Windows Server 2008 R2 in VM does not start, black screen with cursor

can you RDP to the server?

it's possible it's a video driver related issue?

No, I tried it before, can not even ping it from another server :(

when I tried to system recovery, I choosed "comand prompt", I can not see anything on C:, actually, I do not see any C: drive

fortunatelly, for me is the most important D:, with datas, so it looks, that D: is living... also I have D: on separete virtual disk, so I plan to install new virtual machine with Windows 2008 R2 server and virtual disk D: (with data) connect to the new one... what do you think ?

at least we have one more DCs, which still works... hope so

Dear Hanccocka, please, do you think, that there is possiblity to repair that damaged operating system? there are really lot of settings which has been made on that server...

also, I hope there will not be problem with accessing the files on that disk, becuase that files have been in domain shared by users by privligeies...

Looks like MBR of your DC is currupt, you can repair it with below boot disk -

the NTFS permissions will be stored on the disk.

the shares you will need to re-create.

Black OS Screens in Windows 2008 R2 are usually caused by video drivers

Have you tried increasing the video memory?

see here

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1011709

http://communities.vmware.com/thread/271357 

can you ping the server, or connect via RDP?

not able to ping it at all...

not able to start in any safemode, still see the "black screen" with mouse curser

we have backup od system state on backup server, but I can not even start it with "dirctory restore mode", still get black screen and cursor

I increased video memory before and it does not help at all

to pramod_ubhe:
I am not sure, how to repair MBR record, my emplyoee is on vacation and he was doing this, can you help pls ,

Okay, it would seem the server needs to be repaired or it's become corrupted.

Rebuild a new VM, create a new DC, re-attach the D: drive later and share.

I rebooted corupted system by installation CD and I found out, that my system is on drive E:

I do not understand, I had normall C: for System and D: for Data

its possible to change it somehow ?

Try re-arranging disk order in VM settings (see attached screenshot). C: drive should be 0:0
Clone the existing DC and then try it so that you will have a copy even if it gets messed up.
Capture1.jpg

that is normal for booting from CDROM.

I would give try first to run chkdsk by booting with windows disk and using repair console it seems lame solutions but worked for me once

I am trying to use checkdisk :d (this is my system disk, when I run recovery from windows system CD) /f

I got this error:
Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Chkdsk may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID. Would you like to force a dismount on this volume? (Y/N)

what now? :)

What happnes if you press yes

Unfortunatelly nothing said here, or on any pages with information about KSOD (Black Screen of Death) on Windows Server 2008 R2 does not help us....

I just installed new virtual machine and connected there my virtual data disk, but everything I had to setup from the start :(

fortunatelly this was second DC and first (old - physical) is online, so my question is now:
- shall I fight with old KSOD server and then bring it back to online in order to have fully functional server, which is backup/second DC and DNS
- shall I start to install al AD roles on new server in order to promote this new server to ActiveDirectory DC with fully functional domain replication and so on...

because, now I am in stage, that old DC is bit promlematic and sometimes shut down withou warning, so my AD is not working at all

thanks for help

Transfer the roles to the new server (sieze the roles from the old server) and evict it from AD.

and then transfer ALL the roles from the old physical server to the new server.

Demote the Old Physical Server, rebuild or investigate why it's shutting down, and decide 1. rebuild old physical server, or create a new VM DC.

Finally, I did state above in http:/#a38739473, it's not worth the effort, of trying to fix, when you can create a new VM quickly promote to DC, and transfer the roles.

Ok, let me describe the actual situation a litlle bit more, its more than terrible :(((
- old DC physical server shuts down almost daily (do not know why, still get error in ilo log - power has been removed), on this server there are all FSMO roles, also DNS. Thats why we had second DC in virtual with second DNS and it was also GC
- second DC in virtual are in KSOD state now, but even that this second DC was OK, Active Directory was not working properly, when first old physical DC was down (that's why I have opened another question, which I can not link, I am on ipad)
- we installed new virtual server, where we added virtual hdd from second (KSOD) DC, so now we have at least member virtual server with working shares

Now it is very bad and we must solve it ASAP

I am planing, when I start old physical DC:
1. install AD services on new virtual member server
2. install DNS and GC
3. sieze all FSMO roles To new virtual DC (former member server with data)
4. not sure how to test it, if domain will be normally working on second server
5. also not know, if I have to make metadata cleanup for KSOD server

I will appreciate all help, thanks a lot

EDIT: link for my problem http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Server/Windows_Server_2008/Q_27978579.html

Yes, that's the correct procedure.

I would build a new VM, and DC ASAP!

