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Windows Server 2003 : Recovering from System Failure (part 2) - Recovery Console

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2/29/2012 4:11:16 PM

Recovery Console

The Recovery Console is a text-mode command interpreter that allows you to access to the hard disk of a computer running Windows Server 2003 for basic troubleshooting and system maintenance. It is particularly useful when the operating system cannot be started, as the Recovery Console can be used to run diagnostics, disable drivers and services, replace files, and perform other targeted recovery procedures.

Installing the Recovery Console

You can start the Recovery Console by booting with the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM and, when prompted, pressing R to choose the repair and recover option. However, when a system is down you will typically want to recover the system as quickly as possible, and you may not want to waste time hunting down a copy of the CD-ROM or waiting for the laboriously long restart process. Therefore, it is recommended to proactively install the Recovery Console.

To install the Recovery Console, insert the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM and type cd-drive:\i386\winnt32/cmdcons on the command line. The Setup Wizard will install the 8 MB console in a hidden folder called Cmdcons, and will modify the boot.ini file to provide the Recovery Console as a startup option during the boot process.

Removing the Recovery Console

If you ever decide to remove the Recovery Console, you must delete files and folders that are “super hidden.” From Windows Explorer, choose the Folder Options command from the Tools menu. Click the View tab, select Show Hidden Files and Folders, clear Hide Protected Operating System Files, click OK and, if you are prompted with a warning about displaying protected system files, click Yes.

Then, delete the Cmdcons folder and the Cmldr file, each of which are located in the root of the system drive. You must next remove the Recovery Console startup option from Boot.ini. Open System from Control Panel, click the Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Startup And Recovery frame, then, in the Startup And Recovery dialog box, under System startup, select Edit. Boot.ini will display in Notepad. Remove the entry for the Recovery Console, which will look something like this:

c:\cmdcons\bootsect.dat="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons

Save the file and close Boot.ini.

Using the Recovery Console

After you have installed the Recovery Console, you can boot the system and select Microsoft Windows Recovery Console from the startup menu. If the console was not installed or cannot be launched successfully, you can restart using the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM and, at the Welcome To Setup screen, press R to select Repair. The loading takes significantly longer from the CD-ROM, but the resulting Recovery Console is identical to that installed on the local system.

Once the Recovery Console has started, as shown in Figure 3, you will be prompted to select the installation of Windows to which you wish to log on. You will then be asked to enter the Administrator password. You must use the password assigned to the local Administrator account, which, on a domain controller, is the password configured on the Directory Services Restore Mode Password page of the Active Directory Installation Wizard.

Figure 3. The Recovery Console


You can type help at the console prompt to list the commands available in the Recovery Console, and help command name for information about a specific command. Most are familiar commands from the standard command-line environment. Several of the commands deserve particular attention:

  • Listsvc Displays the services and drivers that are listed in the registry as well as their startup settings. This is a useful way to discover the short name for a service or driver before using the Enable and Disable commands.

  • Enable/Disable Controls the startup status of a service or driver. If a service or driver is preventing the operating system from starting successfully, use the Recovery Console’s Disable command to disable the component, then restart the system and repair or uninstall the component.

  • Diskpart Provides the opportunity to create and delete partitions using an interface similar to that of the text-based portion of Setup. You can then use the Format command to configure a file system for a partition.

  • Bootcfg Enables you to manage the startup menu.

The Recovery Console has several limitations imposed for security purposes. These limitations can be modified using a combination of policies (located in the Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local Policies, Security Options node of the Local Computer Policy console) and Recovery Console environment variables.

  • Directory access You can only view files in the root directory, in %Windir% and in the \Cmdcons folder. Disable this limitation by setting the policy Allow Floppy Copy And Access To All Drives And All Folders, and using the command set AllowAllPaths = true. Be sure to include the space on either side of the equal sign when typing the set command.

  • File copy You can only copy files to the local hard disk, not from it. Use the policy mentioned above and the command set AllowRemovableMedia = true. Be sure to include the space on either side of the equal sign when typing the set command.

