There is a new type of technology out there that allows hard drive manufacturers to increase the capacity of hard drives. It is called shingled magnetic recording. These hard drives should be avoided at all costs, at least for several years. Before buying a hard drive, look up the model number on the manufacturer’s website. Make sure the specs do not mention shingled magnetic recording or SMR. These types of hard drives are now being found in capacities as low as 2 TB.
Category: Server
The client restore on Windows Server Essentials is excellent. But several security updates interfere with it. Below is a list of the security updates on Windows 7 that cause problems with the restore. I am using Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials. This may or may not apply to Windows Server 2008 Essentials, Windows Server 2008 R2 Essentials, Windows Home Server 2011, or Windows Server 2012 Essentials. Below is also an up-to-date automated script to remove them.
Note: the backup works fine with the updates and so does the bare metal restore; this issue only occurs when you need to restore individual files. Also note: I do not know which updates in Windows 8, 8.1, or 10 interfere since I will never get any of those OS’s. (Windows 7 will be my last Windows unless Microsoft changes course and respects my privacy and stops trying to merge a tablet with a desktop.)
Note: This list is always slow to update because I wait a few weeks to a month just to make sure there is not a bad security update. (Windows 10 does not give you that luxury.) Some optional updates may not yet be on this list, they may appear several months later.
This list was last updated 10/4/2016. 29 bad updates are listed. Because Microsoft is now unwisely bundling all security updates into one big package from now on, this list will no longer be updated. The best thing you can now do is, on your server, create a virtual machine with a shell Windows 7/8/8.1, disable all updates are that virtual Windows, and use that only a individual file restore machine.
One of my customers had a server that would not boot. In fact, it would turn off after about 20 to 30 seconds while the BIOS was initializing and then the red health light would flash. What was causing this was the backplane adapter that converted the SAS RAID hard drive controller to 5 SATA hard drives. I disconnected the SAS cable and the server did not shut down. After I let the BIOS finish, I then reconnected the SAS cable to the backplane and the server booted normally.
However, I did try other options. If you have a problem with your ProLiant server, try these additional solutions:
- Find the system maintenance switch. These are tiny DIP switches somewhere on the motherboard. Flip switch 6, which is a switch to reset the configuration, and turn on the server. The server case should have a diagram of where everything is at, be sure to double-check to see if switch 6 does this. Be sure to flip the switch back when done.
- Remove the BIOS battery and unplug the server for 2 or 3 minutes to reset the BIOS to the default. Put the battery back in and start the server. If successful, put more memory in one at a time. If unsuccessful, put a different memory stick in and then keep trying.
- Remove all the memory. Then put just one stick back in and see if the server boots. The memory may be under a heat shield, so be sure the put anything related to cooling back in the server.
- Try all three of the above at the same time.
- If none of these work, there is likely a more serious problem.
Techs-on-Call Computer Repair Notes 