diff --git a/scripts/deploy-iis-remote-apply.ps1 b/scripts/deploy-iis-remote-apply.ps1
index 28eef32..74d9c6f 100644
--- a/scripts/deploy-iis-remote-apply.ps1
+++ b/scripts/deploy-iis-remote-apply.ps1
@@ -157,23 +157,36 @@ if($RunMigrations){
   }
 }
 
-Write-Host "Starting IIS site $SiteName and app pool $AppPool"
-if((Get-WebAppPoolState -Name $AppPool).Value -eq 'Started'){
-  Restart-WebAppPool -Name $AppPool
-} else {
-  Start-WebAppPool -Name $AppPool
-}
-Start-Website $SiteName
+# Start-WebAppPool/Start-Website are no-ops (no error) if already started, so there's no
+# need to check current state first - and checking first (via Get-WebAppPoolState) is what
+# was silently killing this whole block: with $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop', a transient
+# error from that check (e.g. right after Wait-AppPoolFullyStopped had to force-kill a
+# lingering worker process) aborted the script before the admin site/pool were ever started.
+# Each start below is independently wrapped so a problem with one site doesn't prevent the
+# other from starting, and every failure is reported instead of aborting silently.
+function Start-SiteAndPool {
+  param([string]$PoolName, [string]$WebsiteName)
+
+  if(![string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($PoolName)){
+    try {
+      Start-WebAppPool -Name $PoolName -ErrorAction Stop
+      Write-Host "Started app pool $PoolName"
+    } catch {
+      Write-Host "WARNING: failed to start app pool $PoolName : $($_.Exception.Message)"
+    }
+  }
 
-if(![string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($AdminSiteName)){
-  if(![string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($AdminAppPool)){
-    if((Get-WebAppPoolState -Name $AdminAppPool).Value -eq 'Started'){
-      Restart-WebAppPool -Name $AdminAppPool
-    } else {
-      Start-WebAppPool -Name $AdminAppPool
+  if(![string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($WebsiteName)){
+    try {
+      Start-Website -Name $WebsiteName -ErrorAction Stop
+      Write-Host "Started site $WebsiteName"
+    } catch {
+      Write-Host "WARNING: failed to start site $WebsiteName : $($_.Exception.Message)"
     }
   }
-  Start-Website $AdminSiteName
 }
 
+Start-SiteAndPool -PoolName $AppPool -WebsiteName $SiteName
+Start-SiteAndPool -PoolName $AdminAppPool -WebsiteName $AdminSiteName
+
 Write-Host 'Remote apply complete.'