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EX495 WHS v1 system disk crashed


DaveO

Question

I'm waiting on some new red drives to get here so that I can do a recovery.  I have a ton of data, movies, pictures, movies of the kids, etc and I don't have backups.  On some other forums, I've read where some folks have lost all their data trying to do a recovery in v1.  From reading this forum, I see several how to's using your stable bit app.  There's a whs 2011 64 bit on ebay for $150.  Since you can't buy it retail anymore, is that my best bet for a safe recovery ?  Are the new features of 2011 worth that much ?

 

I tried a recovery with a green drive (pre AF) that I took out of an old ehd and the process failed trying to write to the drive.  I've since learned that the green drive isn't a good choice for a system disk.  I use three green drives that I ran wdidle and the alignment tool on and they work fine.  I'm  going to move them to an enclosure and expand my network.  Any advice would be appreciated.   

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Well, first, be careful with the ebay route. I've heard of people selling TechNet/MSDN keys as OEM/retail. Make sure it includes a COA sticker with the disk.

 

As for recovery, if you still want to use WHSv1, then use this link:

http://forum.wegotserved.com/index.php/tutorials/article/73-migrate-pool-to-new-system/

 

 

However, if you do wish to migrate to StableBit DrivePool, the process is fairly easy.

http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q5463715

The process is detailed, but rather simple. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, we can set up a remote support session, and I can do this for you.

 

 

As for features in WHS2011: Windows 8 support, it's based on Server 2008R2 (the server version of Windows 7) and runs much better. It also supports system backup.

Also, WHS2011 is still being supported by Microsoft, where WHSv1 ended mainstream support last year.

 

 

And yeah, Advanced Format drives are bad for system disks in about any setup.

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Never mind on the 2011 install, I found a link.  I had file duplication on when the system disk crashed.  Should I go ahead and recover v1 with the pool drives installed, then after all the updating, etc, turn file duplication off, turn off the server, remove the drives and install 2011 with StableBit ?  I don't want StableBit to reduplicate files already duplicated.  Or is StableBit smart enough not to do that ? 

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Christopher, thank you for taking the time to respond.  If I go to whs 2011, do I lose the media smart interface ?  Is there a simple way to install ?

Depends on which parts you're referring to. But chances are.... yeah.

IIRC, there is a hack to get the lights working again, if you're interested. 

 

Never mind on the 2011 install, I found a link.  I had file duplication on when the system disk crashed.  Should I go ahead and recover v1 with the pool drives installed, then after all the updating, etc, turn file duplication off, turn off the server, remove the drives and install 2011 with StableBit ?  I don't want StableBit to reduplicate files already duplicated.  Or is StableBit smart enough not to do that ? 

 

StableBit DrivePool is definitely smart enough to handle that. Specifically, that's why the guide has you resetting DrivePool's settings. This is to force it to process the pool and check the duplication status of all the files on the pool. 

 

So no, there is no need to reinstall/recover WHSv1 at all here. Well, unless you want all the MSS software as well.

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I went ahead and ran recovery on v1 with a new red drive.  Installation went smoothly, but it took a long time, almost 12 hrs to pop on the network with the assigned name.  The connector software didn't let me assign user accounts and whs console couldn't find the server, neither could rdt.  I recycled power and was finally able to rdt into the server, and it flashed a warning that drive extender wasn't running.  I checked the pool drives and they still have data on them.  I shut down the server and pulled them out.  I really wanted to see if there was a hardware issue other than the dead system drive before I spent money on upgrading the unit.  I'm decent at managing our home network, because I'm curious by nature, but I'm not a hardware guy.  I can rdt into the server one time, if I do it quickly after cycling the power.  After that the rdt cannot find the server.  It shows up on the router all the time as having an address on the network.  There's a system problem, but how can I determine if it's hardware or software.

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I'd like to upgrade the cpu and ram, then install whs2011 and be done with it for a while.  Probably reuse the current pool disks in a jbod setup for more storage.  I don't care about the mhs software, I'd put in plex or servio, stablebit and others.

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it is possible that the wizard is still running and trying to update the system. It does this automatically, and can take a WHILE to complete.

 

Also, if you're rebuilding Drive Extender (aka, did a server recovery), this can take a long while as well.

 

 

As for he issues, if you're able to Remote Desktop into it at all, check the event viewer. It may have details about why it's becoming inaccessible.

 

 

As for hardware, that can be hard to tell. If you're willing to spend money on it... get yourself a VGA cable for the system:

http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8066

Not only can you see what is going on, it makes troubleshooting a lot simpler. And if you do want to upgrade hardware, it's almost a necessity, to make sure the CPU and RAM are working right.

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As somebody that owned both the EX470 and EX495, yes, that cable is INCREDIBLY useful. :)

Makes installing WHS2011 a lot simpler. :)

 

And you are very welcome.

 

Though, if I can make a suggestion: buy and install StableBit Scanner. There is a WHSv1 version, and it works mostly the same as the newer versions. Also, the license is compatible with the newer versions, so if you upgrade to WHS2011, you can continue to use the license on that system as well. 

And since StableBit Scanner monitors the SMART data on the system and does a  surface scan of the drives, it's definitely a worthwhile investment.

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That's great advice.  I didn't realize there was v1 version of StableBit.  So if I do a restore, then disable DE which I'll guess is running as a service, add in StableBit.  At this point I could add my drives back like you've documented and not worry about DE formatting them ?  That sounds good.  Thanks again !

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Got everything on order.  Ran a restore with the data drives pulled.  Everything went well until the updates hung at 52% and stopped progressing.  I don't have time to mess with it everyday, so I think I'll quit torturing myself until I can install the cable.  My guess is that the server didn't reboot at some point during the updates.  It obtains an IP and sometimes shows up as hpstorage and sometimes as the name I gave it.  I can't remote into it, or connect to it.  

