Raid Failure missing NTLDR

[Chef]

motherboard: ep45-up3r bios f9
2 150 gig raptors in a raid 0 on the Intel port 0/port 1
(if you need any other info let me know)

Everything was working fine, no indication of hard drive failure. Trying to install a software update when windows xp sp3 crashed. Upon reboot got the message NTLDR missing. Looked in the gigabyte bios for any boot priority change but everything was still the same. The Intel raid bios shows one of the hard drives as an error. Went into the Intel raid bios to see about repair, but there was no indication to repair.

Tried repair command using Windows xp cd using the following:

COPY D:\I386\NTLDR C:\
COPY D:\I386\NTDETECT.COM C:\

but it does not work because there is no hard drive available to copy onto.

Any suggestions, this is my wife's pc and she is very upset! While she keeps most of her data on another drive, there is some stuff she did not back-up and does not want to lose it, nor does she want to lose all her bookmarks.

Thanks a lot.

I found some interesting idea's on how to repair the raid. I will try both this weekend, but don't let that stop you from giving any input.
Intel ICHxR RAID Data Recovery 101 - XtremeSystems Forums
or
How do repair Intel Matrix RAID 5 failed config? Help! - NAS-RAID-Technologies - Storage

[Judge-dredd]

Re: Raid Failure missing NTLDR

this is bad new for you
during your update windows was copying a new file and when you crash it was lost
you can try using windows disk to repair windows
i will say there nothing wrong with your system i bet
but a fresh install of windows is in order i have had this happen to me before as well
freash install will fix all

i no thats not what you wanted to hear but that probly the only way your going to get it running again

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Raid Failure missing NTLDR

I see you mentioned XP, is this XP OS or something else? Just checking to be sure

Normally when you see a RAID error in the actual RAID ROM BIOS when using RAID 0 there isn't much at all you can do, except try the above mentioned items at XS forums for RAID 0.

What is the exact message is says on the drive with the error?

You didn't move the drive cables around did you? Just wondering, as a windows update alone should not have caused the RAID to fail or NTLDR to be missing.

It sounds like one of the drives was about to fail and you just happened to be doing what you were doing right then so it seemed that was the cause.

Since you have already tried to write to the array there isn't anything you can do now, it will all be corrupt on both disks likely, even though it would not let you write anything it still would have looked and tried which would write data and corrupt the array.

I really don't think there is anything you can do now, except wipe the drives and start over. And before starting over I would test both disks with WD Diagnostic tools, as it really sounds like one is failing.

And then from now on you will need to make weekly or bi-weekly backups of the entire array, Easus makes a free mirroring program that works very nice for that, or you could look into Acronis True Image which costs $$.

Sorry to have to tell you this bad news!!

[Chef]

Re: Raid Failure missing NTLDR

Hey Judge, thx for responding, we are trying to avoid a fresh install until we can retrieve my wife's info.

Lsdmeasap, yes, as I mentioned Windows xp sp 3 is the OS. I did not move any cables around and we werent actually updating windows when the pc crashed. She was just updating Firefox (I dont think the update had anything to do with the failure, it was just coincidental).
The exact message displayed upon startup is
NTLDR is missing

So, are you saying that since I tried to copy/write to the array I've corrupted it? Guess I followed bad advice from another forum about what to do when you get the NTLDR message.

I will try the above mentioned items at XS forums this weekend and let you know how it went. Doesnt sound hopeful.......

Thanks so much for your advice!

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Raid Failure missing NTLDR

Well they gave you half true advice, they tip on fixing NTLDR was good, but not for an array with a failed disk.

It would work fine if your array did not have a failed disk and just the NTLDR was missing, then you would be able to fix it, but since one drive was marked as error/failed in the RAID ROM once you tried to start/look at/edit/fix anything on the array it would have corrupted it because whatever you use on this disk would only see the one disk and write on it.

You really wont have much luck with the XS forums info either, and it can take you days to try, something I wouldn't do over some bookmarks.

She can't make you sleep on the couch, she was using the PC when it happened right? If so, it's her bad not yours.

You will need to do a clean install, there is really no way around it.

I would delete the array in the RAID ROM, then check each disk by itself in DOS with the WD Tools. If both show up as good, then recreate an array and do a clean install.