
	Home > Windows Server Tips > Windows Hardware Strategies > Restored disk on Windows Server 2003 marked as hidden or read-only

Windows Server Tips:

EMAIL THIS

TIPS & NEWSLETTERS TOPICS

WINDOWS HARDWARE STRATEGIES

Restored disk on Windows Server 2003 marked as hidden or read-only

Rick Cook, Contributor
07.13.2006
Rating: --- (out of 5)

Digg This!

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

If you restore a disk on Windows Server 2003, you may discover that it has been marked as hidden or read-only, meaning you can't write or use the disk after you restart the computer.

According to Microsoft, what has happened is that the attribute flags on the disk have gotten reset. This can happen in either a low-level restore or a hardware disk swap.

The 'hidden' and 'read-only' attributes on Windows disks are controlled by flags saved on the disk as part of the configuration information. The flag values are cached when the disk is mounted. Until the system is restarted, it uses the cached flag values, which may not be the same as the values on the disk because of the restore or disk swap.

What makes this occurrence real

Digg This!

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT

	Microsoft Systems and Network Troubleshooting
	Troubleshooting poor Windows logon performance in Active Directory environments
	Immediate steps for Windows disaster recovery
	Quick hits: Troubleshooting service account failure, batch job execution
	Case Study: Troubleshooting Windows service dependency failures
	Troubleshooting common Windows service failures
	How can I boot to a floppy and receive a command prompt without being directed to the system drive?
	RRAS utility in Windows Server 2003 traces network problems
	How to ease troubleshooting: View running services in command line
	Use System Monitor to find bottlenecks in Windows Server 2003
	Utility recovers wireless network keys in Windows installation

Windows Data Recovery

Immediate steps for Windows disaster recovery

Developing a solid Windows Server 2008 backup and recovery strategy

Data Protection Manager 2007: Relief from branch office backup headaches

Exploring the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit: Confdisk.exe

Exploring the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit: Clusterrecovery.exe

When to use third-party tools in place of NTBACKUP

Can freezing a hard drive that's crashed restore it to life?

System recovery options for Microsoft Windows Vista

Move from PATA to SATA could complicate data recovery

Perform bare metal restore of Windows Server 2003 using NTBACKUP

Windows Hardware Strategies

Troubleshooting your toughest Windows server crashes

High-tech solutions for monitoring computer heat

Server virtualization at the hardware level with Hyper-V

Virtualization and 64-bit: A match made in Windows heaven

How to use the g4u network-based hard disk cloning utility

Multi-core processors on the desktop offer major boost

When and how to migrate to a 64-bit platform

64-bit Windows – help or hype?

How to install low-voltage wiring such as Ethernet or coax cable

Bluetooth card reader/USB hub reads files from offbeat media

RELATED RESOURCES

2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems

Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts

Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

ly mysterious is that when you use a utility such as Diskpart.exe to check the values of the flags, it returns the cached value, not necessarily what's on the disk.

To avoid the problem, Microsoft recommends that you reset any component to zero which does a restore involving either swapping disks or the on-disk data that contains the attributes after the restore is finished.

Microsoft also recommends resetting the following flags to 0 to make sure the on-disk and cached values are consistent:

Microsoft discusses this issue in a Knowledgebase article.

About the author: Rick Cook specializes in writing about issues related to storage and storage management.

More information from SearchWinSystems.com

Rate this Tip

To rate tips, you must be a member of SearchWindowsServer.com.
Register now to start rating these tips. Log in if you are already a member.

DISCLAIMER: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.

Server Room Design - Planning, Cooling, Maintenance

SEARCH

TechTarget provides technology professionals with the information they need to perform their jobs - from developing strategy, to making cost-effective purchase decisions and managing their organizations' technology projects - with its network of technology-specific websites, events and online magazines.


TechTarget Corporate Web Site \| Media Kits \| Site Map All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2004 - 2009, TechTarget \| Read our Privacy Policy