View Full Version : Stupid computer!! -- help!!!!
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 11:22 AM
HELP!
My PC wont boot to windows. (I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE TO THOSE THAT MAY BE ABLE TO HELP!)
Got win 7 installed on a pair of Western Digital HDD's in RAID.
PC goes through BIOS boot ok, but wont find the HDD - only the other two in the system (just used for storage)
However if i go into the Bios, it is picking up both HDD's individually as being plugged into SATA ports!
But if i go into the boot preferences i cant choose that drive (i.e. the one RAID'ed drive) to be in any priority to boot from. It only gives me floppy and the mass storage drives!
Therefore i checked all the connections in the tower, and even unplugged the other two so they were not causing any problems......But same problem.
Just wont even try and boot from them/it!
Any ideas? is it the boot sector that has gone on the drives? i hope not they are only 2 years old ish!
any help much appreciated!
Hardware or software RAID?
benji106
15-10-10, 11:26 AM
Are the storage drives also in RAID? can you swap one or both for the drive with the OS on, and see if it picks it up in the BIOS?
*Disclaimer, I only have a vague idea what Im talking about, dont tell my employers!
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 11:27 AM
hardware RAID, And not the other two are just old stand alone drives.
benji106
15-10-10, 11:29 AM
Sounds like your RAID controller might be shot
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 11:34 AM
am i right in thinking that the RAID controller is a hardware component on the main board?
if so what does that take to swap out? and will i still be able to use/retrieve the data on the drives? or will it mean a reformat?
Sorry if that is a simple question, i have some knowage of pc's, but as for the RAID side of it, a mate sorted that out when i built the PC, and never really read into it much!
disconnect one of your mirrored drives and attempt to boot. If that doesnt work, try the other one out of the pair.
...hang on, did it ever boot on these drives? Has it worked and suddenly stopped working?
benji106
15-10-10, 11:41 AM
The RAID controller (think the correct name is Disk Array Controller) is a physical hardware component yes, this link might help : http://www.bestpricecomputers.co.uk/glossary/raid-controller.htm
you should be able to swap this out and then boot from the drives without a reformat.
EDIT: assuming that is in fact the faulty component
AndyBrad
15-10-10, 11:42 AM
has it booted before or is this a fresh install? if so it will prob be lak of drivers at install otherwise corrupted boot sector would be my best guess.
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 12:53 PM
been working fine since windows 7 came out, so getting on for a year i think!
so i can only assume that it is a hardware malfunction! what is the best way (without spending money first) of working out if boot sector on drive, or the controller?
Flymo, I am running RAID 0, so no mirror, this is what concerns me about loosing all my data! It has been one of those i will back it all up at some point!
been working fine since windows 7 came out, so getting on for a year i think!
so i can only assume that it is a hardware malfunction! what is the best way (without spending money first) of working out if boot sector on drive, or the controller?
Flymo, I am running RAID 0, so no mirror, this is what concerns me about loosing all my data! It has been one of those i will back it all up at some point!
bugger, why would you use raid 0, this actually increases the chance of losing data.
SoulKiss
15-10-10, 01:02 PM
bugger, why would you use raid 0, this actually increases the chance of losing data.
Well when I get the cash to rebuild my busted Desktop (PSU in a Shuttle case....) I'm thinking of installing Win7 onto a RAID0 dual SSD setup - cos SSD's aren't fast enough - right ? :p
Probably make them big enough to install commonly used software on, but put all the "My Documents" and save directories on good old fashioned normal disks :p
Performance and storage increase is a benefit, but RAID0 is no place for unprotected important data.
I guess there are two sets of people, those who have lost data and those that will.
SK - I installed a fast SSD drive to a MacPro the other day, OMG the speed increase was incredible. These things have really come on in teh past few years.
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 01:06 PM
Well when I get the cash to rebuild my busted Desktop (PSU in a Shuttle case....) I'm thinking of installing Win7 onto a RAID0 dual SSD setup - cos SSD's aren't fast enough - right ? :p
Probably make them big enough to install commonly used software on, but put all the "My Documents" and save directories on good old fashioned normal disks :p
Exactly the reason i went for 0.
All my really important docs are on the other two stand along drives, that is the reason for having them, But i still have some docs on the main drive that will just be a pain to retrieve/re-do.
And a few photos that i would really like to not loose!! but will teach me a lesson if i do loose i suppose!
hindle8907
15-10-10, 01:08 PM
I have got one of these baby's on the way PCI SSD 50GB.
Read: Up to 540 MB/s
Write: Up to 450 MB/s
Sustained Write: Up to 350 MB/s
Random Write 4KB (Aligned): 70,000 IOPS
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/solid-state-drives/pci-express/revodrive/ocz-revodrive-pci-express-ssd-.html
SoulKiss
15-10-10, 01:14 PM
I guess there are two sets of people, those who have lost data and those that will.
