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Cannot Boot into Windows SBS 2011 STD after changing to AHCI mode in BIOS
Hi,
I've done something very foolish and I immediately regret doing it.
I was trying to create an image of my server with Acronis True Image (Bootable CD) but couldn't see the drives. I had the idea to change in BIOS from IDE to AHCI to get Acronis to see the hard drives. It didn't work so I tried to boot back into Windows but it failed. I then changed the BIOS settings back to IDE but I'm still getting the failure when booting into Windows.
Error is as follows:
0xc000000e the boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible.
What makes this worse is that I had 2 drives setup in a mirror meaning the hard disks are 'Dynamic' and I cannot read them in an external hard drive from another PC. It shows the drive but it has it as 'Invalid'.
Is there anything I can do to fix this issue and boot into windows on the server? Or will I need to try and rescue the data and perform a fresh install?
I'm also chasing the driver for the ServeRAID BR10il SAS/SATA Controller v2 (FRU 49Y4737)
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
I've done something very foolish and I immediately regret doing it.
I was trying to create an image of my server with Acronis True Image (Bootable CD) but couldn't see the drives. I had the idea to change in BIOS from IDE to AHCI to get Acronis to see the hard drives. It didn't work so I tried to boot back into Windows but it failed. I then changed the BIOS settings back to IDE but I'm still getting the failure when booting into Windows.
Error is as follows:
0xc000000e the boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible.
What makes this worse is that I had 2 drives setup in a mirror meaning the hard disks are 'Dynamic' and I cannot read them in an external hard drive from another PC. It shows the drive but it has it as 'Invalid'.
Is there anything I can do to fix this issue and boot into windows on the server? Or will I need to try and rescue the data and perform a fresh install?
I'm also chasing the driver for the ServeRAID BR10il SAS/SATA Controller v2 (FRU 49Y4737)
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Hi,
Did you have the driver for the controller when you first installed windows or did Windows install have a driver?
I'd first unhook one of the drives from the mirror to have a backup. Then I'd try a repair install using the SBS install media.
The IBM site is partially down for maintenance the next few days so getting the driver will be tricky. But this link has the driver download matrix:
IBM SAS Drivers
- gurutc
Did you have the driver for the controller when you first installed windows or did Windows install have a driver?
I'd first unhook one of the drives from the mirror to have a backup. Then I'd try a repair install using the SBS install media.
The IBM site is partially down for maintenance the next few days so getting the driver will be tricky. But this link has the driver download matrix:
IBM SAS Drivers
- gurutc
ASKER
@olafdc & @gurutc - Thank you for your quick response.
I never had this server setup for RAID, just a mirror within Windows. The reason why I'm after the SAS Driver is when I try to perform a repair from the windows install disc I get to "System Recovery Options" but I can't see my Windows installation there. I thought I might have to load the Drivers for it to work.
Should I try a repair with a Windows 7 Disc?
If I can get back to a booting system I will be very happy
I never had this server setup for RAID, just a mirror within Windows. The reason why I'm after the SAS Driver is when I try to perform a repair from the windows install disc I get to "System Recovery Options" but I can't see my Windows installation there. I thought I might have to load the Drivers for it to work.
Should I try a repair with a Windows 7 Disc?
If I can get back to a booting system I will be very happy
ASKER
Update: Tried doing a repair with Windows 7 Pro disc but it failed. It basically said it couldn't perform repair because the repair disc (Windows 7) was incompatible with the current install.
One thing I have noticed is that when Windows boot manager displays operating systems to start it shows "Windows Server 2008 R2" not Windows SBS 2011? Is that because Windows 2011 is built on a 2008 platform? anyway that's off topic....
I'm sort of lost as to where to go from here without doing a reinstall. Is there a bootable program that with allow me to see whats on the drives and if possible create a back up image?
Thanks
One thing I have noticed is that when Windows boot manager displays operating systems to start it shows "Windows Server 2008 R2" not Windows SBS 2011? Is that because Windows 2011 is built on a 2008 platform? anyway that's off topic....
I'm sort of lost as to where to go from here without doing a reinstall. Is there a bootable program that with allow me to see whats on the drives and if possible create a back up image?
Thanks
Do you have the SBS install disks?
I believe SBS2011 is built on 2008 but I wouldn't use those disks.
-gurutc
I believe SBS2011 is built on 2008 but I wouldn't use those disks.
-gurutc
SOLUTION
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ASKER
Hi
Yes I have the original SBS 2011 discs. I have been trying to perform the repair using those discs but it won't detect the Windows installation within "System Recovery Options". It's not seeing the Hard drives like it needs the ServeRaid driver.
It's not setup within a RAID but you can see the Disks when the controller first boots.
My guess is that when I have switched from IDE to AHCI mode and back again it is still somehow looking for the RAID (AHCI mode). Could it be stuck in that mode? Can I reset the CMOS/BIOS to back to default?
The Windows 7 disk I used was Windows 7 Pro SP1 64bit OEM
It seems that I need the machine to recognize the hard drive drivers to allow it to boot again?
Thanks
Yes I have the original SBS 2011 discs. I have been trying to perform the repair using those discs but it won't detect the Windows installation within "System Recovery Options". It's not seeing the Hard drives like it needs the ServeRaid driver.
It's not setup within a RAID but you can see the Disks when the controller first boots.
My guess is that when I have switched from IDE to AHCI mode and back again it is still somehow looking for the RAID (AHCI mode). Could it be stuck in that mode? Can I reset the CMOS/BIOS to back to default?
