How to fix windows 2012 boot problem? works until I add another volume
I have installed windows 2012 onto new server, it installs and updates fine. All my drivers are loaded and good to go.
All I am doing is adding in a secondary volume, creating the partitions and settings a drive letter. It all works, but once I restart the server it will not longer boot.
If I disable partition or remove the physical drives it boots fine again.
The primary is Mirrored drives, the secondary partion is 4 drivers in raid 5. Nothing special.
I have tried deleting and recreating the raid (hardware), create the volume as gpt or mbr, same thing. If I boot into command line recovery, I see the partitions in diskpart and can browse the drives.
Any ideas?
All I am doing is adding in a secondary volume, creating the partitions and settings a drive letter. It all works, but once I restart the server it will not longer boot.
If I disable partition or remove the physical drives it boots fine again.
The primary is Mirrored drives, the secondary partion is 4 drivers in raid 5. Nothing special.
I have tried deleting and recreating the raid (hardware), create the volume as gpt or mbr, same thing. If I boot into command line recovery, I see the partitions in diskpart and can browse the drives.
Any ideas?
Predrag Jovic
Probably when you add new HDD drive motherboard is trying to boot from that drive. Go to BIOS and check which drive is booting first after adding new drive.
When second partition is added make sure it is not active. You can check that in Disk Management or Diskpart. Make sure the first partition is always active.
The new volume is a new drive (RAID) right? It simply swaps the order with your mirror RAID and the boot files are usually searched on HDD0 by Windows. If your RAID5 turns to HDD0 and RAID1 to HDD1 then boot process lookes the system on wrong drive. I dont know if your BIOS allows switching the place of the RAIDs as if they were single drives. But try to check it.
Check your RAID controller's settings. Normally you have an option there where you can select which RAID array should be the one you want to boot from.
ASKER
The raid card is set to boot RAID0 Volume (Mirror OS), The RAID1(Raid-5) volume is created.
Since there is only one Raid card, the order can't be changed in the system bios, it only point so the LSI card, the boot volume is set active in the LSI bios.
The problem only starts when I enable the windows volume, I don't even need to format and set a drive letter.
Since there is only one Raid card, the order can't be changed in the system bios, it only point so the LSI card, the boot volume is set active in the LSI bios.
The problem only starts when I enable the windows volume, I don't even need to format and set a drive letter.
Wait, what do you mean - you enable Windows volume?
When you are in Windows please go to Windows Disk Management and take a screen shot of disk layout screen. post it here.
Is there no utility for the RAID controller you can install into windows?
ASKER
-disk layout attached, Yes the Raid software is installed for LSI controller
disklayout.png
disklayout.png
So you create a partition on this 713GB space and it eill not boot anymore?
Try the following before you create the partition. Right click on this scond drive and make it GPT. Then create a partition on it. Does it behave different now?
You are using UEFI BIOS so it could be somehow affected by GPT and MBR mix.
Try the following before you create the partition. Right click on this scond drive and make it GPT. Then create a partition on it. Does it behave different now?
You are using UEFI BIOS so it could be somehow affected by GPT and MBR mix.
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
ASKER
Already tried both MBR and GPT, doesn't make a difference.
Ok, this is pretty strange then.
Can you install the OS on MBR drive instead of using UEFI? Go to BIOS and switch to Legacy BIOS. Then install Windows new on empty drive (RAID1 needs to be totally deleted).
Can you install the OS on MBR drive instead of using UEFI? Go to BIOS and switch to Legacy BIOS. Then install Windows new on empty drive (RAID1 needs to be totally deleted).
ASKER
That's what I was wanting to avoid, but it seems that's my final option.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
ASKER
So before I went to re-installed, I tried forcing the bios to UEFI ONLY and disable all legacy support. Now it boots with both volumes. If I set the bios to auto or force legacy mode, it won't boot.
This seems buggy, not sure if its a windows 2012 issue or just the bios.
With all that I tempted to disable UEFI and enable legacy only and re-install the OS and use MBR only, simple and works.
Any suggestions why to stay with UEFI?
This seems buggy, not sure if its a windows 2012 issue or just the bios.
With all that I tempted to disable UEFI and enable legacy only and re-install the OS and use MBR only, simple and works.
Any suggestions why to stay with UEFI?
ASKER
solution wasn't found directly, but lead me to the bios uefi issue
You need UEFI only of you plan to use Windows installation on a drive which exceeds the MBR limit of 2TB. But mormally the system drive does not exceed 100-200GB size. So no need for it now.
If you had a single RAID configured over 2TB which could contain system and data partitions then you would need UEFI.
If you had a single RAID configured over 2TB which could contain system and data partitions then you would need UEFI.