 

The windows 7 computer I used for the set up saves the ip in a system32 host file.  Don't know why it would do that since the ip could change.  I had to change the ip in the file, then reserve it on the router.  The host file had saved the ip from when I tried to run a recovery at the beginning of the thread. Uninstalling the whs connector software doesn't clean the host file.  I guess XP didn't write to that file, oh well.  Wasn't the server's fault.  Fun little exercise learning how to enable a real administrator account.  Until I did all that, I couldn't initiate the connector software.

 

Good news is that it seems like the hardware is ok.

 

Is it worth the effort to install v1 with the HP software, then install 2011 ?  Or just run with the 2011 install ?   

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Well, I'm glad that the hardware seems to be fine!

 

As for WHS2011... there is no upgrade path. It's a clean installation, period. In fact, the installer wipes the system disk, completely. So you'd want to remove any important data on the system disk before installing it.

 

As for the connector, as far as I'm aware, it's not supposed to write to the host file (but it has been a long while, so I may be mistaken).

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I'll post a followup after I get all the hardware installed, 2011 installed and of course your StableBit products.  Thank you for all your help.  I know you're busy with all the forums you moderate.  It may be next weekend before I can get all of that done.  Is there a native drive service in 2011 that I need to disable when running StableBit drive pool ?  Should I wipe the system drive before installing 2011 ?  Can't wait to get Serviio running again.

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No service needs to be disabled to run DP, it'll run clean out of the box.

I am pretty sure WHS will wipe the drive it will be installed on and entirely, not just the first partition if there are more etc. It claims one HDD in full.

 

Serviio runs like a charm for me even with a dashboard integrated interface that, although not maintenanced, still works with the most recent version of serviio.

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Thanks Um, all I'm waiting for is the cable to get started.  I come home from work today, turn on my computer only to get a notification from my tray that my computer's antivirus software isn't running.........damn thing must've updated itself into existence !  I can remote into it now !  Something to play with tonight after my daughter's softball practice.  It's also nice enough to tell me that I don't have an account set up......software didn't get that far.

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Umfriend is completely right here.

 

The big thing is that StableBit DrivePool was created to fill the void for pooling technology that was created when Drive Extender was pulled from WHS2011. So there is nothing to disable.

 

 

And yes, be careful when installing. WHS2011 will repartition and format a disk and take complete use of it during installation. 

This means that you should clear the contents of one of these drives (the one you want to install to), and then disconnect the rest (just in case). Once you've installed WHS2011, it will use a 60GB partition, and leave the rest for "data". 

 

To "clear" the data, move the contents of "D:\DE\" to another disk (the "D:\" drive from the server), assuming there is anything on it still.

 

Though, I'm glad to hear that it seems to finally finish updating.... and started working. :)

 

Though, since it's working, you may want to check out the following link to get Drive Extender to automatically evacuate the system disk:

http://forum.wegotserved.com/index.php/tutorials/article/74-force-data-migration-off-of-a-disk/

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I know it's been a while since I posted, but here it goes.......Hardware upgrade went smoothly.  All upgrades were quickly apparent.  How anyone could make it through an upgrade to 2011 without the video cable is a testament to incredible fortitude.  Wow.  All in all, a much peppier server, and I'm just starting with add ins.

 

I bought the scanner/drive pool add ins.  The scanner installed easily.  The drive pool was an exe, and unfortunately I installed it on a client.  Took a while, but I finally installed it on the server on a trial basis (wouldn't take the original key, not to my surprise).  Guess I'll have to buy another key.

 

I did not know that whs2011 did not automatically format pool drives, like v1.  What a dumbass.  I tried my old pool drives in a mediasonic, it does not recognize the esata connection and immediately powers off.  Not sure at this point if the mediasonic (which is where my old pool drives reside) is causing problems or if StableBit DrivePool is the problem.

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Yeah, a number of us had fun figuring out how to install without the VGA cable. "fun" isn't the word. :)

 

As for DrivePool, if you're not going to use a Pool on the client, then don't buy a second license. Just deactivate it on the client and then activate it on the server. 

 

 

As for DrivePool/WHS2011, no, it doesn't format the drives. Which is a good thing. It means you can add the old pool, without having to juggle around data:

http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q5463715

 

As for the drives in the Media Sonic case, since this is eSATA, what controller are you connected to? Also, check the "Device Manager" on the server to make sure that there are no unknown devices. If there are, you may need to install the drivers for the controller you're using.

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Thanks Christopher, I got the mediasonic to work, the literature that comes with it is lacking.  The StableBit add in is not showing much of a dashboard, unlike the scanner add in.  In fact, Stablebit only shows drive pool G with 4 drives in the ex495.  Is it possible it did not install properly ?  I uninstalled it from my computer before installing it via remote desktop on whs2011.    I'm not seeing any tabs to add drives, turn on duplication, etc.  Thanks for the wiki link, that will be helpful.  It has a setting button, add a pool button and a performance button.  When I try to add a pool, it doesn't show any disks available.

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AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller, provided by Microsoft, written by Intel and supports port multiplier.

 

StableBit 2.1.561_x64_Release

 

The disks in the mediasonic are the pool disks from the ex495 before the sys drive crashed.  I don't see them in drive pool as as unpooled, in fact I don't see an unpooled disk tab.  I don't see the mediasonic disks in disk management either.

 

I found the pool tab and enabled duplication.  I copied some videos over to the server last night and streamed them to a blue ray player and worked fine.  I'm going to google whs2011 and mediasonic and see what I can find.

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