Re: Is it HighPoint, is it Seagate, or is it Windows 2000 Professional
From: JayC Buzzword (anonymous_at_discussions.microsoft.com)
Date: 06/07/04
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Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2004 05:31:30 -0700
Well DL and others,
I have really learnt about the uses and limits of RAID.
Unfortunate? yes. Backwards? Yes.
Funny how things work in this Universe -- backwards.
If only I had REALLY know, before the ... .
Hard disk "Mean Life" for however many "Hours of
Operation" don't mean squiddle.
I 've become a full practioner of:
1. Back up (all) the system software and data. And that's
a double back up.
2. Use all the manufacturer recommended system recovery
provisions -- Emergency Disk, have a DOS boot disk ready,
get all the diagnostic software for all the motherboard
components for which the component (or motherboard)
manufacturer does make a diagnostic tool for.
3. Have a working minimum of at least one spare computer.
Two backup computers (or their equivalent in device
spares) are even better.
4. Network the computers.
5. Keep all software updated (and device drivers).
6. Have an effective and working anti-
virus/trojan/scumware/spyware system operating.
DL (and others),
I did all F6 stuff. And I found that each time I boot
from the Win CD-ROM I have to the F6 thing -- and re-
provide Win Setup with the driver (from floppy) for the
HighPoint RAID controller. What a nuisance.
I have considered giving my disk to a specialist Data
Recovery company. But then I reckon that as I have come
this far from "novice" to "knows something and can do
something for himself", well, I consider now that I will
go build myself a new desktop! And that is something I've
never done. And have previously been too afraid to do.
Then I will learn how to recover my own data of my own
hard disk drives. That's the plan. How quickly I execute
this plan will be the difference between time well spent
and time wasted.
Okay?
>-----Original Message-----
>It probably all means that one of yr hd's is
faulty/failed.
>As you've discovered Raid 0 has no fail safe redundancy,
one fails its all
>gone.
>If youve tried to reinstall Win you are aware of the F6
requirement to
>install other (Raid) drivers during the install process?
>If it was precious work you had no backup?
>If you are desperate to recover give yr disks to a
recovery specialist , no
>recovery no fee
>
>"JayC BuzzWord" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com>
wrote in message
>news:17f7701c44a47$411d01d0$a601280a@phx.gbl...
>The state of Play
>=================
>
>Okay guys: a few weeks ago, while using my beloved
>desktop, it crashed to "blue screen error".
>
>
>*** STOP: 0x0000007B (0x81482E50, 0xC0000032, 0x00000000,
>0x00000000)
>INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
>
>I am completely new to the 'seriously crashed machine'
>scene. And really shaken-up, I tried a Norton Recovery
>diskette
>(which went and wrote a Windows Millenium "boot block"
>onto my hard drive, by way of "system recovery").
>Then I tried to boot my system: Windows reported
>an "invalid disk array".
>Then with my heart in my mouth ( 'cos things seemed to
>have gotten worse) I learnt from the internet that Norton
>(System) Recovery Diskettes are made to recover Win9x and
>WinME systems -- Ouch!
>
>So, what could cause Windows to suddenly change its mind
>about a set of Seagate
>Barracuda disk running off a HighPoint HPT370A RAID
>controller (processor), in RAID 0
>configuration ? Or, more accurately, what is
>an "inaccessible boot device"?
>
>My Norton Anti-virus guard had the latest virus
>definitions and was operational. And one day or so
>before, I had done
>a full system virus check which found no viruses. I also
>have a fully working firewall, which also was
operational.
>And, and I had my Windows service packs installed and up-
>to-date.
>
>
>The Resulting situation:
>
>a) My desktop could no longer boot-up through to the
>Windows desktop.
>b) BIOS could "see" my hard drive and the HighPoint RAID
>Controller (RAID 0).
>c) BIOS could boot my system up to: "invalid
>disk" "please insert disk and press any key"
>d) The "posting" process for BIOS boot-up allows boot-up
>from:
>
> i) floppy, on drive A:
> ii) CD, on drive D:
>
>I then attempted Windows Recovery from the Windows CD-
ROM.
>The result of this was:
>
> i) Windows Setup kept needing to be supplied
>with the driver for the HighPoint RAID controller.
> ii) Windows Setup could not do an "emergency"
>system repair -- it needs a previously prepared
> "Emergency Diskette" to be able to do that.
>And I never knew about this. I never made one.
> iii) Windows Setup said that it couldn't find
>the "existing Windows operating system"
> iiii) Windows Setup said that it was unable to
>format my hard drives (which have one large partition
> (38MB) and one small partition (4MB). [I
>never new that my drives were set up this way. My
> desktop was factory assembled. I bought it
>complete. That company went bust this January gone!)
