Recovery Console - Unable to LOGON Win2000 Server

[Todd Fuchs]

I am able to see the partition on another machine, but it is unable to boot.
(It was a shadow of a mirror.) The data is available and I was able to copy
critical data files, but I would like to get the OS up as it was without
reinstalling Win2000 Server and building Active Directory, Exchange, etc.

When I get to the recovery console, it doesn't ask me to login; it
immediately says "The path or file specified is not valid." and gives me a
C: prompt.

The SCSI driver is loaded, so it should be able to see the drive, but I am
unable to login to the Windows installation and examine the boot.ini or look
at any other issues.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Todd

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I am able to see the partition on another machine, but it is unable to boot.
(It was a shadow of a mirror.) The data is available and I was able to copy
critical data files, but I would like to get the OS up as it was without
reinstalling Win2000 Server and building Active Directory, Exchange, etc.

When I get to the recovery console, it doesn't ask me to login; it
immediately says "The path or file specified is not valid." and gives me a
C: prompt.

The SCSI driver is loaded, so it should be able to see the drive, but I am
unable to login to the Windows installation and examine the boot.ini or look
at any other issues.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Todd

Have you tried booting the machine with a Win2000 boot disk?

- Format a floppy disk on some other Win2000 PC.
Don't do it on a Win9x PC - it won't work.
- Copy these files from the \i386 folder of your Win2000 Server CD
to A:\
ntldr
ntdetect.com
c:\ntbootdd.sys (from your hard disk)
- Create a file a:\boot.ini with these lines
[Boot Loader]
Timeout=3
Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[Operating Systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Server"
/fastdetect
- Boot the machine with this disk

 

[Todd Fuchs]

c:\ntbootdd.sys (from your hard disk)

Can this be from any Windows 2000 machine, or does it have to be the Server
version, or the original version from the existing partition? (XP?)

Thanks for your help,
Todd

 

[Todd Fuchs]

c:\ntbootdd.sys (from your hard disk)

Can this be from any Windows 2000 machine, or does it have to be the Server
version, or the original version from the existing partition? (XP?)

I did some research on this to find what the ntbootdd.sys is. I do have a
SCSI system, but the partition doesn't have that file on it. Is that
unusual? I have an ARCLDR file though, is that of use?

When I boot without the ntbootdd.sys, the machine STOPs with an
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE.

Things are looking up though! Thanks for your help so far!

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I did some research on this to find what the ntbootdd.sys is. I do have a
SCSI system, but the partition doesn't have that file on it. Is that
unusual? I have an ARCLDR file though, is that of use?

When I boot without the ntbootdd.sys, the machine STOPs with an
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE.

Things are looking up though! Thanks for your help so far!

I don't have a SCSI machine to play with right now. Looking
at my notes, I find that some SCSI machines need this syntax
in boot.ini:

scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT= . . .

Your best bet would actually be to copy the current hidden
file c:\boot.ini to your floppy disk.

 

[Dave Patrick]

You might try a boot floppy so you can add the driver. For a floppy to
successfully boot Windows 2000 the disk must contain the "NT" boot sector.
Format a diskette (on an NT machine, not a DOS/Win9x, so the NT boot sector
gets written to the floppy), and copy ntldr, ntdetect.com, and boot.ini to
it; Edit the boot.ini to give it a correct ARC path for the machine you wish
to boot.

In your case you'll want to change the arc path in boot.ini from multi
syntax to scsi syntax to indicate that Windows 2000 will load a boot device
driver and use that driver to access the boot partition. Then also copy the
manufacturer's Windows 2000 scsi controller driver to the floppy but renamed
to ntbootdd.sys

Something like this below;

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt
[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Windows 0,1"
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\winnt="Windows 0,2"
scsi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Windows 1,1"
scsi(0)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(2)\winnt="Windows 1,2"


--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
|> > c:\ntbootdd.sys (from your hard disk)
| >
| > Can this be from any Windows 2000 machine, or does it have to be the
| Server
| > version, or the original version from the existing partition? (XP?)
|
| I did some research on this to find what the ntbootdd.sys is. I do have a
| SCSI system, but the partition doesn't have that file on it. Is that
| unusual? I have an ARCLDR file though, is that of use?
|
| When I boot without the ntbootdd.sys, the machine STOPs with an
| INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE.
|
| Things are looking up though! Thanks for your help so far!
|
|