Yep
Exactly the reason i went for 0.
All my really important docs are on the other two stand along drives, that is the reason for having them, But i still have some docs on the main drive that will just be a pain to retrieve/re-do.
And a few photos that i would really like to not loose!! but will teach me a lesson if i do loose i suppose!
See above.
You have the Hardware in place, its your storage policy that is Teh Suxorz.
As long as your "Working" (as in the one you work from) drive is smaller than your "Storage" drives, just tell Windows to back up your Working Drive on a daily basis.
ThEGr33k
15-10-10, 01:23 PM
I run Raid 0, im fully aware of the pit falls. I run 2 1TB Samsung F3 and the reason I run Raid 0 is that I get 250MB transfer speeds which is pretty important for gaming.
If you use Windows backup in 7 then you should be reasonably safe like.
Only side note is, I've filled my 250GB backup drive so im goin to look into getting at least one other 1tb HDD maybe even 2 and extend the Raid 0 to 3 drives... 400MB/s here I come? Yea not as fast as SSD's but 3tb storage and similar transfer speeds for same price? hmmm.
I have got one of these baby's on the way PCI SSD 50GB.
Read: Up to 540 MB/s
Write: Up to 450 MB/s
Sustained Write: Up to 350 MB/s
Random Write 4KB (Aligned): 70,000 IOPS
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/solid-state-drives/pci-express/revodrive/ocz-revodrive-pci-express-ssd-.html
Wow! I look forward to your review. Shame its not a little bigger capacity as tbh 50GB really isnt enough and id mainly want it for gaming... Normal drives are good enough for OS stuff. :rolleyes:
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 01:23 PM
very true, One of those things that has not happened to me, and i always hoped that it wouldn't really!
Live and learn. Might go for RAID 1? (if that is the one that mirrors!) if i need to reformat! hopefully i wont tho.
Again can anyone help with any tests to run to find out if boot sector or controller?
I assume that if boot sector then my BIOS should still read the drive being there, and at least try to boot, but not get very far. Being that bios is only seeing the two drives individualy and not as a single drive (i.e. in RAID) then it should be the controller? which i should be able to swap out, and everything should work fine.
At which point i will back up everything and reinstall windows without using RAID 0!!
ThEGr33k
15-10-10, 01:26 PM
There should be an option to boot into the raid controller, or at least that is the case with most. Check in the bios that the HDD interface type is set to RAID. I know on mine I got a scare because for some reason the BIOS defaulted to stock and changed HDD interface to IDE.
What Mobo is it?
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 01:26 PM
I run Raid 0, im fully aware of the pit falls. I run 2 1TB Samsung F3 and the reason I run Raid 0 is that I get 250MB transfer speeds which is pretty important for gaming.
If you use Windows backup in 7 then you should be reasonably safe like.
Only side note is, I've filled my 250GB backup drive so im goin to look into getting at least one other 1tb HDD maybe even 2 and extend the Raid 0 to 3 drives... 400MB/s here I come? Yea not as fast as SSD's but 3tb storage and similar transfer speeds for same price? hmmm.
Wow! I look forward to your review. Shame its not a little bigger capacity as tbh 50GB really isnt enough and id mainly want it for gaming... Normal drives are good enough for OS stuff. :rolleyes:
again part of the reason for RAID 0 - but to be honest i couldn't even tell you the last time i used the PC for gaming, prob just the occasional little LAN session that me and a couple of mates organise to take us back to our youth! and for that same reason normally only play older games, so speed it not so much of an issue. And normally turned into just getting ****ed these days and not playing anything anyway!! haha!
SoulKiss
15-10-10, 01:28 PM
very true, One of those things that has not happened to me, and i always hoped that it wouldn't really!
Live and learn. Might go for RAID 1? (if that is the one that mirrors!) if i need to reformat! hopefully i wont tho.
Again can anyone help with any tests to run to find out if boot sector or controller?
I assume that if boot sector then my BIOS should still read the drive being there, and at least try to boot, but not get very far. Being that bios is only seeing the two drives individualy and not as a single drive (i.e. in RAID) then it should be the controller? which i should be able to swap out, and everything should work fine.
At which point i will back up everything and reinstall windows without using RAID 0!!
Thing to bear in mind is that if its the mobo thats gone, even replacing with the same model may not allow you to get your data off.
Even Expensive Addon RAID controller cards can use different algorythms depending on the firmware/version.
With RAID0 however I would think this would be a minimal issue.
Have you tried downloading and burning a Ubuntu Desktop 10.4LTS disk?
If you boot from that it MAY be able to talk to the RAID chip - and if not, if you connect the 2 drives to non-RAID ports on your MOBO it MAY be able to talk to them using the built in Software RAID drivers it has.
Boot the machine from a Win7 installation disk (or USB image better still) and use the repair tools. They would likely allow you to recover from a buggered boot partition. If its the controller I doubt you will even get that far.