The Windows 7 disk I used was Windows 7 Pro SP1 64bit OEM
It seems that I need the machine to recognize the hard drive drivers to allow it to boot again?
Thanks
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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ASKER
I don't think I'm loading the correct drivers for the ServeRAID SATA controller or my hard drives have a damaged MBR. The driver I'm using is - intc_dd_adpahci_9.6.0.1014
I tested trying to perform the same procedure on another X3200 server (Slightly older) but still couldn't see the Operating System. This leads me to believe the Hard Drives are at fault and you @olafdc could be onto something with the partition changing from MBR.
I'm not sure how to get to the command prompt on the server when I can't get passed the System Recovery Options screen?
At the moment I have created an image of the partitions (of the HDD from Server) with Acronis on my computer. In the process now of recovering those partitions to a spare Hard Drive to test. (3hr50mins remaining). I also have a backup of the system created with Windows Server Backup.
Is there a way I can get to CMD from startup and make the changes to the hard drive/partitions and repair the MBR without trying to access the Windows Disc?
I tested trying to perform the same procedure on another X3200 server (Slightly older) but still couldn't see the Operating System. This leads me to believe the Hard Drives are at fault and you @olafdc could be onto something with the partition changing from MBR.
I'm not sure how to get to the command prompt on the server when I can't get passed the System Recovery Options screen?
At the moment I have created an image of the partitions (of the HDD from Server) with Acronis on my computer. In the process now of recovering those partitions to a spare Hard Drive to test. (3hr50mins remaining). I also have a backup of the system created with Windows Server Backup.
Is there a way I can get to CMD from startup and make the changes to the hard drive/partitions and repair the MBR without trying to access the Windows Disc?
Use the server 2008 r2 bootdisk and get to cmd like that.
Run diskpart commands from there.
Olaf
Run diskpart commands from there.
Olaf
ASKER
I've managed to get a command prompt and performed DISKPART > LIST DISK - it has my hard drive there as Disk 0 but it's status is Foreign? It has it listed as DYN (Dynamisc?) and no marker under GPT.
Hmm... 1 step forward 2 steps back...
Hmm... 1 step forward 2 steps back...
ASKER
I've got the server to boot up. Thanks for the heads up with using DISKPART!
I had to IMPORT the disk which brought it to an online state. It listed the Volume as FAILED so I had to plug in the second drive to create the mirror. I then performed a startup repair by running startrep.exe.
From there the system booted ok.
THANK GOD! ...And you two! @olafdc @gurutc haha
I had to IMPORT the disk which brought it to an online state. It listed the Volume as FAILED so I had to plug in the second drive to create the mirror. I then performed a startup repair by running startrep.exe.
From there the system booted ok.
THANK GOD! ...And you two! @olafdc @gurutc haha
ASKER
This might be a silly question but I'm trying to add a 3rd hard drive to the Server as a spare (Outside of the mirror) It won't detect it with disk management, Diskpart or in the SAS hard drive topology. Is there a way I can get it to initalize and see the 3rd hard disk without being in an array?
2 x 500GB Hard Disks are in a Mirror
1 x 1TB Hard Disk currently undetected.
Thanks
2 x 500GB Hard Disks are in a Mirror
1 x 1TB Hard Disk currently undetected.
Thanks
If you can't see drive 3 you might still have driver issues.
If you hang that drive of another machine can you see it? This will tell you if the drive is OK.
If it is OK use a usb caddy and see if you can see it.
Check if it is GPT? You can use diskpart in an admin command prompt within windows.
I would suggest doing a complete BU before trying to work out what hardware issues you are having.
At least you have a working system :)
Glad you got it. Give yourself pat for patience and perseverence.
Olaf
If you hang that drive of another machine can you see it? This will tell you if the drive is OK.
If it is OK use a usb caddy and see if you can see it.
Check if it is GPT? You can use diskpart in an admin command prompt within windows.
I would suggest doing a complete BU before trying to work out what hardware issues you are having.
At least you have a working system :)
Glad you got it. Give yourself pat for patience and perseverence.
Olaf
ASKER
Yeah I can see the Drive if I put it in an external USB enclosure. I can even initialize it and give it a drive letter but can't see it at all if I put it into slot 3 or 4 of the Hard Disk bays.
I'm about to perform a full system Back Up now. Just wanted to see if it could see the drive and if you had any ideas on how to get it working.
I think there might be a limitation on how many drives windows detects internally if not in a RAID. Are there any limitations on that?
Mate I have you to thank for putting me on the right track. Thanks again.
I'm about to perform a full system Back Up now. Just wanted to see if it could see the drive and if you had any ideas on how to get it working.
I think there might be a limitation on how many drives windows detects internally if not in a RAID. Are there any limitations on that?
Mate I have you to thank for putting me on the right track. Thanks again.
You'd have to check in your MB manual and see what ports are Raid, and which ones are Sata.
You might have to use your raid software to add the drive as a standalone.
Could also just be a driver issue considering it works on a USB port.
You might have to use your raid software to add the drive as a standalone.
Could also just be a driver issue considering it works on a USB port.
Boot in raid Bios and see if your drives are visible and if not import them. Every motherboard / raid system is different.
Hope that helps,
Olaf
You can also try running a boot repair. Use win 7 64 bit Boot disk to do so, not a server 2008 R2.
Win 7 boot disk has that option in the repair section.