G
Guest
I have a residential (non-domain) client who has a desktop computer with RAID
1 (two hard drives, mirrored). He also has a laptop, which he has set to
synchronize files with his desktop. Both computers are running Windows XP
Service Pack 2 with all updates (as of 1/1/06). The laptop was synchronizing
the files and folders from the desktop (the laptop's "My Documents" is
pointed to that of the desktop).
One of his hard drives failed, and before he called me, he was told by the
OEM tech support (Far Eastern branch) to do a System Restore (not the
Microsoft version, the OEM "let's throw the baby out with the bathwater"
version). They finally agreed he has a bad hard drive, and the OEM [rhymes
with "hello" minus the "o"] has sent him a replacement.
He is looking for the best way to repopulate the files from his laptop to
his desktop. Simply starting Synchronize on his laptop did not work, as it
told him files were missing. So, he has a bunch of files in his Offline
Folders on his laptop, but nothing on the desktop, yet.
The questions are:
1) What is his best course of action now?
2) What should he do to minimize this problem, should another HD fail?
3) What should he have done, when RAID told him a hard drive failed?
It seems obvious to me, as the answer to (2 and 3), that he should (have)
replace(d) the failed hard drive, and let the RAID controller rebuild the
array at the next boot. However, I have learned not to assume, as someone
always seems to come up with an answer I didn't consider.
1 (two hard drives, mirrored). He also has a laptop, which he has set to
synchronize files with his desktop. Both computers are running Windows XP
Service Pack 2 with all updates (as of 1/1/06). The laptop was synchronizing
the files and folders from the desktop (the laptop's "My Documents" is
pointed to that of the desktop).
One of his hard drives failed, and before he called me, he was told by the
OEM tech support (Far Eastern branch) to do a System Restore (not the
Microsoft version, the OEM "let's throw the baby out with the bathwater"
version). They finally agreed he has a bad hard drive, and the OEM [rhymes
with "hello" minus the "o"] has sent him a replacement.
He is looking for the best way to repopulate the files from his laptop to
his desktop. Simply starting Synchronize on his laptop did not work, as it
told him files were missing. So, he has a bunch of files in his Offline
Folders on his laptop, but nothing on the desktop, yet.
The questions are:
1) What is his best course of action now?
2) What should he do to minimize this problem, should another HD fail?
3) What should he have done, when RAID told him a hard drive failed?
It seems obvious to me, as the answer to (2 and 3), that he should (have)
replace(d) the failed hard drive, and let the RAID controller rebuild the
array at the next boot. However, I have learned not to assume, as someone
always seems to come up with an answer I didn't consider.