Is your server freezing, hanging, or spontaneously rebooting?

How do you fix it?  Let's take a step by step troubleshooting approach to this frustrating problem. I like to eliminate all the most-likely-to-cause-the-problem hardware in the server to make solving the problem quick and painless. This document outlines how to move an existing set of hard drives to a new server. I break my hard drives out into a system drive and data drive. The system drive is the one we will be concerned with. 

There are two scenarios in moving the hard drives. They are:

1. Moving the hard drives to the same BRAND motherboard and chip set.

2. Moving the hard drives to a dissimilar  motherboard and chip set than what they were initialized in.

First off, lets make clear what we are moving and why.

Here's a scenario:

Let's say the server is freezing, hanging, or spontaneously rebooting. You are concerned that the existing MB, RAM or CPU is the culprit (these are the most likely components that would cause this behavior). Depending on the importance of the server determines how drastic the action taken will be. Let's say that the server is a 24x7 production server and can only sustain minimal downtime if any downtime at all. This situation calls for an instant fix. This situation cannot handle any historical step-by-step troubleshooting methods which could ferrite out the offending piece. This situation requires a brute force replace-it-all method to simply get the job done. Later, the remainder of the server can be tested in a laboratory environment and repaired to the component level.

So, let's get going. The key thing is to remove the minimal hardware piece(s) from the offending server and place them in a new (hopefully tested) case containing a motherboard, a processor and ram. When I say minimal I mean, using our example, only remove the hard disk units themselves and not the hard disk controller - in the case of a SCSI - or the hard disk cables. Leave them behind. If there are three hard disk units in the server then remove only the three hard disk units. Leave the cables and the controller behind. This tightens up the troubleshooting process because many hard disk problems are related to cables and controllers.

Your new pieces would be a case containing a motherboard, a processor, ram, controller card and cables. And, of course, a power supply. It is important to stay on course and not cannibalize ANY other part from the offending server regardless of whether you don't THINK these peripheral components could cause such a problem such as  freezing, hanging, or spontaneously rebooting

Why should I make an effort to replace the hard drives in the same motherboard and chip set?

The simple answer is: you will save yourself time and grief in not having to run the Windows system repair option.

If you introduce a set of hard drives, for example, that were installed in an ASUS motherboard (Nothing for or against ASUS. Just an example) Windows will optimize the OS for the chip set on the ASUS. When the hard drives boot in the ASUS all the required drivers and software for the ASUS chip set are contained on the drive and you'll have a perfect match. However if you boot these same hard drives in a new motherboard, say an Intel, since the drivers and software required for the Intel motherboard are not installed on the hard disk's OS you will have a less than perfect match. (Computers don't like less-than-perfect.) The result is...all hell breaks loose. You will most likely get a BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) notifying you that your disk cannot boot. This is not what you want.

Don't worry too much, there is a way out of this. It's not as simple as if you had booted the disks in a similar motherboard but it's doable. First, let's take a look at installing the drives in the same brand motherboard.

Installing the drives in a similar motherboard is easy. Here's how:

What you will need:

1. Your hard drives

2. Your new case, motherboard, processor and ram

3. The CD that came bundled with the new motherboard. The CD contains the motherboard's drivers for video, NIC, audio, USB, etc.

The Steps:

1. Install the drives in the new server.

2. Boot

3. Upon loading Windows you will be informed that new hardware has been found. Before you boot though place the CD that was bundled with the new motherboard, the one that contains the drivers for the video (if on board), the NIC card and the audio stuff if you want the audio enabled. (On a server, as a rule, I disable all audio stuff.) By inserting the CD before you boot the initialization process will be pretty much automated in that you will only have to click NEXT and point to the CD each time a new piece of hardware is found . The Windows initialization process will search the CD and find the required drivers.

After a few reboots you should be set.

Installing in a dissimilar motherboard is not as easy but can be done. Here's how:

Usually, upon attempting to boot the hard drive in a dissimilar motherboard you will receive this message:

"STOP 0x0000007B: INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE" Error Message When You Start Your Computer

In this case, a different motherboard, you will have to run the repair option in the Windows install console. What happens is that Windows takes the hard disk through the initial process of installation and gathers all the chip set information and is then able to install the proper drivers and software applicable to the new motherboard. It's tricky and you have to pay attention to what is happening but it works.

I usually follow knowledgebase article 287043 from Microsoft. It does work. Here are the steps I follow:

1. Place your hard drive in the new server

2. Run MSKB article 822052

   Today: 6/18/2004 I found the articles at MS have changed.

   The following is now current:

   MSKB URL: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;822052&Product=win2000#6e

   MSKB Article: 822052

   This is the actual text from the article that I use.

   A "Stop 0x0000007B" error message occurs when you start your computer after you install a new motherboard When you start your computer after you install a new motherboard, you may receive the following error message on a blue screen: STOP: 0x0000007B: (parameter1, parameter2, parameter3, parameter4) INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

   Cause

   This problem may occur if the new motherboard contains an embedded IDE controller that uses a different chipset than the original motherboard.

   Resolution

   To resolve this problem, restart Windows 2000 Setup and then repair the Windows 2000 installation.

   To do so, follow these steps:

   Start your computer by using the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks or from the Windows 2000 CD-ROM.

   Note: To start your computer from the Windows 2000 CD-ROM, your computer must be configured to start from the CD-ROM drive or DVD drive. For more information about how to configure the computer to start from the CD-ROM drive or DVD drive, see the documentation that came with your personal computer or contact the manufacturer.

   1. At the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER.
   2. Read the license agreement, and then when you are prompted to accept the Windows 2000 licensing agreement, press F8.
   3. Select your current installation of Windows 2000 (if it is not already selected), and then press R.
   4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to repair your installation of Windows 2000.

3. Remove the existing NIC controller using the Add/Remove hardware program.

Watch out for this...or...regardless of which way you go, here is another bugaboo to contend with.

It has to do with the NIC adapter(s) on the old machine and the new server. The new server will recognize the new NIC adapters and actually hide the old NIC adapters, the ones that were in the offending server. The drivers for the old server will be in the OS on the system hard drive but they will not correspond to the new NICs on the new server. As a result, when you set the IP addresses in the new NIC adapters and click OK you will be presented with a dialog box stating that the IP numbers are duplicates and cannot be assigned. Looking in the Device Manager for the old NIC adapters to remove them won't do you any good. They won't be there. 

Hmmm...think you're stuck? Not really, here's what you do.

You will need to remove the references to the old NIC adapters. Here's how:

1. Start settings > Control Panel > Add Remove Hardware.

2. Choose the Uninstall/Unplug a device radio button

3. Select Uninstall a device radio button.

4. You will be presented with a list of devices. Still, though, your old NIC references will not be visible here until you click the Show hidden devices box.

5. Scrolling through this box will display your old NIC adapter. If you are using the same brand adapters you will see two identical names but one will have a #2 appended to the name. The #2 one is the new one. Don't uninstall this one. Uninstall the one without the #2 appended.

6. If you are using different NIC brands simply select to uninstall the one that is not in the new server.

Pretty much done at this point. I would reboot.

Now you are ready to enter in the IP numbers in the NIC adapter.

Do your testing and go home!

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John Cesta is a contract programmer. John's current project is designer and lead developer of the automated hosting software at bestcfhosting.com, a ColdFusion MX hosting company. John is currently working on commercializing his programs and offering them to the IIS community at serverautomationtools.com