EMERGENCY!! PLEASE HELP!! WIN2k NTDETECT ERROR

[itecs]

I am in the process of upgrading my Windows 2003 Server with a bigger scsi hard drive. I had 3 9.8gb drives in a RAID 5, and I attached my new 73gb drive in the SCSI chain along with the smaller 9.8gb. My plan was to use ghost and image the logical drive (raid 5) to the 73gb.

When I booted up with the new drive in the scsi chain, the raid array failed and would not bootup. So I then disconnected the 73gb hoping that the raid array would be re-established and boot back into the operating system. The raid array however did not come back online, and in the PERC (Dell server) system utility program, it stated that all three 9.8gb drives were OFFLINE. So I forced all three drives back to ONLINE which put the RAID 5 back in OPTIMAL state. Now when I boot up, I receive a NTDETECT FAILED message. I am I screwed? I would just like to obvisiouly get my operating system back online and find another fasion of imaging the new drive.

When I forced the three 9.8gb drives ONLINE one at a time, could that have caused the NTDETECT FAILED message? How can I get my operating system back up?? I am at the client site now, please assist if possible!!!

 

[Wishdiak]

itecs,

What is the current state of the drives? Did you successfully Ghost the 73gb drive? Is the system volume on the RAID-5 array?

Wishdiak

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[itecs]

The system volume is on the RAID 5 array, and the current state of the drives is now ONLINE. The message I get is NTDETECT FAILED, so it seems that the operating system is being found, it just doesn't completely load.

 

[itecs]

The state of the raid 5 array is OPTIMAL, and no, I haven't been able to image the 73gb.

 

[Wishdiak]

321455 - "NTDETECTd" Error Message When You Start Windows 2000-based Computer

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;321455

242112 - Ntdetect Fails When Computer Starts

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;242112

Wishdiak

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[itecs]

Do you think that using the Repair console, running checkdisk will fix the boot record? I'm afraid that forcing the drives ONLINE one at a time caused corruption. Is that the case?

 

[Wishdiak]

itecs,

Checkdsk probably won't do it. Check out fixboot and fixmbr.

229716 - Description of the Windows 2000 Recovery Console

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;229716&Product=win2000

Wishdiak

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[itecs]

Fixboot and fixmbr are part of Windows 2K Recovery Console? This server is also a Windows 2003 Standard edition, not that I think it matters when dealing with the Windows Setup Recovery tools...

 

[itecs]

okay, so fixboot is part of the recovery console.. I will give those a try. thank you so much for your help so far. I will post again if none of the above worked.

 

[Wishdiak]

Fixboot and fixmbr are present in both Windows 2000 and Server 2003 Recovery Console. I'm confused though, is the problem with a Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003?

Wishdiak

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[itecs]

Its on a 2003 box, I just didn't specify well enough. I'm about to try the fixboot option now.. man I hope this works. If this doesn't, what would you say happened. When I forced each drive back online one by one, the corruption that would have caused means it would have lost all the data on all three drives? We have our accounting database files residing on this server, so worst case scenario I would have to take the drives up to a data recovery company and see if they can pull the data off the combined drives?

 

[itecs]

After running FIXMBR I now get NTLDR missing error message.. should I run fixboot now, or am I screwed and the data that resides on all three drives is gone?

 

[Wishdiak]

itecs,

How good are your backups (just in case)?

816793 - How to troubleshoot the "NTLDR is missing" error message in Windows Server 2003

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;816793&Product=winsvr2003

Wishdiak

http://www.wishdiak.com