SCCM 2012 R2: Where is the SMSTS.log located?

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Allmost every time I get a call from a customer, or want to answer a question in the TechNet Forums about OS Deployment, I always start by asking for logfiles.

There are MANY log files when it comes to ConfigMgr 2012 R2, and most of them are normally located in the same folder every time you need them. But when you are troubleshooting OS Deployment using, one of the most common log files you almost always want to check, is the SMSTS.log. And this log file is moving around depending on the phase of the deployment process.

There are plenty of blogs out there about the location of the SMSTS.log, but most of them are not up-to-date (The log files are on longer placed under System32 or SysWOW for 64-bit clients), so here you go:

Phase Location
Windows PE
(Before the hard disk are formatted)
x:\windows\temp\smstslog\smsts.log
Windows PE
(After the hard disk are formatted)
x:\smstslog\smsts.log and copied to c:\_SMSTaskSequence\Logs\Smstslog\smsts.log
Windows Operating System
(Before the SCCM client is installed)
c:\_SMSTaskSequence\Logs\Smstslog\smsts.log
Windows Operating System
(After the SCCM client is installed)
c:\windows\ccm\logs\Smstslog\smsts.log
Windows Operating System
(When the Task Sequence is complete)
c:\windows\ccm\logs\smsts.log

/Enjoy.

+Ronni Pedersen


About Author

My name is Ronni Pedersen and I'm currently working as a Cloud Architect at APENTO in Denmark. My primary focus is Enterprise Client Management solutions, based on technologies like AzureAD, Intune, EMS and System Center Configuration Manager. I'm is also a Microsoft Certified Trainer and Microsoft MVP in Enterprise Mobility.

7 Comments

  1. Bartosz Mikulski on

    Is smsts.log located on one of these paths only when the SCCM client is already installed on client machine or it is not relevant ?

  2. oddly, the only place I found this smsts.log file is on the first pathway, which says pre-formatting. Yet the issue im having is that after the second boot, it comes up to the windows boot screen, but then fails to bring up windows, and then just restarts the computer. Seems the log should be somewhere on the c; drive in ccm folder. thanks for any thoughts

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