File System Damage: How to Proceed

[Breeze]

I use both Scanner and DrivePool on a WHS 2011 system which is only used for system backups of 3 PCs in my home. I don't use WHS for data storage at all. It turns out I'm using Scanner 2.4.0.2929 and DrivePool 2.1.0.553, so I'm a little behind on the updates, although these programs never let me know updates were available which is how I believed I was to be notified... anyway...

 

This morning I received an email from Scanner letting me know that there's File System Damage. It's one of 4 - 1TB drives that are part of the pool containing all the PC backups. SMART data is not "predicting imminent failure" (the drive is only about 20% through its warranty coverage). I looked into this from the Scanner applet on the WHS connection software and after clicking on "A file system on this disk is not healthy and ready to be repaired", I got a popup with the option to repair the disk and warned me to make sure all files are closed to run checkdsk. So I clicked OK but got a second popup called "Force Repair Volume" which would forcibly close any open files and proceed. Here I chickened out. 

 

I'm not sure of this but it seems that as long as the drive is in the Pool, it would be considered to be in use. There might be enough free space for me to remove the drive from the pool, but with File System Damage, that hardly seems advisable. Should I "Force Repair Volume"? Should I shut down the machine, extricate the drive and use checkdsk on another computer? I'm somewhat stumped as to how to proceed. Thanks for any help.

[Christopher (Drashna)]

Well, both programs do let you know if they have an update.

Scanner should let you know in the "Applications/Add-ins" section of the dashboard, and Drivepool 2.x prompts you if you have logged in.

Though, if you're not checking.... then yeah,

We need to fix that, somehow.

 

As for the file system repair.

The "Force Repair Volume" prompt i there to let you know that it must forcible close the "handles" to any files accessing the disk.

This is completely normal. It means that anything that is accessing the disk will be closed out.

Eg, you need to close and save any files before doing this.

 

You should definitely do this. Otherwise, you'll need to schedule a disk check for the next time you reboot (which can take a while).

[Breeze]

Thanks for the reply. I forced the repair (which took about 15 seconds) and it turns out that "closing handles" basically took the entire DrivePool offline; all the backups came back after a reboot, as well as a new email message reporting the same problem: the drive now reads "Healthy" in Scanner, so I assume that email is no longer relevant (a reporting bug?).

 

So the entire DrivePool was taken offline for the repair. Knowing this is important; my worry was breaking the integrity of the Pool.

 

As for the updates, strangely in the Add-Ins section of WHS 2011, I only see Stabilebit Scanner listed there, with the latest version 2.5.3062 (is this = to 2.1.5.3062?), which is weird because the version that appears at the bottom of Scanner's "settings" window is 2.4.0.2929.

 

And as for DrivePool, it oddly doesn't appear at all on the Add-Ins window. But its GUI clearly indicates 2.1.0.553.

 

Anyway, I'll update both. These could just be old bugs. Thanks for the help.

[Breeze]

OK this is weird: I'm not sure which version of Scanner is really running on my system because when I tried to run the update, I get a message saying I'm already running the latest version. And yet, on Scanner's GUI it tells me the version is 2.4.0.2929.

 

Suggestions?

[Christopher (Drashna)]

Yes, dismounting the disk sets it offline, which causes DrivePool to recognized it as missing, which sets the pool in a read only mode.

 

Sorry for not clarifying this.

 

 

Once it finishes, it will "reappear" and everything will go back to working fine.

 

 

As for the different versions......

The WHS installer has issues, where it doesn't updating things properly.

 

To fix this, uninstall StableBit Scanner from the Control Panel, and then from the dashboard, and then install the newer version.

[Breeze]

Thanks. Just a final FYI: despite the uninstall and removal, the older version of Scanner will remain active on the dashboard even after a reboot, but it can now be updated by running the most recent installer. Reboot after the update.

[Christopher (Drashna)]

I'm not sure what you mean by "remain active" here...

 

However, after removing it from the control panel, you'd want to remove the add-in entry from the dashboard as well.

[Breeze]

I'm not sure what you mean by "remain active" here...

 

However, after removing it from the control panel, you'd want to remove the add-in entry from the dashboard as well.

 

I mean that after I removed Scanner using "Programs and Features " in the WHS 2011 Control Panel, and after I removed from the Add-in page of the Dashboard, Scanner was still there in the WHS Dashboard menu and could be accessed and functioned normally. There was nothing left for me to remove it further than to reboot, and that didn't even work.

 

However, after the reboot, I ran the new version of the Scanner installer, it was able to update itself to the most recent version without giving me any error pop-ups and the latest version is now running. I hope that's clearer.