Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Options to recover data from Windows Home Server failure

  1. #1
    AsvinAsvin Guest

    Options to recover data from Windows Home Server failure

    Hey guys, I am networking student who is presently in lots of doubts and questions. I do believe that internet forums are the only place where numerous experts and brilliant people show their presence. Unfortunately I am not one amongst them but I belong to those who come in the category of asking and placing their question. As I have already mentioned in the title that need to know about the data recovery from a failed or crashed server. There are my friends who say that is almost impossible to recover data from a randomly failed server and obviously I do contradict their statement. I do not believe so there might be some way out for recovering data after a server failure. The world has changed a lot and also people have come far away from the old technology and also overcame most of the impossible tasks especially with respect to the technology. I do not blame my friends for their believe as we all are student and of course who else can have debate, doubts and question other than we students. So friends, please help me out and let me first know whether it is possible for a normal user to recover data after random server failure. If yes, then how can it be possible? Do I need to have any kind of software or utility for making such recovery possible after the server failure?

    Other than this only question you can also let me know with few more detailed information about the causes of server failure and other related server problems. Expecting a fast and a quick reply from any interested person with an appropriate answer and solution for the same.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    454

    Re: Options to recover data from Windows Home Server failure

    Trust me my friend my reply won’t help you to get the exact answer or solution for whatever you have asked but I would surely love to let you know more about the much similar related thing of server failure with an extra ordinary reasons.

    First of all let me tell you that yes, data recovery is very much possible for the server failure but before getting into it or knowing more about “how” and “why” I think you are suppose to know more about the causes. Generally a normal user believes that even a normal server related issue is a server failure, this is totally wrong. There are certain cases where the user has to first know scenario and then react accordingly with respect to the problem. Every time the server doesn’t goes through the same problem that results in a server failure. For an instance suppose if your machine or system is not at all booting but you have noticed a proper working disks within it, then instead of breaking your head it is much suggested to reinstall your server and not to try any other solution. Likewise if your data disks are working fine and if the system disk is damaged then again the suggested solution would be reinstalling the server but this time you should do it only after replacing the disk. And lastly if you have encountered an issue with the data disk but system disk is working well and fine or if the windows Home Server Console reports disks are not at all existing then the only thing you can do is to give the priority to Data Recovery and also you can manage to take out the data from your system which is called as DATA RECOVERY.

    Other information: - if you are not aware then let me tell you that Windows Home Server is not at all protected or safe to any kind of troubles like hardware issues, incompatibility after the installation of the software. Its also not immune to any defected drivers or user errors and wrong configurations. However the Windows Home Server as a backend does helps you to get the backup of all the contents and other information of those shared files and folders. The backup also includes the client backup. Now what’s more interesting is that such backups need a process that could be done manually without any automated steps and also the same process requires other external storage spaces for the same. Just because of this complication people don’t try to do this regularly all the time.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    364

    Re: Options to recover data from Windows Home Server failure

    That’s a good start my friend, although you have not explained the complete steps or procedure for the data recovery I am really impressed with your detailed information. Data Recovery part is the only thing missing in your post, once if you would have mentioned that everything was done awesomely.

    Anyways before sharing my actual necessary knowledge I would like to first continue with Windows Home Server. As far as I know you can simply check your server’s event log if in case you doubt any errors, you can get to know about the details of those error but this thing is possible only if your Windows Home Server boots properly. You can get your Event Log either locally or you can also get it from or through the Remote Desktop client to your Server. For doing so make sure that you login with the Admin, I mean you need to use “Administrator” as the User Name and then for the password use the console password. After that you need to open up Event Viewer and for doing so you have to open Control Panel. Hope you know that you can open the control panel from the Start Menu, in control Panel click on Administrative Tools and there you find Event Viewer. Now over there you can see for System and the Application Logs. There you might find certain red marked logos, those red marks indicates the errors and if you find any yellow marks then they are nothing but warnings. If in case you find an ntfs error see to it that you check out the details just by opening that error. If the error says anything about unreadable sector then just for the disk replacement in order to fix the problem. Go for re-installing your Server only if you have done with replacing the damaged hardware. Now remember that the re-installation is just an unique installation mode where the system volume is entirely erased on your C: but do not mess up with the data in any case. At this point of stage you have to be very much aware and carefully with your selection because this new installation has the tendency to wipe up all the drivers and it’s actually going to do it, so better check each and everything carefully. Always remember that you do not go in hurry and mess up with the things as patience is the only “verb” that is necessary and applied for this process. However tombstones rebuilding is a bit slow process and also time consuming. It is recommended to first run the Windows Update if you are trying to add Clients and then redo the configuration tasks. After the reboots repeat the same task until and unless you are nt displayed with any kind of new updates, with this fortunately you manage to get rid of those potential bugs.

