Trouble-shooting 5.3 - storage & RAID

Question 1

Partitions: NTFS vs FAT

Answer 1

NTFS partitions allow files to be configured with individual permissions
FAT partitions do not
While you can restore NTFS files on a FAT partition, the NTFS file permissions will be lost.

Question 2

Read/write failure

Answer 2

Damaged sectors on the hard drive / hard drive failure
Run the chkdsk command to scan for damaged sectors.
If the hard drive has completely failed = replace the drive & restore the data from backup.

Question 3

Slow performance

Answer 3

Caused by memory or hard drive. If you do not have enough memory = excessive paging. Add more memory.
If you think the hard drive itself is causing the performance issue, check the hard drive to see if it has sufficient free space. If it does not, you need to add more hard drives to your computer. If it has sufficient free space, the performance issue could be caused by fragmented files. Run the defrag utility

Question 4

Loud clicking noise

Answer 4

Occurs right before the hard drive dies.
- confirm that the noise is coming from the hard drive
- backup data first priority
- replace the hard drive & restore the data from the backup

Question 5

Failure to boot

Answer 5

Caused by many different issues
cannot locate the boot files = it cannot boot
- ensure that your BIOS is set to boot from the drive where the boot files reside
- check the BOOT.INI file to ensure that the partition information is entered correctly
- repair corrupted boot files (Recovery Console)
- check to make sure that the connections to your hard drive are still intact
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) errors = research the specific error for instructions

Question 6

Drive not recognized

Answer 6

Incorrect master/slave setting or the inability of the BIOS or operating system to recognize the drive
- make sure that the master/slave jumpers are configured appropriately
- Check the BIOS: are parameters configured appropriately?
- install the appropriate drivers for the operating system. This may require that you obtain the third-party drivers from the hard drive vendor. In legacy systems that do not support drives higher than 504 MB, you may need to implement logical bus addressing (LBA).

Question 7

OS not found

Answer 7

software issue where the boot sector cannot be located
Reboot the computer into the Recovery Console and repair the operating system.

Question 8

RAID not found

Answer 8

If hardware RAID is implemented in the computer, the problem is usually with the RAID controller. Check the controller & connectors and replace as necessary.
If software RAID is implemented, make sure that the BIOS is set to RAID
Test the individual RAID drives. If one of the drives has failed, replace it and restore the data

Question 9

RAID stops working

Answer 9

Caused by the failure of a single hard drive in the RAID array
determine which hard drive has failed and replace
If a RAID-1 or RAID-5 array, the array will continue to operate, but performance will be degraded until the failed hard drive is replaced.
Use the RAID setup program to set the RAID configuration back up.

Question 10

Proprietary crash screens (BSOD/pin wheel)

Answer 10

After you install a new hard drive or new drivers = suspect the hard drive as the cause.
- Remove the hard drive or roll back its driver
- only remove one hard drive or roll back one driver at a time to help determine the true cause
- other causes include bugs in applications, event processing issues, and virtual memory issues.

Question 11

S.M.A.R.T. errors

Answer 11

Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) = quick analysis of the hard drive for problems during system boot up.
It reports on hard drive:
read error rate
throughput performance
seek error rate.
S.M.A.R.T. = warnings prior to a complete drive failure so that the drive can be replaced

Question 12

Data loss/corruption

Answer 12

Hard drive corruption can occur from
a malware infection
damage from a sudden shutdown/power failure
ordinary wear
- can cause users to lose data
- ways to recover this data, providing that the hard drive is not damaged structurally
- examine the hard drive and attempt to repair damaged sectors
- can remove the malware and reboot the hard drive to repair functionality

Question 13

Input/output operations per second (IOPS)

Answer 13

could indicate imminent drive failure
- can be the result of either a logical or mechanical error from the device.
To fix these errors use data recovery software, reset the BIOS, and/or reinstall device drivers.

Question 14

Grinding noise

Answer 14

from system fans, the power supply, or the hard drives, because very few internal devices have moving parts. While a grinding noise is most often associated with a hard drive failure, it can also come from a broken fan. The noise usually means that the component is close to failure. The CPU and power supply rely on these fans prevent overheating, so you should replace the part immediately