How do I workaround the ' winload.exe ' error when I change drive positions

[Vague Assumption]

I broke a two-drive raid 1 mirror that supported a web server.

I put the drive from position 2 into another server (another DL360G5) The server attempts to boot, but ends up giving me:

\windows\system32\winload.exe - selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt.

How can I fix this. It's going to cost a lot of hours to manually build a server I thought I could just clone.

I figure there's got to be a known fix for this.

[Diego Castelli]

I would do so:

re insert the disk into the original position in the original server.

let it replicate again, then (when you are sure) disconnect it again.

insert the disk in the same slot number in the destination server and boot.

it should be good.

HTH
Bye

[Vague Assumption]

Have you actually done this?

In my case, this would mean, would it not, booting the source server under Smart Start 8.25x64 and then re-creating the mirror? (I didn't just pull the drive, I broke the mirror in the ACU, as well.)

Perhaps I should leave the mirror on the originating server in a permanently 'broken' state?

[Diego Castelli]

yes, you should leave the mirror in "interim recovery mode" 'til everything's OK: so you can go back if something go wrong.

The drive location gave me some problems in the past. When i left it unchanged = no problems.

The Dest. controller will recognize a RAID 1 set with the other disk failed, if it is the only disk inserted.

When Everything's good, you can break the RAID, if you want. I suggest first to create a copy of the most important server, if you own another disk equal or greater:
Running a production server with no raid would be crazy.


Anyway:
Are you sure both servers are same model?
if not, at least the controller?

Same FW level?

if not you need first to parify those things, then you can clone with disks.

I tried this A LOT of times.
It NEVER worked for me with something different.


Don't forget to regenerate the SID after the clone is finished.
(NEWSID from sysinternals wil do the trick good)

HTH.

[Vague Assumption]

Well, it was certainly on its way to working, before the winload.exe problem cropped up.

I had the drive inserted in the target server in the position (the 'mirrored drive' position) from which it came, where I've seen another server come up successfully.

I thought I had the fix in hand when I ran the firmware update DVD. Ah ha! I thought, it's just the p400i firware isn't at the right level.

The controller's finding the volume, but not the folder. I was hoping there was a way I could fiddle with bcdedit and make it work.

I will reply when I have actually made a hard comparison of the firmware levels.