Hi - I know, the first thing so

[silk1976]

Hi -

I know, the first thing some people are going to say is "well if you would shutdown windows properly, then you wouldn't have that problem!"

But the reality is that a proper windows shutdown can't happen everytime. The problem I have is this: I have my OS installed on the C drive, which is actually a RAID-5 system using a Promise Fasttrak SX4000 RAID controller. Everything works hunky dorey during normal operations. However, I also travel a lot for work, and therefore I often leave my machines at home running unattended. Every so often, something happens (brownout, etc) which causes my machines to shutdown ungracefully.

When this happens, and I try to start the machine back up, it starts loading W2K, and eventually I get the "Inaccessible_boot_device" BSOD. The only way I can fix this is to put in the W2K cd, go into setup and repair the installation. Once that is done, then I can reboot normally and boot right into the OS without a problem.

Is there any way, when the OS is installed on a RAID system that Windows 2000 doesn't natively support (ie, it doesn't have the drivers for the RAID controller built in), to fix this issue? Or is the only answer to either a) reinstall the OS on a stand alone drive that is accessible to the motherboard upon powerup or b) spend the $$ for a UPS that will properly shutdown machines upon a power surge?

 

[krale]

---When this happens, and I try to start the machine back up, it starts loading W2K, and eventually I get the "Inaccessible_boot_device" BSOD.

At first this seems like standard Win2k fare for not waiting long enough for the drives to spin up. What you say after that makes me think not.

---The only way I can fix this is to put in the W2K cd, go into setup and repair the installation. Once that is done, then I can reboot normally and boot right into the OS without a problem.

You think perhaps the supplied driver is corrupt? That's what it sounds like.

Or it could be the fact that there's incongruities when you improperly shut down, and you have 5 copies. The computer doesnt know which one (if any) are right, and Windows chooses the first one. CRASH!

---Is there any way, when the OS is installed on a RAID system that Windows 2000 doesn't natively support (ie, it doesn't have the drivers for the RAID controller built in), to fix this issue? Or is the only answer to either a) reinstall the OS on a stand alone drive that is accessible to the motherboard upon powerup or b) spend the $$ for a UPS that will properly shutdown machines upon a power surge?

I'd first take the card to a 1+0 and put the additional 1 on the onboard ide. Use the non-raid'ed harddrive as C.

Make your drives (C, D1+D2 E1+E2) and install Winduhs on C drive. You'll still have data integrety problems with D and E, but windows MIGHT correct them by a scandisk.

Truly, your least headache and best data integrety is to buy a cheap UPS that connects to serial to allow shutdown commands to be given. 3 minute battery uptime is plenty adequate if you have it auto-shutdown on Signal Terminate.

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