>
>Really, I wanted to recover three years worth of my work
>which I had on my hard drive (and I still want to). When
>I consulted
>one of the tech support guys over at a Microsoft
>technical support center (£70 per hour), the guy there
>said to me:
>
>"There is no way that the work and information on the
>hard drive can be saved (recovered)" He then strongly
>advised that I "reformatted" my drives for the purpose of
>doing a "fresh install of Windows". I asked him again
>if there was another way to recover my system so that I
>would not loose my precious work. He repeated: "No.There
>isn't." As I am new to the innards of a computer -- and
>frankly, I was panic striken -- I went with his advice.
>
>The formatting process proceeded for some minutes
>(and, it formatted over 80% of drive C), then
>Windows 2000 Professional Setup program stopped and
>reported
>that:
>
>"Setup was unable to format drive C. The hard disk may be
>damaged.
>Make sure the disk is on and properly connected to your
>computer.
>If the disk is a SCSI disk, make sure your SCSI devices
>are
>PROPERLY TERMINATED.
>
>See your computer or SCSI adapter documentation for more
>information.
>
>setup cannot continue. To quit Setup, press F3."
>
> v) Windows Setup said that it was unable to (do
>anything) and I quit it.
>
>
>Another Questions: Did the format process wipe any of my
>data? It did abort, didn't it? Can I rescue my data?
>
>
> B. I then tried the Windows Console tool:
>
> i) Windows Console's CHKDSK /R reported
>that: "... unrecoverable errors"
>
>Well, what does that mean?
>
>
>
>While you are all scratching your heads, here is the
>current state of play:
>
>A.
>I contacted HighPoint and asked for a bootable diagnostic
>software tool. I got this, used it and sent the results
>back
>to HighPoint Technologies.
>
>This is their reply:
>
>"Dear Sir/Madam,
>
>Testing UDMA 5 on ST320414A: fail --- the hard disks
>can't work with ATA100 normally.
>The verification is OK---It means that the hard disks
>doesn't have bad sectors.
>
>"Invalid partition table. Setup cannot continue ..
>Error loading operating system.
>Setup cannot continue... "
>
>You can ignore the above information. Each logical hard
>disk will have this information.
>
>All ZEROS from word address [000] through to word
>address [1F0]
>
>As you create RAID0 with the hard disk. And this hard
>disk is the second member of the RAID0. So you can't see
>the "Invalid partition table. Setup cannot continue"
>
>We think your hard disks can't work normally. You had
>better not plug them into the HPT370 controller and
>create RAID with them.
>
>Regards,
>HighPoint Technologies Inc."
>
>Now, I nowadays find that I have to ask this
>question: "Do these guys know what they are talking
>about?"
>And: "What does it mean -- what they have said. What does
>it mean?" Anybody know?
>
>
>and B.
>
>Take a look at this from Seagate Technologies:
>
>"Mr (xxxxxxxx),
>
>
> The reason Seatools is not seeing the drives is because
>of the Highpoint
> RAID controller. Seatools can not test the drives on a
>RAID controller
> other than the Generic mode. I would suggest running a
>Windows 2000
> Repair. What are the results.
>
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Stefan M.
> Seagate Technical Support"
>
>Okay guys, what's he saying? Just so you guys know: only
>one of the software tools on the SeaTools software
>package failed.
>Six other software tools worked. And they correctly
>identified the HPT370A controller, and the two hard
>disks.
>
>
>Any ideas -- anybody? Good, workable advice and
>instruction will be especially welcome.
>Thanks
>
>
>---------------------------------------------------------
-
>-----------------------------
>
>Motherboard: EPoX 8KTA3+ with HighPoint IDE RAID
>CPU: Socket A AMD Athlon 1.2GHz 266 FSB
>Memory: 128MB SDRAM PC133
>Hard disk (Master: Channel 1): 20GB UDMA (RAID 0) Seagate
>Barracuda ATA ST320414A
>Hard disk (Slave: Channel 2): 20GB UDMA (RAID 0) Seagate
>Barracuda ATA ST320414A
>
>Graphics Card: 32MB GE-Force II MX -- HER
>Sound Card: Video Logic Sonic Fury (Turtle Beach)
>
>CD Drive: 16x 10x 40 OEM Mirai BurnProof CD-RW
>DVD/CD Drive: 16x Pioneer Slot Loading drive
>
>
>.
>
- Next message: anonymous_at_discussions.microsoft.com: "Re: Is it HighPoint, is it Seagate, or is it Windows 2000 Professional"
- Previous message: Rashmi.K.Y [MSFT]: "RE: Service Pack 4"
- In reply to: DL: "Re: Is it HighPoint, is it Seagate, or is it Windows 2000 Professional"
- Next in thread: G.Beat: "Re: Is it HighPoint, is it Seagate, or is it Windows 2000 Professional"
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