-1

I have a HP ML310e that I am trying to recover data off. It has a RAID 10 array and I am wanting to boot a non-raid hard drive on the server.

I can't see this disk in the bios, so I can't boot from it. I have a feeling it has something to do with the fact that the server is setup for RAID. How can I boot from this drive?

MadHatter
  • 79,770
  • 20
  • 184
  • 232
Lock
  • 1,637
  • 7
  • 26
  • 33
  • Linux, Windows, ...? – Hauke Laging May 19 '13 at 02:24
  • 1
    Why not just use a livecd of some type in a usb optical drive? Or if you have an iLO card, mount an iso there and boot off of it... – EEAA May 19 '13 at 02:26
  • This is windows. I tried a Linux Ubuntu LiveCD but it didn't like the drive. Said something about not having a valid ntfs signature (yet it showed it fine in the list). The drive is perfectly fine (i am recovering a deleted file, not a failure of any sort). I found some commands on the internet to fix the error that I got, but I am reluctant to run any commands that alter the drive in any way. – Lock May 19 '13 at 03:11

2 Answers2

1

If you need to recover data off of it, please do NOT mess with the RAID facilities of the server. Don't try to reprioritize drives or move RAID volumes around. Use something safer that has no chance of modifying data or metadata.

Look for a forensic portable OS, such as DEFT. Many have undelete programs baked in. Boot off of USB or CD simply by raising USB boot to a higher priority. You might have to experiment with distributions for drivers that are compatible with what network cards and storage controllers are in your machine.

Also consider performing a full copy of the existing volume before doing anything. Perhaps a dd to another volume. At best, a write blocker that can clone the drives (made difficult by the RAID configuration, of course. Keep the drives in order and write down exactly where they're plugged in!)

To answer your exact question:

How can I boot from this drive?

It may be that the drives you are trying to use are not supported by the newer HP storage controllers. Especially pertinent if you're using a non-HP drive, like a Western Digital or Seagate.

Wesley
  • 32,690
  • 9
  • 82
  • 117
0

If the server is configured to boot from a RAID array and the non-RAID disk is not detected in the BIOS, you may need to adjust the boot settings in the BIOS to allow for non-RAID disks to be recognized.

Here are some steps you can try:

  1. Enter the BIOS settings of the server.
  2. Navigate to the Boot Options or Boot Order section.
  3. Look for an option related to the boot mode or boot type, such as UEFI or Legacy.
  4. Change the boot mode to Legacy or vice versa, depending on the current setting.
  5. Save the changes and exit the BIOS.
  6. Restart the server and check if the non-RAID disk is detected during the boot process.

If the non-RAID disk still cannot be detected, you may need to check the physical connections of the disk, such as ensuring it is properly connected to the power and data cables, or trying a different SATA port on the motherboard.

It's also worth noting that if the non-RAID disk was previously used in a different system, it may not be compatible with the server's hardware or boot settings, so you may need to try a different disk or connect the disk to a different system to access the data.

Efi Jeremiah
  • 51
  • 2