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JSI Tip 4564. How do I regenerated a dynamic mirrored volume in Windows 2000?

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Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q313061 contains:

IN THIS TASK


SUMMARY

This article is a step-by-step guide to regenerating a mirrored volume on a Windows 2000-based computer after you replace a failed hard disk.

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To Remove the Failed Mirror

  1. Log on to the computer as Administrator.


  2. Right-click My Computer , and then click Manage .


  3. Under Storage , click Disk Management .


  4. Right-click a partition that is marked as "Missing" on the disk, and then click Remove Mirror .


  5. In the Remove Mirror dialog box, click Missing (if it is not already selected), and then click Remove Mirror .


  6. When you are prompted to verify that you want to remove the mirror, click Yes .


  7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 for each partition that is marked with "Failed Redundancy" on the disk that is marked as "Missing."


  8. Right-click the disk that is marked as "Missing," and then click Remove Disk . The disk is removed.


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To Prepare the New Hard Disk

  1. Right-click the new basic disk, and then click Upgrade to Dynamic Disk .

    NOTE : Right-click the Disk X icon (where X is the appropriate disk number), not the partition space that is marked as "Unallocated."


  2. In the Upgrade to Dynamic Disk dialog box, select the check box for the disk that you right-clicked (if it is not already selected).


  3. Clear all the other check boxes, and then click OK . "Dynamic" is then displayed under Disk X .


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To Reestablish the Mirror

  1. Right-click a partition on the disk on which you want to re-create the mirror, and then click Add Mirror .


  2. In the Add Mirror dialog box, click the disk that you prepared in the To Prepare the New Hard Disk section of this article, and then click Add Mirror .


  3. If the following message appears, click OK :


  4. You have mirrored your boot volume. To be able to boot from the mirror disk, add the appropriate entry to your boot.ini file.
  5. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each partition on the disk that you want to mirror. "Regenerating" is displayed on the source partitions of the volume from which you created the mirror, and on the target partitions of the replaced hard disk.


  6. Quit Computer Management.


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Troubleshooting

  • You cannot start Windows after you replace a failed hard disk.

    This situation can occur if the hard disk that failed is the boot volume. To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods:


    • If there is an entry for the mirrored drive in the Boot.ini file, choose it on the Windows 2000 Boot menu.


    • Create a Windows 2000 boot disk with the appropriate entry for the boot volume on the mirrored hard disk.


    • For additional information about creating a Windows 2000 boot disk, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
      Q301680 HOW TO: Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition
    • Physically switch the jumper and cabling settings on the mirrored hard disk to match those of the original failed disk.


    • For additional information about recovering from a failed mirrored drive, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
      Q141702 How to Recover Mirroring Windows NT Using IDE Devices
      Q167045 Reasons Why Windows NT Does Not Boot From a Shadow Mirror Drive
  • You are prompted to add an entry to the Boot.ini file for a mirrored volume, but you do not know how to do this.


  • For additional information about editing the Boot.ini file, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    Q311578 HOW TO: Edit the Boot.ini File in Windows 2000
    Q102873 BOOT.INI and ARC Path Naming Conventions and Usage
  • You want to determine the status of the mirror.

    Disk Management displays status descriptions in Graphical view and in the Status column in List view. Use these status descriptions to help you detect and troubleshoot disk and volume failures. This is a partial list of disk and volume status descriptions:


    • Online: This is the typical disk status when the disk is accessible and functioning correctly.


    • Healthy: This is the typical volume status when the volume is accessible and functioning correctly.


    • Healthy (At Risk): The volume is accessible, but underlying input/output (I/O) errors are detected on the disk. The disk status may be displayed as "Online (Errors)." To resolve this issue, right-click the disk, and then click Reactivate Disk to return the disk to "Online" status. This action should also return the volume to "Healthy" status.


    • Failed Redundancy: One member or both members of the mirrored volume have failed. The volume is no longer fault-tolerant. The disk status may be displayed as "Offline," "Missing," or "Online (Errors)." To resolve this issue, repair any disk, controller, or connection problems and verify that the physical disk is turned on and correctly attached to the computer. Right-click the failed disk, and then click Reactivate Disk to return the disk to "Online" status. This should also return the volume to "Healthy" status.


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REFERENCES

For additional information about working with dynamic disks, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q175761 Dynamic vs. Basic Storage in Windows 2000 and Windows XP
Q222189 Description of Disk Groups in Windows 2000 Disk Management
Q308209 HOW TO: Use Disk Management to Manage Basic and Dynamic Disks in Windows 2000
Q254105 Dynamic Disk Hardware Limitations
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