Scandisk f***ing up IIS in Windows Server 2003

[Zucarita9000]

This is really annoying. When the server is rebooted, Scandisk starts up before loading Windows, and it detects some errors in some files wich are vital to IIS (such as the metabase, etc.). It corrects those errors, but IIS stops working (talk about correcting errors!).

Our CRM software (Microsoft CRM) runs on IIS, and obviously it stops working too. I can't fix IIS, every single KB article says that I should re-install IIS and then re-install MS CRM. This really blows, as the consulting firm that actually deployed the damn thing has to it (I don't know how).

If I stop Scandisk from running, everything keeps working just fine. However, sometimes the power goes out and the UPS hardware shuts down the server when the battery drains and starts it up when the it charges. This is completely automated, and there's noone to stop Scandisk, so... everytime the server reboots, IIS gets completely ****** up. This has happend twice in the last 6 weeks.

Is there any way I can disable ScanDisk?

 

[nweaver]

fix the root problems:

Your UPS SHOULD shut down your server cleanly.

If scandisk is having issues every reboot, perhaps you are having drive issues. Maybe an intensive disk scan (sector checks) prior to fixing the issue would help this time.

 

[Zucarita9000]

The ups IS shutting down the server correctly. It does not make any difference whether the ups shuts the server down or if I do it myself. Scandisk runs everytime.

I cannot run scan disk prior to reboot, as Windows needs some sort of special access to the drive that it cannot get when Windows is running.

 

[JDMnAR1]

nweaver is right - if Windows is running Scandisk on every boot, then there is an underlying problem, most likely either with your drives or your controllers. Is all your drive space local, or do you have some SAN (or otherwise networked) drives?

 

[Zucarita9000]

It's all local. But how can I run ScanDisk before rebooting the server? How come everything stops working after the supposed problems are fixed??

 

[Nothinman]

It's all local. But how can I run ScanDisk before rebooting the server? How come everything stops working after the supposed problems are fixed??

The filesystem problems are fixed, how that affects the files themselves depends on the problem chkdsk had to recover from. chkdsk knows nothing about IIS, it only knows what it has to do in order to get the filesystem back to a consistent state and if that breaks IIS that's a side effect that it can't know about it.

And yes if chkdsk is running on every clean reboot then you have a hardware problem, usually a disk dying but it could also be a controller or cable. If the box only runs IIS it's possible that's the reason that you're noticing it as the only affected component.

 

[Genx87]

Check your event viewer logs in the system for disk errors. Check your application log for any errors.

There is a reason your server is running scandisk during each reboot. That reason is usually not good.

btw I found MicrosoftCRM to be kind of crappy with high maintenance costs. We spent as much on consulting charges for fixes, licensing, and changes as we do for Salesforce. And Salesforce is much easier to access and maintain.

 

[Zucarita9000]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

It's all local. But how can I run ScanDisk before rebooting the server? How come everything stops working after the supposed problems are fixed??

The filesystem problems are fixed, how that affects the files themselves depends on the problem chkdsk had to recover from. chkdsk knows nothing about IIS, it only knows what it has to do in order to get the filesystem back to a consistent state and if that breaks IIS that's a side effect that it can't know about it.

And yes if chkdsk is running on every clean reboot then you have a hardware problem, usually a disk dying but it could also be a controller or cable. If the box only runs IIS it's possible that's the reason that you're noticing it as the only affected component.

Ok. I do have some spare hard drives for the server and I image the drives daily. If I replaced the hard drive and restore a disk image, I'll have a working server with a new drive in less than 30 minutes. Would that fix the problem?

 

[Zucarita9000]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Check your event viewer logs in the system for disk errors. Check your application log for any errors.

There is a reason your server is running scandisk during each reboot. That reason is usually not good.

btw I found MicrosoftCRM to be kind of crappy with high maintenance costs. We spent as much on consulting charges for fixes, licensing, and changes as we do for Salesforce. And Salesforce is much easier to access and maintain.

Argh, don't eve get me started on MS CRM. That piece of crap is so hard to customize and use.

 

[Nothinman]

Ok. I do have some spare hard drives for the server and I image the drives daily. If I replaced the hard drive and restore a disk image, I'll have a working server with a new drive in less than 30 minutes. Would that fix the problem?

If the drive is the problem, yes, if it's not, no.

 

[RebateMonger]

I've NEVER seen Scandisk run on a Server 2003. All of my Servers are rebooted at least monthly for patches.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: Genx87
btw I found MicrosoftCRM to be kind of crappy with high maintenance costs. We spent as much on consulting charges for fixes, licensing, and changes as we do for Salesforce. And Salesforce is much easier to access and maintain.

Which version of CRM? There are huge differences in typical setup and customization costs between 1.x and 3.0.