Hanccocka, can I somehow damage AD, if I transfer the FSMO roles when old Physical DC is back online and replication would not be working on 100% ? - like in my error linked above

you need to get a stable AD envrionment, and before you add any more DC's ensure that the old physical server is stable. (and ON!)

ignore the failed server, remove it from AD.

but you can get on now, and build two new VMs, full patched ready to promote to DCs.

so I will forget about failed DC in VM (in KSOD state), I will delete it and do metadatacleanup of this server ? yes ?

than I will install AD services on that second DC, where we have also installed VHD with data from failed server

I am also considering about leaving this server only as file, printer and backup server without AD services (which I already installed, but not performed dcpromo.exe yet) and install new one, which will be real DC and DNS server only.... we are lack of licences, but I would do it and then ask customer to buy new licence....  actually, our plan is after I am able do disconnect old physical server from AD and AD would work normally without it, take this service to HP service center and repair it as soon as possible, that bring it back to environment...

anyway, can I uninstall AD services without any problem ? I mean, if it does not remain something from it, which could pretend me AD working properly

yes, ignore the broken DC, turn off, move on.

I would concentrate on building new VMs, and prmote to DCs.

yes you run dcpromo and demote a DC to a normal  server

OK, I started old physical DC and I installed AD by dcpromo on the new virtual DC... is there any time needed to replicate all services (I know, that yes, but I am bit nervous now, if old one does not fail again)

my plan is now, diagnose the domain in order to be sure, that even that I will shut down to old physical DC, my domain will work....  how can I do that ?

thanks for all

when I ran dcdiag /s:nameofmyserver, I got really, really lot of errors :(

I will try to force replication now, that again do the test

did you remove the old knackered server from AD first?

you need to do this first, as your AD is poor.

if you mean by metadata cleanup, so now, because, I was really afraid, that my old server fails again and I would not start it again...

So I wanted to add one DC as soon as possible, while the old one is up...

this new server has different name like old one, so is ti very big problem, if I go to perform metadata cleanup now  and remove old failed DC now ?

The server which is off, which this EE post is about, needs to be removed from AD.

otherwise you will get replication issues, until that is removed from AD.

then once you are back to a single server environment, with no AD issues, then is the time to add a new DC (dcpromo).

you mean the new server you have created has the same name as the old server this EE post is about?

no, it has different name...

unfortunatelly, we have no single server environment at all, becuase we have another 3 DCs in branch offices replicated by VPN tunel :)

now I suspect some problems with DNS server... even that when my old physical DC is offline, I can "nslookup anything" from clients computers (primary DNS server is now new in virtual), I got all answers correctly, but domain is probably not accesible, because I can not add users from domain in Computer Management, I still see there only local users on computer, not domain :(

so, I started my old DC again and everything is runing smothly, can add users, can work with domain shares very quicky....

so, when my old physical DC si down, even that primary DNS server is new virtual server, domain not working properly... I can nslookup, I can ping all online devices, but domain "as is" is not working...

will appreciate all help if possible, thx a lot

is all currently working well?

no man, not..

only if my old DC si back online again... actually, is back again now, but I am afraid, that he will not survive the weekend, even that, there are no data, no services on him, only AD :(

when I turn it off, as previous stated, my domain is not working as it should, users are connecting to share very, very long (but connect), I can not add more computers to domain, can not add domain users to computers and so on.... I checked all what I could about DNS not working, but from all computers, servers I can ping, nslookup all servers, everything... but what regards domain "as is", I do not see it... :(

yes, this is what I meant.

do not turn it off, leave it one, check you AD replication, and remove the failed DC.

then proceed, and add a new VM, promote to a DC, transfer ALL roles from old DC to this new DC.

can you please help me how exactly check AD replication ? I was trying to - dcdiag /test:replications but suprisingly I got only errors from remote DCs which are not connected now, (branches was moving during chrismas)

now I am performing all DCDIAG test on old physical and new virtual DC...

but now what I see, from test Netlogon this errror (ran on the new virtual DC server):
Starting test: NetLogons
Unable to connect to the NETLOGON share! (\\new-virutal-dc\netlogon)
[new-virutal-dc] An net use or LsaPolicy operation failed with error 67,
The network name cannot be found...

have you removed the failed AD server?

prior to try adding a new dc?

okay, looking at the original Question title, we have gone way off topic, the  way to proceed to get AD Experts to look at your issues, is to open a new question with reference to this current issue.

with the words Replication Issues in the Question Title.

sorry mate, but before you wrote me today, that I should not add new DCs I have already performed DCPROMO on the new virtual server.... because I was really afraid, that I will not be able to start old physical, so I had to be very quick....

but I can do it now....

is not there any functionality, that I could check all metadata and find out, which one is not actuall ?

ok, so can we solve this in this issue?

http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Server/Windows_Server_2008/Q_27978579.html#a38746666

that is actually what we are solving now

I look at new question

Hanccocka, unfortuantelly, the problem is not regarding this failed DC, becaue I found out, that "it has never been correctly replication from start", so I must back to question http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Server/Windows_Server_2008/Q_27978579.html#a38746666 because actually, replication from my old DC is not working at all from start (not from start, but from adding new windows 2008 servers).

So I am sure, that deleting failed DCs is necessary, but it will definitelly not solve my problem with not be able to replicate anything from old DC.... so, failed DC problems does not connect to "not working replication in my domain"

I would do new question, but its the exactly the same like this - http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Server/Windows_Server_2008/Q_27978579.html#a38746666 becuase event that I added new DC again, I still have the same problem ... no SYSVOL and NETLOGON shared and thats why I have not replicated anything on any of new servers I add....