Windows Server 2008 recovery/repair

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:54:46 Z

Hi All,

I have a situation where I have configured a new windows 2008 server x64. This new server will house our AD DC/DNS/DHCP and will become the 'primary' in our network.

Up till yesterday I have installed the DHP/DNS roles and added the Server Backup feature - its all patched and was working fine and had 'taken' over the HDCP and DNS role in out network.

I have taken periodic backups using the supplied server backup utility - backup location is a partition on one of the local drives.

I then tried to install acronis so that I could image the server in case I lost it - well I lost it! During the install when it rebooted it wouldn't boot into the OS. I'm asuming at this stage that the acronis install was a 32bit one and did not support 64 bit. I have a look at this later and try and sort it out.

Ok - so I use the install dvd and boot off it and click 'repair my computer'. It took me a while to figure out that you had to have the only option deselected in order to use the x64 version of the repair tool. Same as in Vista I found out.

On trying to restore the backup - it did have a problem with the fact that the drive wasn't online, but you just had to select the second option - restore from another server??.

Anyway the upshot is that in attempting to do this is tells me that that backup is a x64 version and that the architecture of this machine is x32 and it can't do the restore?

The specs of the machine: Dell Vostro 410, 4GB RAM, 1.5TB HDD, Windows 2K8 x64 Ent.

Have I missed something? It did install the x64 bit OS without any problems? How do I use the repair option if I should loose my c drive again???

Can someone tell me /point me in the right direction?

thanks

Windows Server 2008 recovery/repair

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:24:05 Z

Hello
Which media did you use? you mention an option that needs to be deselected, which option is that?

Does that media have the option to install either 32-bit or 64-bit? You are booting to the media you used to install with correct?

I am wondering if the WinPE session that you are booting into to do the repair is 32-bit or 64-bit version. In that WinPE session is 32-bit, that could generate that type of error message.

Thanks, Darrell Gorter[MSFT] This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Windows Server 2008 recovery/repair

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:38:46 Z

Hi Jono99,

I am afraid to say that it is not possible to perform repairing installation of the operation system in Windows Server 2008, which can recover the key components of the OS in the event of the system crash. Currently, the possible way is to perform complete system recovery with the previous server backup.

Steps to restore a server operation system:

To recover your operating system or full server using a Windows Setup disc

1. Insert the Windows Setup disc into the CD or DVD drive and turn on the computer. If needed, press the required key to boot from the disc. The Install Windows Wizard should appear.

2. Specify language settings, and then click Next.

3. Click Repair your computer.

4. Setup searches the hard disk drives for an existing Windows installation and then displays the results in System Recovery Options. If you are recovering the operating system onto separate hardware, the list should be empty (there should be no operating system on the computer). Click Next.

5. On the System Recovery Options page, click Windows Complete PC Restore. This opens the Windows Complete PC Restore Wizard.

6. Do one of the following:

a. Click Use the latest available backup (recommended) and then click Next.

b. Click Restore a different backup and then click Next.

7. If you chose to restore a different backup, on the Select the location of the backup page, do one of the following:

a. Click the computer that contains the backup that you want to use, and then click Next.

Please note:

If the storage location contains backups of multiple computers, make sure that you click the row for the backups for the computer that you want to use. Then, on the Select the backup to restore page, click the backup that you want to use, and then click Next.

b. Click Advanced to browse for a backup on the network, and then click Next.

8. On the Choose how to restore the backup page, do the following optional tasks, and then click Next:

a. Select the Format and repartition disks check box to delete existing partitions and reformat the destination disks to be the same as the backup. This enables the Exclude disks button. Click this button and then select the check boxes associated with any disks that you want to exclude from being formatted and partitioned. The disk that contains the backup that you are using is automatically excluded.

Please Note:

Unless a disk is excluded, data on it can be lost—regardless of whether it was part of the backup or whether it has volumes that are being restored.

