Striped Dynamic volumes becoming Invalid

[Mel_at_Webwordwizards.com]

Running VISTA ULTIMATE 64BIT on a RAID 0 ARRAY of two raptors (2 x 74gb)
making one 137GB concatenated volume. This raid is built on an intel IMST
ICH9R Hardware. We have no issues with this Intel matrix storage technology
raid volume.

Motherboard is an ASUS P5E.

The issue is with a seperate 2.3TB storage configuration on this machine of
5 x Seagate ST3500630NS drives... all 500GB in a Dynamic volume in RAID 0.
GPT.

These drives are inside a SONNET FUSION D500P port multiplier box connected
via MULTILANE external SATA. This connects to the system via a Sonnet tempo
E4P which is on a PCI-E X16 SLOT.

Windows Vista 64BIT is fully updated with all the updates inc SP1. We are
running the latest drivers for the Sonnet Tempo E4P e-sata card.

All was well with the RAID 0 array in the sonnet box which we were happily
using until we decided we needed to blitz the vista 64 system volume in order
to scrap a multiboot arrangement we had where we originally had vista 32 bit
running alongside and extend the 64bit volume to the full extent of the
capacity of the combined 2 x 74gb raptor array.

Once we got VISTA 64 fully installed and updated and went to find the 2.3TB
Volume in disk manager we found it was listed as Dynamic + Invalid.

There appears to be no non destructive way we can ressurect this volume into
our new incarnation of vista 64bit. Although the data is backed up... it is
concerning to us that VISTA has apparently fallen over big time with dynamic
volumes.

We have spoken with Sonnet in the US who have assurred us the issue is with
microsoft and their software raid function.

Has anyone got any suggestions as to why this has happened and how we might
fix it without converting the disks back to basic disks and then re-striping
them in raid 0 again which we wish to avoid?

Anyone had similar issues? We would certainly like to hear.

 

[Chad Harris]

"Mel_at_Webwordwizards.com"

Running VISTA ULTIMATE 64BIT on a RAID 0 ARRAY of two raptors (2 x 74gb)
making one 137GB concatenated volume. This raid is built on an intel IMST
ICH9R Hardware. We have no issues with this Intel matrix storage
technology
raid volume.

Motherboard is an ASUS P5E.

The issue is with a seperate 2.3TB storage configuration on this machine
of
5 x Seagate ST3500630NS drives... all 500GB in a Dynamic volume in RAID 0.
GPT.

These drives are inside a SONNET FUSION D500P port multiplier box
connected
via MULTILANE external SATA. This connects to the system via a Sonnet
tempo
E4P which is on a PCI-E X16 SLOT.

Windows Vista 64BIT is fully updated with all the updates inc SP1. We are
running the latest drivers for the Sonnet Tempo E4P e-sata card.

All was well with the RAID 0 array in the sonnet box which we were happily
using until we decided we needed to blitz the vista 64 system volume in
order
to scrap a multiboot arrangement we had where we originally had vista 32
bit
running alongside and extend the 64bit volume to the full extent of the
capacity of the combined 2 x 74gb raptor array.

Once we got VISTA 64 fully installed and updated and went to find the
2.3TB
Volume in disk manager we found it was listed as Dynamic + Invalid.

There appears to be no non destructive way we can ressurect this volume
into
our new incarnation of vista 64bit. Although the data is backed up... it
is
concerning to us that VISTA has apparently fallen over big time with
dynamic
volumes.

We have spoken with Sonnet in the US who have assurred us the issue is
with
microsoft and their software raid function.

Has anyone got any suggestions as to why this has happened and how we
might
fix it without converting the disks back to basic disks and then
re-striping
them in raid 0 again which we wish to avoid?

Anyone had similar issues? We would certainly like to hear.


--
Webwordwizards of Leicester England for Digital Media Creativity - Web
Design and IT Systems Administration.

