2008 server: repair boot environment - how?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alwin
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Alwin

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Hi all,

I admit, I messed up a quite important server. Originally it was
Windows 2008, for some testing / cloned its system partition (Norton
Ghost) and installed Windows 2003. Some time later I restored Windws
2008 over 2003, and since then the server does not boot any more.

Strange: if I insert any OS CD (tried some: 2003 Server, 2000 Server,
even XP ...) and boot, the server boots the CD, displays the normal
"Press any key to boot from the CD" prompt, and if I do *not* press
any key it will after some time skip the CD boot and - boot Windows
2008 server from the Harddisk.

I'd prefer it to boot without the helping CD, of course :-)

Questions:

* what does the boot process "borrow" from the CD?
* how do I fix the boot envireonment on the harddrive? Under 2003 I'd
have given the emergency console (fixboot/fixmbr) a chance, but I
could not find the console in 2008.

Any clues welcome ...

Alwin.
 
Re: 2008 server: repair boot environment - how?


"Alwin" <SimCity70@web.de> wrote in message
news:lpare45d0ra048t29d7kgk3t5fllaq9fn9@4ax.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I admit, I messed up a quite important server. Originally it was
> Windows 2008, for some testing / cloned its system partition (Norton
> Ghost) and installed Windows 2003. Some time later I restored Windws
> 2008 over 2003, and since then the server does not boot any more.
>
> Strange: if I insert any OS CD (tried some: 2003 Server, 2000 Server,
> even XP ...) and boot, the server boots the CD, displays the normal
> "Press any key to boot from the CD" prompt, and if I do *not* press
> any key it will after some time skip the CD boot and - boot Windows
> 2008 server from the Harddisk.
>
> I'd prefer it to boot without the helping CD, of course :-)
>
> Questions:
>
> * what does the boot process "borrow" from the CD?
> * how do I fix the boot envireonment on the harddrive? Under 2003 I'd
> have given the emergency console (fixboot/fixmbr) a chance, but I
> could not find the console in 2008.
>
> Any clues welcome ...
>
> Alwin.

A good starting point would be to describe what exactly happens when you
attempt to boot normally.
 
Re: 2008 server: repair boot environment - how?

Hello Alwin,

You can try to start form the original 2008 disk and choose the "Repair"
option instead of installation.

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
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> Hi all,
>
> I admit, I messed up a quite important server. Originally it was
> Windows 2008, for some testing / cloned its system partition (Norton
> Ghost) and installed Windows 2003. Some time later I restored Windws
> 2008 over 2003, and since then the server does not boot any more.
>
> Strange: if I insert any OS CD (tried some: 2003 Server, 2000 Server,
> even XP ...) and boot, the server boots the CD, displays the normal
> "Press any key to boot from the CD" prompt, and if I do *not* press
> any key it will after some time skip the CD boot and - boot Windows
> 2008 server from the Harddisk.
>
> I'd prefer it to boot without the helping CD, of course :-)
>
> Questions:
>
> * what does the boot process "borrow" from the CD?
> * how do I fix the boot envireonment on the harddrive? Under 2003 I'd
> have given the emergency console (fixboot/fixmbr) a chance, but I
> could not find the console in 2008.
> Any clues welcome ...
>
> Alwin.
>
 
Re: 2008 server: repair boot environment - how?

Hi Pegasus,

>A good starting point would be to describe what exactly happens when you
>attempt to boot normally.

Sorry, forgot to mention this :-)

If I take the "helping" CD out of the CD-ROM drive and boot, I get a
"DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER" message.

If I just press enter the message keeps reappering. If I insert any
bootable Microsoft OS CD the boot process starts from the CD, and if I
do not press any key when prompted by the CD the server boots from its
harddrive, and works.

....Alwin.
 
Re: 2008 server: repair boot environment - how?

Hi Alwin,

Boot mechanism changed in Vista/WS2008.

You may need to recreate your boot code with bootset.exe command.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749177.aspx

You may also find this little freeware helpfull.
http://www.vistabootpro.org/


"Alwin" <SimCity70@web.de> wrote in message
news:lpare45d0ra048t29d7kgk3t5fllaq9fn9@4ax.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I admit, I messed up a quite important server. Originally it was
> Windows 2008, for some testing / cloned its system partition (Norton
> Ghost) and installed Windows 2003. Some time later I restored Windws
> 2008 over 2003, and since then the server does not boot any more.
>
> Strange: if I insert any OS CD (tried some: 2003 Server, 2000 Server,
> even XP ...) and boot, the server boots the CD, displays the normal
> "Press any key to boot from the CD" prompt, and if I do *not* press
> any key it will after some time skip the CD boot and - boot Windows
> 2008 server from the Harddisk.
>
> I'd prefer it to boot without the helping CD, of course :-)
>
> Questions:
>
> * what does the boot process "borrow" from the CD?
> * how do I fix the boot envireonment on the harddrive? Under 2003 I'd
> have given the emergency console (fixboot/fixmbr) a chance, but I
> could not find the console in 2008.
>
> Any clues welcome ...
>
> Alwin.
 
Re: 2008 server: repair boot environment - how?

Hi Meinolf,

>You can try to start form the original 2008 disk and choose the "Repair"
>option instead of installation.

Already tried. If I do so I am prompted for the RAID drivers, provide
them, repair finds and displays my operating system partition, I
select it, and then I get the options to ...

* Completely restore Windows from backup
* Run Memory Disgnostics tool
* Open a command prompt.

All three choices do not seem to be helpful in my situation ...

....Alwin.
 
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