WHS users can you help me?

[S_M_E]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

Error Code 0x800700003"

Did you install AHCI/RAID drivers when you set it up or are the drives set to IDE mode in the BIOS? IIRC, Error Code 0x800700003 usually means it can't find a driver, often seen if you use a USB thumb drive to install drivers or forget to hit F6 to install textmode drivers. If not in IDE mode, storage drivers have to be specified twice during a WHS install.

At least your pooled data is still safe, you've lost nothing but some time. You still should have tried removing the November update (or others) and reinstalling it.

Originally Posted by Beefcake550

Are you telling me that I can just somehow leave everything connected and just reinstall?

Yes, if you have the Server Reinstall option when you boot the WHS install DVD your pooled drives will not be formatted but as you've seen, sometimes drivers (especially storage drivers) can make things difficult. If WHS installed without needing to specify storage drivers you have a much better chance of success.

[TallMomof2]

That particular error was when the install was trying to find the DVD drive. I didn't install any AHCI/RAID drivers (don't need them) and the drives are set to IDE mode.

I have no idea which is the November update because it is not listed either at MS Updates or in add/remove programs with updates checked. There are no dates given for updates except for date installed.

I disconnected my data pool drives, hooked up a blank internal drive and am doing a fresh installation. Right now I'm installing updates.

[S_M_E]

Not that it matters now but:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=957825

That was the November update and it did include changes to backups which may have required a updated connector. That was probably the issue.

You might have been able to swap out the DVD drive for another and be OK but you're past that now it seems.

Be sure to install all updates and make sure everything is OK (clients and server) before installing a bunch of other things or moving data again. (step 2 in my tutorial)

Glad you're making progress...

[TallMomof2]

I'm actually using an external DVD drive, the bios accepts it and that doesn't seem to be a problem. I'm still having problems. I reinstalled the connection software on the client PC *before* running updates and the PC would not back-up. After running updates on the server, backup was still not working so now I'm attempting a reinstall. I will install minimal drivers but it just threw this error:

Installing WHS failed: The handle is invalid (error code 0x800700006)

This is before installing drivers. Should I be using an internal DVD drive?

[S_M_E]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

This is before installing drivers. Should I be using an internal DVD drive?

I'd certainly try that. I know WHS has some issues with USB thumb drives for driver installs, maybe it doesn't like that particular USB DVD drive either. If you could try a different brand/model, either internal or external, it might be better. I've had drives that various install CD/DVD's didn't like. Swapping the drive often cured the problem.

[TallMomof2]

I've done a complete new installation and installed all server updates. Then I installed the connection software on the client PC, set up the user and account and am now backing up the client PC.

I haven't installed the TV tuner drivers yet but that will probably be first thing tomorrow then I'll continue with step 3 of your tutorial to use 64K clusters.

WHS seems to be pretty finicky to install. I realize I'm doing a lot of unsupported things but Sage was working perfectly before I just wanted to have WHS working, too.

[S_M_E]

WHS can be picky and there are oddities to contend with but once up and running it's pretty solid.

If you're going to convert the clusters for the D partition to 64K too, I'd sugggest doing that before you install too many drivers and apps, just in case. I wouldn't expect trouble with that but I've still not been able to test it the way I'd do it so you never know. Gerry has tested his way but my way should be nondestructive. A backup of D to a share might be advisable either way.

Again, I'm glad you're making progress...

[Peter_h]

congrats on getting it working.

[TallMomof2]

I think that the trick that did it was that I ran *all* the updates before I installed the connection software. Haven't installed anything extra yet but I'm getting ready to install the Disk Mangement msi before I format the second drive to 64K. Then I'll wait a little bit, shut everything down hook up my other 4 data drives and start copying data and adding empty drives to the pool.

I'm not going to tackle converting the D partition to 64K. As it is, there will be five 1TB drives in addition to the 500GB system drive. Of those I have around 3.5TB of data to move onto pooled drives. It will take a while.

Sure is nice to see the green WHS icon in my system tray instead of the red one.

[gplasky]

Good job.
It took me less than 5 minutes to copy D: to an external USB drive, format the D: drive to 64K and then copy it back from the external. But I did mine before a PC backup so that WHS didn't even have a backup database in place when I did mine. Yours will take a little longer because of the PC you backed up. And I don't know if that would become an issue.

Gerry

[TallMomof2]

Maybe I shouldn't have run a backup, that info is on the drive that I need to format to 64K. I don't care if I lose the backup because I can backup again. Should I backup the database to an external hard drive and then restore it once I format the disk (I only have 2 disks right now in the system)?

Or should I hook up the data disks and move the backup over and then format the drive? Apparently the backup in the "folders" folder and I could move that easily enough.

My biggest concern is not to mess up WHS.

[TallMomof2]

Gerry - I already have almost 1/2TB on D: from the backup. Guess I'll hookup an external drive (I have a 1TB I picked up cheap) and copy it all over. Format and copy back. That should take most of the morning.

[gplasky]

Here's what I had done. Make sure hidden folders are showing. Copy off everything on the D: drive somewhere else. (I had plugged in a USB drive that wasn't in the pool and copied it there.)It shouldn't matter where you copy it too. Whatever would be easier for you to do. Then format D: to 64K. Copy evrything back you just copied off to the D: drive. I believe I let everything balance out and then ended up rebooting the server to make sure it came up healthy and everything was in place.

Gerry

[TallMomof2]

That's what I'm doing. Copying everything, including hidden folders and files, to an external USB HDD. Guess I will be formatting all of D: to 64K since it will be backed up.

Thanks, I've learned a lot in the last week.

[Beefcake550]

TallMomof2,

Would you mind telling me what kind of transfer rates you get when copying this to/from the pool? I have a similar situation where I am considering making the drives in my pool 64K instead of 4K, butI have around 750GB on each disk to "backup" before that can happen. On initial install, I saw speed of around 45-70MB/s on my WD 1TB green drives.

-Brian

[S_M_E]

You might not have to format. Many disk tools might convert the cluster size without destroying the data. See if http://partedmagic.com/ will do it without needing to format D but backup D just in case.

[TallMomof2]

Originally Posted by Beefcake550

TallMomof2,

Would you mind telling me what kind of transfer rates you get when copying this to/from the pool? I have a similar situation where I am considering making the drives in my pool 64K instead of 4K, butI have around 750GB on each disk to "backup" before that can happen. On initial install, I saw speed of around 45-70MB/s on my WD 1TB green drives.

-Brian

I have one WD green 1TB drive and the rest are Samsung 1TB drives. The Samsungs run a bit cooler than the WD. Max HDD temps are around 25C. Transfer rates into the pool vary from around a low of 30MB/s to a max of 80MB/s but probably hover around 50-60MB/s. It still takes a looooong time to move files.

[TallMomof2]

I have the server back up and running with Sage and most of my plug-ins. Still need to move over several days of recordings from my backup server i.e. client PC pressed into server duty.

Next I'm going to tinker with the client, it's too loud and the USB ports on this particular ASUS mobo tend to be flakey, bought too early in the product cycle. I have a new mobo and a quieter CPU fan.

Thanks for all the help with getting WHS back up and running correctly.