| ATA and SATA hard disks are more reliable today than in the past, but problems with them can still affect a server's ability to run reliably. Problems can occur during drive configuration and during operation. The following sections describe typical problems and solutions. CMOS/BIOS, Startup Problems Some of the most common problems to be aware of during the installation of ATA and SATA hard disks include the following: Using the wrong parameters for the hard disk For reliable installation, you should use the autoconfiguration option in the system BIOS/CMOS Setup program. Doing so ensures that the correct geometry, LBA mode setting, and UDMA mode setting will be used for each drive. Failing to enable SATA host adapters Many systems disable onboard SATA host adapters by default. If you plan to use SATA hard disks connected to onboard SATA host adapters, you must enable the SATA host adapters in the system BIOS/CMOS Setup program. Failing to install SATA, SATA RAID, or ATA RAID host adapter drivers during Windows installation If the host adapter uses a discrete chip on the motherboard or an add-on card (instead of being built into the motherboard's South Bridge or I/O controller hub), Windows will not be able to use the drive if you don't provide the driver when prompted (see Figure 6.11). Figure 6.11. This prompt appears extremely early in the installation process for Windows Server 2003 as well as Windows 2000 and Windows XP.  Disabling onboard SMART detection of hard disk problems Most recent systems support SMART, as do most system management programs. Making sure SMART is enabled is cheap insurance against hard disk failure.
If you plan to use an onboard RAID array for ATA or SATA hard disks, you need to be sure to follow the system or motherboard vendor's instructions. Many systems with onboard ATA or SATA RAID use a so-called "soft RAID" configuration that requires you to run a RAID Setup application from disk to prepare the RAID array for use. If you decide to convert a single-drive installation into a RAID array, you need to make sure to make a full backup of the drive first. Although some recent RAID implementations do not wipe out existing data, the possibility of data loss remains. If your ATA RAID, SATA RAID, or SATA host adapter uses an add-on card host adapter or your motherboard has a separate SATA or SATA/ATA RAID host adapter chip, you should have received a driver floppy disk with your host adapter or motherboard. When you see the prompt to press F6 during the installation of Windows (see Figure 6.11), you need to press F6 and provide the driver disk. Otherwise, the server's SATA, SATA RAID, or ATA RAID host adapter card or onboard host adapter will not work and the drives connected to it cannot be accessed. If you miss this prompt, you need to restart your computer and restart the installation process, and you will have another chance to provide the needed driver. BSODs and Other Postinstallation Problems The notorious blue screen of death (BSOD) or STOP errors associated with serious problems in Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP are sometimes caused by problems with ATA or SATA hard disks or device drivers. Some of these errors include the following: STOP 0x0000000A (IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL) This error can be caused by a variety of faulty device drivers or firmware problems. If this error occurs after you update ATA or SATA device drivers, you should restart Windows in Safe Mode and roll back to the previous driver. STOP 0x0000001E (KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED) This error can be caused by running short of disk space. You need to remove unneeded temporary files or outdated system restore files. STOP 0x00000024 (NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM) This error can be caused by problems with ATA, SATA, or SCSI hard disks, cables, or drivers. You need to replace cables and check drivers. You should use error checking (CHKDSK) to test all hard disks. STOP 0x0000002E (DATA_BUS_ERROR) One of the less likely causes for this error is hard disk corruption. You should use error checking (CHKDSK) and enable the option to repair file system errors to test all hard disks. STOP 0x00000077 (KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR) You can use CHKDSK (error checking) on the paging hard disk to check for bad sectors. STOP 0x0000007A (KERNEL_STACK_DATA_ERROR) You can check the I/O status code to help troubleshoot this error: STATUS_DEVICE-DATA_ERRORYou should use CHKDSK (error checking) on the paging hard disk to check for bad sectors. STATUS_DEVICE_NOT_CONNECTEDYou should check the BIOS/CMOS configuration for hard disks; you should also check drive power and data cables. STATUS_IO_DEVICE_ERRORYou should check the host adapter configuration; you should also check drive power and data cables. This error can also be caused by failing to install the appropriate driver after pressing F6. 
| See "CMOS/BIOS, Startup Problems," p. 444, for details. |
STOP 0x0000007B (INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE) Windows can't locate the system partition or boot volume. You need to make sure correct drivers for ATA or SATA host adapters have been loaded. STOP 0x000000ED (UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME) This error can be caused by trying to use a 40-wire ATA/IDE cable with a drive configured in firmware or system BIOS/CMOS to use 80-wire (UDMA 66 or faster) mode. You should use an 80-wire UDMA 66 cable.
Note that most of these errors can also be caused by other problems. For full details on each error and suggested solutions, go to http://support.microsoft.com and look up the specific STOP error. If you use SMART-enabled hard disks and have SMART monitoring enabled in the system BIOS, you should back up and replace any drives that display SMART errors during startup or during operation. Note that you must have system management software that supports SMART monitoring to see errors after server startup. |
