Flashing cursor after restore

[Grepster]

Hi guys

My client has purchased 7 new servers to become their DR solution.  I have installed BESR 10 on all the existing servers and am now busy with restore's from their NAS device where all the images are lying.  I boot off the CD created for each new server and point at the image and choose the restore to anywhere option, everything goes through fine until the reboot.  All I get is a flashing cursor.

I boot off the SRD and can see all my data thats on the drive but it just will not boot, I even went in and set the MBR with no joy.  Any pointers please?

Deon

[criley]

Can you please confirm what operating system(s) you are trying to restore?

[Grepster]

Sorry about that

SBS 2003 *DC* and a few Server 2003 servers

[criley]

Are you choosing to restore the original disk signature? If not, try this to see if it helps.

Restores the original, physical disk signature of the
hard drive.
Disk signatures are part of all Windows operating
systems that Backup Exec System Recovery supports.
Disk signatures are required to use the hard drive.
Select this option if either of the following situations
are true:
■ Your computer's drive letters are atypical (for
example, assigned letters other than C, D, E, and
so forth).
■ You are restoring a recovery point to a new, empty
hard disk.

[Grepster]

Yup, that is selected.  I have basically checked all the possible checkboxes to restore.  Is it possible that BESR does not have the drivers for the onboard raid controller card?  The boxes are either 1U SATA mirror drives or Raid 5.  The boxes are Dual Core or i7.

[Markus_Koestler]

You can find this out by running the driver verfication wizard when you insert the SRD when Windows is running. In case the SRD doesn't already provide the drivers, you need the vista/Server 2008 32Bit drivers and add them to the custom SRD.

[Grepster]

Hi Markus

I ran the wizard and it came back saying all the necessary drivers are installed.  Any other ideas?

Thanks guys for trying to help!

[Markus_Koestler]

Start the SRD, copy the drivers to a local directory, use drvload to load the driver, then try the restore again.

[Grepster]

Hi Markus

Still no go I am afraid.  What I have done now is started from scratch with a different box and completely brand new image.  When I go to restore it to the new box, I choose the image but can't select "Set drive active (for booting OS)", its greyed out.  I redid the image with the same result.

Any idea's on this one?  Sorry to be a bother but I am pulling my hair out!  I have in the past succesfully restored many boxes with BESR, but this is a brand new battle I have never encountered.

[Grepster]

I have attached a picture of the issue

[criley]

That screenshot shows a system reserved partition which would be the active drive.

However, you mentioned earlier that you were restoring 2003 servers so I don't understand why there is a system reserved partition? Was there an exising operating system on the machine you are restoring to?

[Grepster]

Chris

The box I imaged is obviously a currently operational server running SBS 2003.  The box I am restoring to is a  new PC which I have restored other images in the past which worked perfectly, I have also run the diskpart tool to clean the drive before I am attempting a restore.

[Grepster]

Just a quick update, the server I am imaging is a HP proliant DL 380 and a collegue at my office suggested that perhaps the MBR is not actually on the physical C drive but actually on a "hidden" partition which it boots off and then continues on to the C drive once booting has commenced.

I see https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/symantec-backup-exec-system-recovery-fail-boot-hp-proliant-dl380-g7 has the same problem.

You guys heard about this?

[A-H-S]

Hello Grepster,

when we have problems like this, we do the following:

1.Boot with the orig. SBS2003 Server CD

2. Then delete all the partitions of the HD in the part of the SBS Setup.

3. Create all the new partitions

4. After that you can stop the Setup

5. Boot with the SRD

6. Check, if you can aktivate now the Systempartition.

Regards

Achim

[Grepster]

Hi Achim

Thanks for that info!  I will try first thing tomorrow morning, holding thumbs for a miracle!

[Grepster]

Hey Achim

Thanks so much mate, that tip has really helped immencely and actually able to boot the servers now!  Now the only problem child I have left is the one where the partition is greyed out, the solution didn't help unfortunately.

thanks again for that top tip!

[Grepster]

Guys

I am doing a shameless bump of my post in the odd chance there might be someone else that can assist me with my last issue that I have.  I am still having a problem with one server that I am trying to restore that the OS part is greyed out.

If you have a look at the picture posted, you guys can see what I mean.

Hoping for the best

Deon