg1 and MQTrans.lg1 modified

00:21:49 - p0000002.mq and l0000002.mq created

00:22:24 - l0000002.mq modified

00:22:43 - MQInSeqs.lg2 and MQTrans.lg2 modified

The second restart was therefore initiated shortly after MSMQ created or initialized new storage files.

MSMQ stop failure

When we attempted to stop MSMQ, it remained indefinitely in the following state:

Plain Text

STATE: STOP_PENDING

CHECKPOINT: 0x0

WAIT_HINT: 0x0

WMI reported:

Plain Text

State : Stop Pending

Status : Degraded

ExitCode : 0

After forcibly terminating mqsvc.exe, Windows automatically started a new instance because of the configured service recovery actions. The service then reported RUNNING again, but the MSMQ functionality remained unavailable.

This issue has occurred multiple times directly after Windows Updates. Reinstalling MSMQ previously restored operation, but this is not a suitable recurring solution.

Windows for business | Windows Server | Performance | Application technologies and compatibility
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  1. Ronald Sabiiti 1,830 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-12T08:27:14.8066667+00:00

    Hi Frank,

    Based on our review, the issue appears to be related to the Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) service rather than the Genetec application. Although the MSMQ service reports as running, local queue access fails and the service becomes unresponsive during stop operations, indicating a potential issue with MSMQ initialization or queue storage following the Windows update process.

    The timeline provided suggests MSMQ storage activity occurred between Windows servicing restarts, which may have contributed to the service becoming unavailable after the update.

    For further investigation, we recommend reviewing MSMQ-related events in the System and Application logs and collecting additional diagnostics if the issue reoccurs.

    References:

    At this stage, the evidence points to an MSMQ service-level issue rather than a Genetec application issue.

    Hope this helps!

    Ronald.

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