Reboot problem.

[John Stover]

I'm running Windows 2000 Server on parallel 1GHz P3's with
512MB RAM and mirrored SCSI HDD's.

On a reboot today, before Windows drivers started, I
encountered a text screen with the message:
"Reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media
in selected boot device."

In checking the BIOS, I found that my boot sequence had
not changed from floppy, CD-ROM, HDD, but the clock had
been reset to 00:00 on 1 Jan 2000. If Windows time runs
off of the BIOS clock, then the BIOS clock was OK until
the reboot. I tried to set up the BIOS to force a HDD-only
boot, but encountered the same failure to boot problem.

I suspect that my Windows boot sector is corrupted. My
recovery disk is old, and I discovered that I cannot
access it in the installation CD repair mode. I can get to
the repair console with the installation CD.

I would appreciate instructions or direction to a KB
article that will enable me to correct this problem.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Try the steps I recommended in the item "Windows 2000 does not boot up"
in this newsgroup only 20 minutes ago . . .

 

[John Stover]

Thanks for your input, Pegasus. Here is how I resolved
the issue:

I appeared to have the same problem as Dat today, with the
same error message at the same point in the boot up
process. I looked at my BIOS boot sequence, and
everything was correct, so I wasted half a day trying to
figure out how to fix the boot sector, but worrying about
taking such drastic measures as you and Ken Simpson
suggested. Along the way, I found that the event that
caused my boot problem had apparently reset the BIOS clock
to 00:00 on 1 Jan 2000.

In re-checking my BIOS settings, I finally discovered that
although the boot sequence was correct (floppy, CD, HDD),
the event had also altered the order in which the BIOS
looked for HDD's (from 0,1,2 to 2,0,1). Drive 2 is a
network storage HDD, with no boot sector on it. I changed
the order so that BIOS would attempt to boot from the
correct HDD (0), and my system booted up with no further
problems.

I was having a problem with the system when I initially
rebooted, but at the time I rebooted I also had a Verizon
DSL installation CD in my D drive. I don't know if the
BIOS alterations were caused by the system problem, the
installation CD, or both, but I'll never reboot or startup
again with any CD in the boot sequence CD drive.

John Stover