WWW.WEBWORDWIZARDS.COM

_____________________________

Hi Mel--

I take it that this 64 bit vista whose drive or volume is now labeled
invalid is not booting is that correct (since you mention retrieval of your
data). I don't think there is a way to fix the labelling via any disk
management or partition software including MSFT's although someone else
might know of one. However, if you can't boot try these:

If you don't have a MSFT Vista DVD, then

Download Vista Repair Disk and burn this .iso
http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/

How to Use Startup Repair from the Vista DVD or the Repair Disk you make:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial142.html

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/5c59f8c1-b0d1-4f1a-af55-74f3922f3f351033.mspx

1) First try 3 options from Startup Repair. If you have a Vista DVD then
restart with it in the drive>press any key to boot from it and run Startup
Repair. From Startup Repair you have 3 good tools with an excellent chance
of fixing your system. If you don't have a Vista DVD from which to boot to
Startup Repair, no problem, Download the .iso from the link below and
burn it, and you'll have the Microsoft Vista Repair Disk with Startup
Repair.

Download Vista Repair Disk
http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/

How to Use Startup Repair from the Vista DVD or the Repair Disk you make:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial142.html

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/5c59f8c1-b0d1-4f1a-af55-74f3922f3f351033.mspx

2) If Startup Repair does not get your Vista back, then use the 3 bootrec
commands from the command prompt available on the Statup Repair Menu:

The menu I refer to is in this set of directions with a grey background.

http://vistahomepremium.windowsreinstall.com/repairstartup/repairstartup.htm

Those are:

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuild BCD

3) If my second option doesn't work, then try System restore from the
Startup Repair list.

1) First try 3 options from Startup Repair. If you have a Vista DVD then
restart with it in the drive>press any key to boot from it and run Startup
Repair. From Startup Repair you have 3 good tools with an excellent chance
of fixing your system. If you don't have a Vista DVD from which to boot to
Startup Repair, no problem, Download the .iso from the link below and
burn it, and you'll have the Microsoft Vista Repair Disk with Startup
Repair.

Download Vista Repair Disk
http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/

How to Use Startup Repair from the Vista DVD or the Repair Disk you make:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial142.html

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/5c59f8c1-b0d1-4f1a-af55-74f3922f3f351033.mspx

2) If Startup Repair does not get your Vista back, then use the 3 bootrec
commands from the command prompt available on the Statup Repair Menu:

The menu I refer to is in this set of directions with a grey background.

http://vistahomepremium.windowsreinstall.com/repairstartup/repairstartup.htm

Those are:

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuild BCD

3) If my second option doesn't work, then try System restore from theStartup
Repair list.

4) If by rare chance you have an actual Vista DVD, you can put it in, boot
from it>choose the Upgrade Option>choose your current broken Vista Drive and
try to do a repair install with the Vista DVD.

How To Perform a Repair Installation For Vista
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html

5) If the above 3 tools don't work, then use the 4 tools available by
restarting your pc and tapping F8 once per second to get to the Windows
Advanced Options Menu.

From this menu click on 3 Safe Mode links to use System Restore. Make sure
you try all 3 if one doesn't work, because just one of them may work. Tap F8
to Reach Windows Advanced Options Menu Pictured Below:

http://media.photobucket.com/image/...ank/techbliss/Vista-Advanced-Boot-Options.jpg

Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Networking
Safe Mode with Command: At the prompt you would type the command to use for
system restore at the safe mode cmd prompt is:

%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

If these 3 tools don't work, you have one more you can try which is Last
Known Good Configuration.

Good luck,

CH

 

[Mel_at_Webwordwizards.com]

Thanks for reply chad...

Erm... no... the BOOT \ SYSTEM disk is fine. Thats is the other raid 0
Volume that is attached to the MOBO via the on board SATA.

The one at issue is the 5 disk dynamic Striped volume in the Sonnet fusion
D500P box. (Which does not support bootable volumes at all).