    Now if you are not longer provided with an offer of Server Re-installation where the disks are identified either with the BIOS or by those initially provided drivers. the disk which is new and former, make sure is detected by the name Drive 0 and if in case you are accessing a Sata disks then the work becomes more easier and efficient. With Sata disks you can easily select the IDE mode from the SATA controller by getting into the settings. Now your Windows Home Server setup is ready to get an access of those inbuilt drivers. with the help of a floppy disk it is necessary for you to present the SATA drivers during the setup for another time.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    330

    Re: Options to recover data from Windows Home Server failure

    Now there are cases where the user does not succeed even after following the steps proper. In such cases if Server Re installation badly fails or if the Server Re-installation is no longer offered to you then understand that this is just due to those hardware damage issue or configuration problem or other reason that have been already discussed above. But if such case if you do not have your backups of the data onto some other location or some other disk then it would be a huge problem for you. But not as huge as you are expecting, there’s a way out for this. You can try to get all the necessary data copied on to a newer location; you will have to do it manually for sure. For doing so you need to follow the following steps:
    • If you have an internal port or an adapter cable like USB to SATA/IDE what you have to do is trying connecting your disks individually to your windows system with the help of those internal ports or adapter cable. Now what will happen is that this connected windows system will either be considered as a client or an installed Windows Home Server. Make sure that you don’t even try to add up the attached disk to the storage pool until and unless you are done with copying the entire data to your external storage or to the Server share. Other than the existing older Client backups I think your well configured storage pool devices must be able to successfully provide you lots of free space in order to handle your data that will be transferred.
    • Now first go to Start Menu (hope you know where it is located….), then go to Control Panel and then Select folder Options. A small windows will be displayed, now just into that window at the top section you might find certain Tabs located, just Click on View Tab and then check the radio button option called “Show Hidden Files and Folders” and now Click on Apply and OK.
    • Onto your former Windows Home Server Disk check out for the Data Volume that comes up with a Drive Letter in the Windows Explorer, make sure that you check the entire disks including the D: of your former primary Disk. Now I think you will easily find the hidden folder DE into the Data Volume in Windows Explorer. Open up that hidden folder and now search for the subfolder called “Shares”.
    • Most importantly, do not get panic if you do not find any such hidden folder into the given location. In some cases the configurations with numerous disks into the server results in no hidden DE folder. Anyways if you have successfully found the Shares subfolder then you are lucky enough because within this folder you might find either parts or even you could find all the data in the former shared folder. And if in case you have selected Folder Duplication you might also find the duplicates of the same data too.
    • Now simply copy all the data as according to your requirement by having an access of Server Shares to a new Server installation from the Shared Folders on Server. You can also copy them to a new Storage location. Now repeat the same steps for the entire Data disk. Hope now you will find it easier with the second Data Disk.

    Important Point to be noted: - during the whole procedure make sure that you do not mess up with the file system of your drivers of your windows home server.

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 3
    Last Post: 17-01-2014, 10:34 AM
  2. Replies: 5
    Last Post: 25-04-2012, 12:04 AM
  3. Replies: 7
    Last Post: 20-04-2012, 12:13 AM
  4. Windows Home Server Data Corruption Bug Fix
    By unlimitedtech in forum Tips & Tweaks
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 14-08-2010, 03:55 PM
  5. Detect and Recover Network Failure in Windows Exchange Server 2003
    By Anikait in forum Networking & Security
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 13-06-2009, 06:50 PM

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Page generated in 1,711,723,687.61585 seconds with 17 queries