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Virtual Memory Errors & \Harddrive2\DR2 Errors

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DonP

DonP

IS-IT--Management
Jul 20, 2000
684
US
Since moving my nearly new hard drive from one system to another, it has been plagued with virtual memory errors. It is now set at 1500 and still gives the errors with the system becoming sluggish and even locking all together after a while. I think it might be some kind of file permissions problem due to a false start in trying to repair what I thought was a bad Windows2000 installation, rather than a true paging file problem. It is actually Windows 2000 Server. Can anyone advise of a solution?

Also, at bootup, I get a dozen of so errors:

"There is no disk in the drive. Please insert a disk into drive \Device\Harddrive2\DR2"

with Harrddrive2 switching to Harddrive3 and DR2 switching to DR3 alternately with each error message. I have only a single harddrive, which boots right up after clicking "cancel" a dozen times. Any ideas?

Don
Experienced in HTML, Perl, PHP, VBScript, PWS, IIS and Apache and MS-Access, MS-SQL, MySQL databases
 
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The environmental expansion must not be happening. Modify:

subinacl /subdirectories C:\ /grant=administrators=f

subinacl /subdirectories C:\ /grant=system=f

 
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Code: 
subinacl /subdirectories C:\ /grant=administrators=f 

subinacl /subdirectories C:\ /grant=system=f

Let me try it in code view, as the spacing is critical.

I likely would add an additional line:

Code: 
subinacl /subdirectories C:\ /grant=everyone=f

Be certain afterwards to reset the pagefile Min & Max to zero and apply. Then reset to custom or windows managed settings and apply. This will force a pagefile rebuild.
 
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Two additional notes:

. Deleting the pagefile.sys

The most affirmative way to do so is in Recovery Console. Doing so this way is unambigous.
There is a bug in the Recovery Console that prevents deleting the pagefile.sys.

Workaround
Boot into Recovery Console.
Because you boot into the %SystemRoot% folder (most commonly the C:\Winnt folder), type the following command
cd \
Type the following command to overwrite the existing Pagefile.sys file with Boot.ini:
copy c:\boot.ini pagefile.sys
Type the following command:
del pagefile.sys

After you copy Boot.ini over to Pagefile.sys, Pagefile.sys appears in the directory listing, and the entry can be removed.

. Daniel Petri's notes on Virtual Memory -- a must read
 
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Thanks, I'll try it. Reset.cmd works now and runs for longer than a few seconds. In fact, it ran several times and the system locked up part way through the third or fourth. Is there another line to make it stop when finished? Anyway, I ran it and rebooted, changed the swap size to 0, rebooted again. After setting it back to what it should be, I have not yet rebooted so will know shortly of the last suggestion needs to be done.

Don
Experienced in HTML, Perl, PHP, VBScript, PWS, IIS and Apache and MS-Access, MS-SQL, MySQL databases
 
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It likely did not lock up, but can take several hours for folders with a great deal of subdirectories.

Please try and not interupt it.
 
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I saw it going through the same files and folders again after it went though them once, and ran for well over an hour the first time. It seems to run alphabetically and I saw it going through the Ws, then an hour or so later, it was back again in the Ds. I wasn't sure if this was normal or not but it didn't seem right.

It was definately locked up, though, after several hours of running. The system would not respond at all to keyboard or mouse, nor was the HD light blinking as it had been while it was running.

Don
Experienced in HTML, Perl, PHP, VBScript, PWS, IIS and Apache and MS-Access, MS-SQL, MySQL databases
 
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I have honestly had the same script run over 20 hours (on an XP machine).
 
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I believe you but, due to the problems this system is having, it locked up here. In fact, I tried to run it again right after posting but it ran for less than thirty seconds before locking up again because I had been using the system for a short while and apparently filling the swap file.

After trying everything except for the Recovery Console tip (which I'll try shortly), the system still seems sluggish in the few minutes that's been back up. Before I do it, though, I'll see if it locks up again.