  • Wild cards You cannot use wildcards such as the asterisk to delete files. Implement the policy mentioned above then, in the Recovery Console, type the command set AllowWildCards = true. Be sure to include the space on either side of the equal sign when typing the set command.

Practice: Recovering from System Failure

In this practice, you will back up the System State and create an Automated System Recovery Set. You will also install and use the Recovery Console to troubleshoot driver or service failures. Finally, if you have access to a second physical disk drive, you will be able to perform Automated System Recovery to restore a failed server.

Exercise 1: Back Up the System State
1.
Log on to Server01 as Administrator.

2.
Open the Backup Utility.

3.
If the Backup And Restore Wizard appears, click Advanced Mode.

4.
Click the Backup tab and select the check box next to System State. Also click the System State label so that you can see the components of the System State listed in the other pane of the dialog box.

5.
Type a file name for the backup file, such as C:\SystemState.bkf.

6.
Start the backup.

7.
When the backup is complete, examine the file size of the System State backup file. How big is the file?

Exercise 2: Create an ASR Set

This exercise requires a blank floppy disk and approximately 1.5 GB of free disk space. If you have a second physical disk in Server01, direct the backup to that disk so that you can perform an Automated System Recovery in Exercise 4.

1.
Open the Backup Utility. If the Backup And Restore Wizard appears, click Advanced Mode.

2.
Click Automated System Recovery Wizard, or choose ASR Wizard from the Tools menu.

3.
Follow the prompts. Back up to a file called ASRBackup.bkf on the C drive or, if you have a second physical disk, on that volume.

4.
When the backup is complete, examine the file size of ASRBackup.bkf. How big is it? How does its size compare to that of the System State backup?

Exercise 3: Installing and Using the Recovery Console
1.
Insert the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM.

2.
Click Start, Run, and then type the following command in the Open box:

										D:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons

where D: is the drive letter for your CD-ROM. The Recovery Console will be installed on the local hard disk.

3.
To simulate a service in need of troubleshooting, open the Services console from Administrative Tools. Locate the Messenger service. Double-click the service and choose Automatic as the Startup Type.

4.
Restart the server.

5.
When the server presents the startup boot menu, select Microsoft Windows Recovery Console.

6.
When prompted, type 1 to select the installation of Windows Server 2003.

7.
Type the password for the local Administrator account.

8.
When the Recovery Console prompt appears (by default, C:\Windows>), type help to display a list of commands.

9.
Type listsvc to display a list of services and drivers. Note that the short name of many services is not the same as the long name. However, the short name of the Messenger service is also Messenger. Confirm that its startup is set to Automatic.

10.
Type disable messenger to disable the service. The output of the command indicates the success of the command and the original startup configuration for the service (in this case, SERVICE_AUTO_START). You should always make note of this setting, so that once troubleshooting has been completed you can return the service to its original state.

11.
To quit the Recovery Console, type exit and press Enter.

Exercise 4: Restoring a System Using Automated System Recovery

Warning

This exercise requires a second physical disk on which an ASR backup has been created in Lesson 2. This exercise will delete all data on the physical disk that contains the system and boot partition. Do not proceed if you have stored any data that you cannot afford to lose.


1.
Power off your computer.

2.
Restart the computer and open the computer’s BIOS. Make sure the system is configured to start from the CD-ROM.

3.
Insert the Windows Server 2003 installation CD-ROM.

4.
Restart Server01. Watch carefully and, when prompted, press a key to start from the CD-ROM.

5.
Early in the text-mode setup phase, setup prompts you to press F2 to run an Automatic System Recovery. Press F2.

6.
You will then be prompted to insert the Windows Automated System Recovery disk into the floppy drive. Insert the floppy disk you created in Exercise 2 and press any key to continue.

7.
Text-mode setup prepares for Automated System Recovery and a minimal version of the operating system is loaded. This step will take some time to complete.

8.
Eventually, a Windows Server 2003 Setup screen will appear.

9.
Windows Server 2003 Setup, partitions and formats the disk, copies files, initializes the Windows configuration and then prepares to restart.

10.
Remove the floppy disk from the disk drive and allow the computer to restart.

The installation will continue. When the installation completes, the computer should be restored to its previous state.
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