Intelligent Disaster Recovery boot CD hangs with blank (black) screen

[Akos]

I created an IDR boot CD for Windows Server 2008 with Backup Exec 12.5 and tried booting up a crashed server. After pressing <Enter> at the magenta IDR page, the Windows Server 2008 progress indicator was shown for a few seconds. The screen went blank/black (only a white mouse pointer arrow was shown) and since then there is no server activity whatsoever.

This is an older IBM x345 but the symptoms are the same on a newer Dell PowerEdge.

I tried using an IDR boot CD ment for Windows Server 2003 and choosing over-the-network recovery only to receive an error message: "Unable to add service account to local administrators group" and another stating it cannot connect to the media server. In the latter case (after opening a command prompt with Shift+F10), I was able to ping the media server both with DNS name and IP address. Account credentials were triple checked. Backup Exec service account is member of Domain Administrators. I'm not sure, whether I should have been able to restore a Windows Server 2008 server with a Windows Server 2003 IDR, but I am running out of options.

I have never performed an IDR recovery, but I know - based on technical guides - how it should work. Any help greatly appreciated.

[m_degrootwsb]

have you solved this issue? i have the exact same problem and have been working on it all night..

[Steve_W_]

You cannot use a Windows 2003 IDR to recovery a 2008 system. You should create a Windows 2008 IDR CD in order to recover your 2008 system.

[Akos]

I've created a Windows 2008 IDR boot CD in the first place but it did not work (I received a blank screen with a mouse pointer).

The Windows 2003 IDR boot CD was just a workaround attempt.

[Akos]

No. I've contacted our local (hungarian) Symantec support and will update this thread if we have a solution.

[s_geiwitsch]

I also have the same problem, Win 2008 R2 with Backup Exec 12.5 Service Pack 3 created IDR CD.
Please notify me when a solution for that problem is available.

[Steve_W_]

Are you creating the IDR boot CD for a 'Windows 2008 R2' system from a 'Windows 2008 R2' media server ? Try creating the IDR boot CD from a different media server ( which is not running Windows 2008 R2 OS).