Don
Experienced in HTML, Perl, PHP, VBScript, PWS, IIS and Apache and MS-Access, MS-SQL, MySQL databases
 
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DonP,

My best wishes that you resolve this issue.
My earlier posts should have ensured that the OS files are right.
The virtual memory error strikes me as a lingering security issue, which I admit I first dismissed. Subsequently I have been directly addressing your statement in your original posting: ".. think it might be some kind of file permissions problem due to a false start in trying to repair what I thought was a bad Windows2000 installation, rather than a true paging file problem."

Task Manager can somewhat reliably report whether the computer is locked or not. The screen will not tell you much, albeit you could add /verbose to the command line.

I wish you well on this. If I can help you to avoid a clean install, given the fact that that you are my eyes and ears on the issues -- and I do not sit here waiting for issues, I will do the best I can.

Best regards,
Bill Castner, MS-MVP, DSLR-MVM, AUMHA-VSOP
 
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I appreciate all your help and ideas. In viewing the CPU Usage History, it seems to run at a steady line just below half way, which seems quite high to me. Viewing the same thing on a Windows2000 Workstation, it is almost at the bottom. The process taking up the most memory seems to be db2syscs.exe, which I presume is related to DB/2. It was already running on the system, though, so shouldn't cause the problem suddenly. Just to be sure, I'll try to uninstall it since it isn't used much anyway.

Don
Experienced in HTML, Perl, PHP, VBScript, PWS, IIS and Apache and MS-Access, MS-SQL, MySQL databases
 
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There is a lot of reasons why this could be true: Do a Google search on "db2syscs.exe high cpu usage" and "db2 high cpu usage"
 
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If you have a second hard drive available (even a small one), add virtual memory there and then minimize (or eliminate) virtual memory on the primary drive. That helps performance and provides a new, clean pagefile.

If you have Norton System Works or VCom System Suite, their defragmenter can clean up the pagefile. I'd also recommend using one of these to check for Windows errors; especially with your system's history, there could any number of subtle problems with the registry, and one of those could cause all this grief and more. I would recommend fixing any errors manually rather than letting the software apply a default fix.

These symptoms could also be caused by spyware or other malware. Download and run HijackThis via (strange name, good program; it lists everything that starts automatically. Check the output carefully.

It might be best (for a number of reasons) to do a clean install of Windows rather than trying to fix your current installation.
 
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Thanks, I'll try when I am back home from the holiday weekend. However, I have not been able to even keep the system up long enough to do much of anything but it seems to do it in spells. Sometimes it runs for hours, then locks up a half dozen times in a row. I am pretty sure that there is no malware or spyware, nor any viruses and that there are no hard drive issues but I won't say that anything is impossible! I am wondering if it might be an issue with physical memory and may try adding some next week.

Don
Experienced in HTML, Perl, PHP, VBScript, PWS, IIS and Apache and MS-Access, MS-SQL, MySQL databases
 
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Hmmm. I'm not so certain that the problem I am having is really with the swap file afterall. For one thing, even when running the most memory-intensive program I have, it peaks at only around 45 megs while the swap file is set at 742 megs. Because it starts out around 22 megs, it is clear that reads and writes to it are working now, yet the system is still quickly becoming sluggish, then locking up if I run much of anything. Even the simple act of scrolling down a Web page locks it. The cursor becomes hesitant and jerky, then it locks up. Any more ideas?

Don
Experienced in HTML, Perl, PHP, VBScript, PWS, IIS and Apache and MS-Access, MS-SQL, MySQL databases
 
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After deleting the partition and reformatting, the problem went away after reinstall but then I could not install graphics drivers. After reinstalling Windows 2000 Server three times, I tried installing Windows 2000 Professional and was then able to install the video drivers so there must be some bug in Server that was preventing it.

However, the fresh install of Windows 2000 Professional is locking up again! No conflicts show but it still must be some issue with one of the motherboard's needed drivers, or it could be a problem with one or more of the hotfixes from Microsoft. Ideas?

Don
Experienced in HTML, Perl, PHP, VBScript, PWS, IIS and Apache and MS-Access, MS-SQL, MySQL databases
 
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