Hi, I'm attempting to do a hardware migration from an IBM xSeries (with serveRAID 5i) to an HP ML350 G5 with Smart Array E200i, on an SBS 2003 SP2 operating system.

I'm using Server Edition 3.00.4004 (downloaded from ftp.storagecraft.com.au yesterday, and activated). Backup is taken from the installed wizard running under SBS2003, and Restore is being done using the Recovery Environment (legacy).

Restore seems to go fine (a log is attached). When completed I can use the File Browser to view the Restored Boot Volume - all files appear to be present. However, when I close the Recovery Environment and Boot to the Restored Partition I get "Error loading operating system".

When reloading the Recovery Environment, the Restored Partition is empty (no files) and the File System type is unrecognized. Same restore to an IDE drive (on different hardware seems OK - the files and volume are present after the reboot; but I haven't tried booting to the recovered volume yet).

I get similar results from the Recovery Environment (Recommended) - i.e. Error loading O/S 

The Restore Log file reads

27-Sep-2007 05:09:19 sptask 110 worker thread has started
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sptask 111 sbrun -mdn ( sbfile -r \\?\D:\C_VOL-b002.spf : sbcrypt : sbrest \\?\Volume{4e0447b7-6cf1-11dc-85c4-806e6f6e6963} )
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 (loader) 112 corelogic version: 1.0.0.198
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbfile 101 successfully opened file \\?\D:\C_VOL-b002.spf
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbcrypt 109 filter started
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 101 successfully opened volume \\?\Volume{4e0447b7-6cf1-11dc-85c4-806e6f6e6963}
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbcrypt 107 image compression mode: 5
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbcrypt 107 image encryption mode: 0
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 109 image created at 25-Sep-2007 19:17:44 GMT+12:00
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 109 imaged volume had 20978559 sectors, 512 bytes each
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 109 image GUID {F63C4953-7463-4E15-9983-81C98CC38D1E}
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 109 image has no comment
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 109 original disk C/H/S = 8959/254/63 partition #1
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 109 image created on:
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 109  - OS version 5.02 build 3790 Service Pack 2
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 109  - machine GEM01 (10.0.0.2) MAC 00:09:6B:A5:6E:9F
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 109  - corelogic version 1.0.0.198
27-Sep-2007 05:09:20 sbrest 107 partition type for a target: 7
27-Sep-2007 05:25:23 sbfile 109 reader finished
27-Sep-2007 05:25:23 sbfile 109 fini done
27-Sep-2007 05:25:24 sbcrypt 109 tail started
27-Sep-2007 05:25:24 sbcrypt 109 fini done
27-Sep-2007 05:25:24 sbrest 109 data CRC is OK
27-Sep-2007 05:25:24 sbrest 200 OK \\?\Volume{4e0447b7-6cf1-11dc-85c4-806e6f6e6963}
27-Sep-2007 05:25:24 sbrest 112 extended the volume to the full size of 10243MB
27-Sep-2007 05:25:24 sbrest 109 fini done
27-Sep-2007 05:25:24 sptask 114 Process finished successfully
27-Sep-2007 12:25:24 sptask 200 MBR boot code of the disk <HP      LOGICAL VOLUME  > restored
27-Sep-2007 12:25:24 sptask 200 Signature of the disk <HP      LOGICAL VOLUME  > restored
27-Sep-2007 12:25:25 sptask 200 First track of the disk <HP      LOGICAL VOLUME  > restored
27-Sep-2007 12:25:26 sptask 404 bcdedit.exe was not found
27-Sep-2007 12:25:26 sptask 109 Boot.ini is valid, no patching is required
27-Sep-2007 12:25:26 sptask 109 HIR Configuration Starting
27-Sep-2007 12:25:26 sptask 109 HIR Configuration Status: Starting HIR Configuration...
27-Sep-2007 12:25:32 sptask 109 HIR Configuration Status: Searching for Devices...
27-Sep-2007 12:25:32 sptask 109 HIR Configuration Status: Searching for Device Drivers...
27-Sep-2007 12:25:54 sptask 109 HIR Configuration Status: Installing Device Drivers...
27-Sep-2007 12:26:25 sptask 109 HIR Configuration Status: Finishing HIR Process...
27-Sep-2007 12:26:27 sptask 109 HIR Configuration Status: Finished
27-Sep-2007 12:26:27 sptask 200 HIR Configuration Completed

Happy to provide more details/info if required.

Thanks for any help ...

 The "Error loading operating system" error means that there is a problem with the MBR, boot loader, or boot.ini file, or that the partition is not set as an active partition.

 When restoring, did you check the box to mark the partition active?

If you forgot to do this, you can do this at any time in the Disk Map tab in the recovery environment.

 You can also edit the boot.ini (or open it to make sure it's good) by right-clicking on the partition which contains it within the Disk Map tab.

If you want to lay down a plain-vanilla Windows Server 2003 MBR then you can do this by booting the SBS2003 Install CD and specify that you want to run the recovery console and then run then "fixboot C:" and "fixmbr"
 

When I did the restore (I've just run another to make sure of the details), the Mark Partition active box was greyed out; but on the disk map the partition is marked as Act, Pri.

I also ticked the Restore MBR and Restore MBR from image file, as well as  Restore Disk Signature and Restore Disk Hidden Track. Will try other restores without these settings.

After the restore completed, I checked the Boot.ini - it looks good

 [boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows Server 2003 for Small Business Server" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptOut

After the reboot, (which failed again), I booted from an SBS2003 Install CD, and ran the recovery console.

Fixboot C: reported that the filesystem on the startup partition was unknown (attempted to detect) and that the boot sector was corrput. A new boot sector was succesfully written.

Fixbmr wrote a new master boot record to \Device\Harddisk0\Partition0

Reboot after that started loading Windows! Now I'm at the Found New Hardware wizard...

Thanks for your help. :-)

Is common to many imaging softwares that after a restore you have to run the recovery console and perform fixboot and fixmbr.

I don't know the reason but is a fact !

 Thanks. In my case, both source and target disks/partitions were Basic.

 Can now report that SBS Server now fully operational on new hardware. Once the drivers for the new hardware were installed, SBS 2003 License and CALs had to be transferred. Once that process was complete, and after a couple of reboots - all now good.

Thanks to the group for your help & comments.