In Exclude disks, if you do not see all the disks that are attached to the computer, you might need to install the associated drivers for the storage device.

b. Select the Only restore system disks check box to perform an operating system–only recovery.

c. Click Install drivers to install device drivers for the hardware that you are recovering to.

d. Click Advanced to specify whether the computer is restarted and the disks are checked for errors immediate after the recovery.

9. Confirm the details for the restoration, and then click Finish.

Please note:

a. BMR cannot be performed from a dynamic disk backup. If any system component reside on a dynamic disk, backups running to any volume on the dynamic disk cannot run BMR.

b. EFI partitions are supported.

c. OEM partitions are not supported.

Startup Repair and System Restore options have been removed in the Windows PE of Windows Server 2008 which is by design.

Hope this help you to lead to right directions.

Regards,
Tilak

IT Consultant

Windows Server 2008 recovery/repair

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:59:59 Z

Hello,

Please read what David Says.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winservergen/thread/f61ce6da-0e06-4c7f-a42e-b552fb5bac9f.

Thanks
Syed

Syed Khairuddin

Windows Server 2008 recovery/repair

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:02:57 Z

Hi Darrell, Tilak and Sayed

I used the MSDN supplied DVD which contains both the x32 and x64 bit versions of the windows2008 installations.
This is the media I used to install with - yes correct.

Tilak - I have followed you instructions, which i also did yesterday from another post and also a youtube video - no luck.
This morning i used a clean disk - no OS and same error.

Sayed - I did have a look at David's instructions - same as Tilak but I get the same message as a post posted by cake-FM

“Restore operation failed. Windows cannot restore a backup that was created on a different computer architecture. The backup was created on a computer with a different architecture(x64) than this computer(x86).”

Nothing I have tried works. I am not looking to repair my current installation. I have a full backup I want to restore but it won't.

Windows Server 2008 recovery/repair

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:53:53 Z

Ok - I have figure this one out.
Doing a bear metal restore earlier this morning gave me an error

"This version of the System Recovery Options is not compatible with the version of windows you are trying to repair ..."

I have been using the MSDN supplied DVD - Windows Server 2008 (x64 and x86) disk 4454 May 2008.

This has the x64 and x86 versions on it. However it would seem that when you fire up the WindowsPE it is only x86 as there are no choices between x86 and x64.
So I downloaded this version from the MS download site -
en_windows_server_2008_datacenter_enterprise_standard_without_hyperv_x64_dvd_X14-27010.iso

booted into the repair your computer and it works. I have now successfully recovered a backup I did onto a brand new disk - no OS and rebooted successfully.

So the question to MS is why is there no option to boot the WindowsPE environment x64 on the dual DVDs???

Windows Server 2008 recovery/repair

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:33:38 Z

Hello Jono99.
When you boot from the DVD you are booting into the WinPE session, there is only the one WinPE session included on that DVD. 32-bit Setup.exe code allows you to install either 32-bit(x86) or 64-bit(x64 but not Itanium) versions of Windows Server 2008. So it simplifies what needs to be included on the media, one setup.exe can install either platform and makes it relatively easy to build a menu since you are in a Windows environment plus it reduces the footprint required on the media.
If you would include two version of WinPE, the boot menu would be earlier in the process and two separate version of WinPE would have be included as well as two separate versions of Setup.exe. There are limitations and advantages to doing this either way.
At some point a choice was made to ship with only one copy of WinPE and since the 32-bit version met most of the requirements it was chosen. ( 64-bit WinPE does not have a WOW64 piece so it cannot run 32-bit Setup.exe).

Thanks, Darrell Gorter[MSFT] This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Windows Server 2008 recovery/repair

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:05:24 Z

thanks for the reply Darrell

so the implication is that for those sites that use the x64 they need to have the dvd/cd that only has the x64 version on it if they want to recover a backup taken on the x64 version, and that the dvd that has the dual installation is useless for recovering a x64 server as it ships with only one PE - the x32 bit one.

OK I can live with that now that I have a x64 ONLY dvd that can be used for recovery