2008 server: repair boot environment - how?

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.

"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.

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.
>

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.

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/l.../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.

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.

Hi Dusko

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

Worked right away!

Thanks very much, you saved my day :-)

....Alwin.