Change of M/B due to fault under Win2k3

[jaclaz]

A search revealed too

http://kb.acronis.com/content/8814

The easiest workaround is to reboot the machine several times to make Windows initialize all the necessary devices including USB mouse and keyboard.

What do the good Acronis guys suggest, pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL on the non functional keyboard?

Or are they assuming that everything is compliant with initiating a proper shutdown when the power button is pressed.

(I don't think that actually powering down the system would do )

jaclaz

[g8dhe]

Ah great they look like very useful links, thanks very much ! The Acronis one especially, will have to sit down and have a good read.

The Shift-F10 also worked whilst I was doing the clean install below, so that may come in handy as well at some point!

Good news, a clean install of W2k3 has worked so it seems like I have a path forward at least, if I am unable to get the USB functions working under a Repair I can at least fall-back to a complete reinstall of the OS if necessary. But if any of the above sort the problem even better

Yes, the old M/B used PS2 for the Kbd and Mouse, so at the moment it seems like the "Repair" option may not be repairing sufficient things, but the links above might be the cure. Another route might be to put the old M/B back in (providing the H/W fault on the SATA ports gets no worse) and install a USB Kbd/Mouse there and then repeat, that way it may not require to be "repaired" as such under the new M/B, merely the storage elements which seem to work.

Right back to the Keyboard and do some more reading and tweaking it seems

Thanks for the help so far ... I'll be back .....

[g8dhe]

Or are they assuming that everything is compliant with initiating a proper shutdown when the power button is pressed.

(I don't think that actually powering down the system would do )

Doesn't the hardware hive get updated in real-time, as it installs new H/W, rather than at close-down ? I didn't think any of the registry waited for close-down to save settings, but its not something I have ever tested out I must admit !

[cdob]

What do the good Acronis guys suggest, pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL on the non functional keyboard?

Actually it's insane. A commercial software called Universal Restore dosn't support basic functions. They should be ashamed.

Strange world: http://kb.acronis.com/content/8814

USB_batch.bat will execute a special DEVCON utility from Microsoft to enable and initialize all USB devices.

Acronis does distribute a MS KB311272 devcon.exe

USB_batch.bat

c:\devcon.exe enable =usb 2>c:\logUSB.log

Technically a nice approach.

But why a fixed letter c: at a univeral restore? There may be no c: at all.

Or are they assuming that everything is compliant with initiating a proper shutdown when the power button is pressed.

(I don't think that actually powering down the system would do )

At a similar ACPI machine shutdown may work.

Or drink one or more cup of tea, actually power down the system next. Registry should be saved then.

To enable KB938596 settings, boot a PE and run a batch against offline windows

suppress_PNP_UI_messages.cmd c:\windows

c:\windows is a example, adjust to your configuration.

suppress_PNP_UI_messages.cmd

@echo off
pushd %~dp0

rem suppress_PNP_UI_messages.cmd v0.01
rem created by cdob

echo suppress Plug and Play-related UI messages
echo http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938596/
echo.

set SysRoot=\Windows
if not %1.==. set SysRoot=%1

if not exist "%SysRoot%\system32\config\system" set /P SysRoot=Path to your SystemRoot folder on usb drive (e:\Windows\SysRoot): 
if not exist "%SysRoot%\system32\config\system" (echo Error: target not found &pause &popd &goto :eof)


rem Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP 64 bit
copy "%SysRoot%\system32\config\system" "%SysRoot%\system32\config\system_%random%.sav"
reg.exe load HKLM\loaded_SYSTEM "%SysRoot%\system32\config\system"

rem detect Clone control CurrentControlSet
for /f "tokens=3" %%a in ('reg.exe query "HKLM\loaded_SYSTEM\Select" /v "Default"') do set /a ControlSet=%%a
set ControlSet=00000%ControlSet%
set ControlSetNNN=ControlSet%ControlSet:~-3%
echo. &echo ControlSet "%ControlSetNNN%" used.
set Services=HKLM\loaded_SYSTEM\%ControlSetNNN%\Services

reg.exe add "%Services%\PlugPlay\Parameters" /f /t REG_DWORD /v "SuppressUI" /d 1

reg.exe unload HKLM\loaded_SYSTEM


rem Windows XP 32 bit versions
copy "%SysRoot%\system32\config\software" "%SysRoot%\system32\config\software_%random%.sav"
reg.exe load HKLM\loaded_SOFTWARE "%SysRoot%\system32\config\software"
set Software=HKLM\loaded_SOFTWARE

reg.exe add "%Software%\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceInstall\Settings" /f /t REG_DWORD /v "SuppressNewHWUI" /d 1

reg.exe unload HKLM\loaded_SOFTWARE

[jaclaz]

Actually it's insane. A commercial software called Universal Restore dosn't support basic functions. They should be ashamed.

Yep .

Acronis does distribute a MS KB311272 devcon.exe

I personally tend to think that this is actually "kosher":

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=24100&st=38

Or drink one or more cup of tea, actually power down the system next. Registry should be saved then.

Would coffee be OK as well?

I have some problems with my Nutrimatic machine:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_in_The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#Nutrimatic_Drinks_Dispenser

it is still delivering something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_entirely_unlike#Not_entirely_unlike

Seriously, at least the few actual server hardware I had occasion to deal with (mainly HP's and Dell's - and admittedly OLDish models) had a rather complex way to forcibly power off and to re-power on. It doesn't sound to me like "good advice" )in the sense of "practical", I mean it may work , but it also may take ages/several attempts, with the risk, of powering down too early and create a mess .

NIce little batch, BTW.

jaclaz

[g8dhe]

Right well we have eventually got there, thank goodness!

First many thanks for some of the pointers especially cdob's link to http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=22092

after digging my way thru the many code boxes for the registry details, and comparing to what I had in the clean install, and finally remembering to copy across the relevant files to the driver's folder it all fired up

Some other minor hitch's but the system is currently back up and running and just gathering the updates needed to bring it right back up to date !

The main problem seems to be that the "Repair" mode really only does the job for deleted or corrupted existing files, and despite MS, assurances that it would also handle M/B changes, it can only deal with certain aspects, and the one it really can't handle is USB changes, they don't seem to have figured in the Win2k3 repair process!

Having the OS on a RAID 1 mirror has however been a godsend as it meant I could hold back one half of the pair until all is working as an additional backup just in case anything nasty happened! As it was nothing did, but it gives that confidence that you have a working copy as well as a full back up on another machine so it gives the confidence to play on one half knowing that the other half and a seperate backup exist if it all went pear shaped

Once again many thanks to those who offered assistance and support, hope to return the assistance myself in the future!

[jaclaz]

Good news.

Unfortunately (as it always happen in these cases) one has to throw to the stoopid thingy everything AND the kitchen sink, so it is difficult to later understand which exact step/change(s) were "needed" and "vital" and which one(s) were unneeded/redundant....

jaclaz