HELP! Dell PowerEdge 1600SC running SIMS has gone tits up!

[Ric_]

Our admin server today decided to BSOD at boot (after the 'Starting Windows' and Windows 2000 splash screens). This also happens if I try any of the safe mode options.

I have tried booting from a Win 2K disc to go into Recovery Mode but I simply get a message stating that no hard disks can be found. Knoppix is also struggling to mount the discs.

I did not set the server up and know very little about its config. I don't want to have to rebuild it due to it having SQL, SIMS, etc.

ANY IDEAS WOULD BE WELCOMED.

[DMcCoy]

Is it just a bsod? Any mention of irq_not_equal (that would be a driver rather than hardware usually).

If it just crashes without having been patched recently then it is most likely hard disk or memory failure, possibly overheating.

Check the fans are spinning, the heatsink hasn't fallen off. Then maybe remove the ram modules and put one back in at a time. The problem with these tests is that it will increase the chance of filesystem issues with addidional crashes. Is it raid or a single drive? if its a single drive can you move the disk as an additional drive to another machine? Although its difficult with scsi as its likely to be a server and reading dead drives can make the new host unresponsive or crash itself. It doesn't have any old apc software on it btw (just checking :P).


There is sometimes not much you can do without replacement hardware. I once had a raid card failure on a compaq server (battery was flat ands corrupting bios removing it from post, unless you waited 3 week with the server off for it to go flat, next reboot it happened again). I removed the raid set and put them temporariy in an identical server to copy the data (had done once before). This server then experience the same fault on that powerdown when the drives were swapped! I hadn't noticed the battery issue earlier due to high uptime

As always, there is an element of sods law with these things :/

[ajbritton]

As long as you have a full backup of SIMS, then reinstallation is not too bad. Set up a blank system, restore from backup then restore SIMS.

I once went on a course to learn about recovering dead NT/2K servers like this, but it's such a fiddle that it's often as easy to start again.

[Ric_]

OK - the exact error is...

*** STOP: 0x0000007B (0x85C6DEE8, 0xC0000010, 0x00000000, 0x00000000) INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

Then there's the gumf about 'if this is the first time you have seen this message...' but there is no mention of IRQs or the like.

I have run the Dell diagnosics on the disks and RAM and these all come out OK. Temperature also does not appear to be the problem with it being in an air conditioned room and the system fans all running. The heatsinks are still stuck on too! :P

Another couple of reasons (other than hassle) for me not wanting to re-build are that I didn't get chance to check the last backup (with it going tits up this morning) and I don't have install discs for SIMS.

[ajbritton]

Is this a single disk system?! Is there a hardware RAID? If so, can you determine the config.

Assuming you are on SIMS.NET, then all the required files are under
SIMS\Setups. You just run SIMSINST.EXE and select the right options!

[DMcCoy]

OK - the exact error is...

*** STOP: 0x0000007B (0x85C6DEE8, 0xC0000010, 0x00000000, 0x00000000) INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

Oh dear, not a nice error. I'd say the drive has gone to silicon heaven "but where do all the calculators go!".

Does it make any cluncking noises at all? Does the boot seem to take forever before this message. You might be able to turn it upside down (just a 180 degree flip) and get it to boot one last time. This also happens is windows doesn't have the right IDE drivers (ghost from amd to intel for example). Maybe one of the files is damaged.

[ChrisH]

We have the same server is it not covered by the westfield Center?

[StewartKnight]

have you tried a boot disc that gives you dos for NTFS? from there you can access the drives in dos.

It has to be NTFS as normal dos is fat32, and can't access NTFS drives.

Another problem that you might me having is that you need the RAID drivers.

[Ric_]

@ChrisH: I'm was wondering that but I couldn't be bothered ringing them until I'd tried to fix it myself.

@StewartKnight: I've got a suspision that it's software RAID - I could be wrong.

[ChrisH]

Well if you are paying maintenance then its the Westfields responsibility.
Have you tried booting of a floppy with a modified boot.ini if you think it's software RAID issue caused by hardware?

[Ric_]

I've left it running the 'Advanced Dell Diagnostics' overnight to see what happens. We shall see...

[Ric_]

OK - I think that http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=8...28120121120120 is the problem but to fix it I need to know the contents of the BOOT.INI on a Westfield configured admin server and I need to know which model RAID controller they use (Dell lists 11 on it's website and the BIOS doesn't mention the model number!!!!!).

[StewartKnight]

if it's a software raid, use the nfts dos boot disc I mentioned, and copy the files, or, put the drive in another machine, and recover the data that way

[Ric_]

From the error code, I just need to try rebuilding the mirror which has been corrupted (however, I need to know the contents of the boot.ini) - all should be well (touch wood, etc.)

[Geoff]

I need to know which model RAID controller they use (Dell lists 11 on it's website and the BIOS doesn't mention the model number!!!!!).

Boot from your favorite Linux boot CD and do 'lspci' perhaps?