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 01:38 PM
There should be an option to boot into the raid controller, or at least that is the case with most. Check in the bios that the HDD interface type is set to RAID. I know on mine I got a scare because for some reason the BIOS defaulted to stock and changed HDD interface to IDE.
What Mobo is it?
Thats a good point! i have only had 5 mins if that looking through the BIOS so really havn't had time to sit and think about what to check, That didn't even cross my mind.
And to be honest my BIOS does keep playing up recently and resetting the voltage going to my RAM, so that could be an option.
When you say Boot straight into the controller? sorry what do you mean by that?
As i say earlier RAID is straight above my head! I learned all about PC's well before RAID was something that existed, and a mate that knows a lot more than me popped round to sort that out when i built her!
I think the board is an ASUS p5-k premium (if my memory searves me correctly)
ware is the RAID controller then? do i recall placing something into one of the PCI bays that may be it?
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 01:41 PM
Have you tried downloading and burning a Ubuntu Desktop 10.4LTS disk?
??????? sorry that went straight over the old think pot!
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 01:42 PM
Boot the machine from a Win7 installation disk (or USB image better still) and use the repair tools. They would likely allow you to recover from a buggered boot partition. If its the controller I doubt you will even get that far.
Not a bad shout!
SoulKiss
15-10-10, 01:45 PM
Boot the machine from a Win7 installation disk (or USB image better still) and use the repair tools. They would likely allow you to recover from a buggered boot partition. If its the controller I doubt you will even get that far.
Hence the use Ubuntu suggestion - it wont try and repair or change anything automagically, but may allow access to the data.
Means you are not giving Windows a chance to bugger your data.
Maybr I didnt make it clear, but the Ubuntu Desktop CD's are "live" CD's in that you can run your computer off the CD, without installing anything to HD.
basically the same thing, Win7 disks boot up with WinPE, a cut down version of windows7 with the tools available, it wont attempt to fix anything that you dont ask it to.
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 01:50 PM
I see, sorry i am with you now.
Can i boot straight from the windows disk in any way? or do i need to create an image on a disk/USB some how? and if so how? Sorry again for all the questions, But you guys are being more that great help!! :p
you can boot from the DVD, USB is just faster.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-are-the-system-recovery-options-in-Windows-7
ThEGr33k
15-10-10, 01:54 PM
Right. First off look about the Bios settings, I cant remember where exactly the HDD interface settings will be but if you look about you should see it.
Once you have HDD interface set to RAID there should be a RAID screen after the bios screen has gone off. It usually has a list of connected devices and on mine says something like "press Control + R to access RAID settings".
If you look up your Mobo on Google you might find more specific stuff for yours... Id look for you but I've spent all day making a server 2008 r2 the domain controller and getting rid of 2 2003 servers on the network so my brain is cooked :(
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 02:05 PM
Right. First off look about the Bios settings, I cant remember where exactly the HDD interface settings will be but if you look about you should see it.
Once you have HDD interface set to RAID there should be a RAID screen after the bios screen has gone off. It usually has a list of connected devices and on mine says something like "press Control + R to access RAID settings".
If you look up your Mobo on Google you might find more specific stuff for yours... Id look for you but I've spent all day making a server 2008 r2 the domain controller and getting rid of 2 2003 servers on the network so my brain is cooked :(
No that's cool, I know what you mean now. I plan to check the BIOS settings when i get a chance, Prob not till Sunday now!!! but will check non the less, and i know the screen you are talking about, just never really looked at it as always been ok!!
Jimmy2Feet
15-10-10, 02:06 PM
you can boot from the DVD, USB is just faster.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-are-the-system-recovery-options-in-Windows-7
Fantastic, If the BIOS is not the answer, i will try booting from DVD to at least back up all out standing data that i need, and then i am free to reformat etc if needed!
SoulKiss
15-10-10, 02:32 PM
Fantastic, If the BIOS is not the answer, i will try booting from DVD to at least back up all out standing data that i need, and then i am free to reformat etc if needed!
If it IS the onboard RAID controller then Linux may still be the answer :p
SoulKiss
15-10-10, 02:33 PM
Right. First off look about the Bios settings, I cant remember where exactly the HDD interface settings will be but if you look about you should see it.
Once you have HDD interface set to RAID there should be a RAID screen after the bios screen has gone off. It usually has a list of connected devices and on mine says something like "press Control + R to access RAID settings".
If you look up your Mobo on Google you might find more specific stuff for yours... Id look for you but I've spent all day making a server 2008 r2 the domain controller and getting rid of 2 2003 servers on the network so my brain is cooked :(
Wow, thats like 2 hours work on Linux... tho it will of course take all day ;p
ThEGr33k
15-10-10, 02:39 PM
Wow, thats like 2 hours work on Linux... tho it will of course take all day ;p
It would have been quicker but I have not done it before... ha ha. Great learning exp though!!!
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