Windows x64 eval. period suddently over...

[jrgeoffrion]

I really need help and I'll try to mke this as straightforward as possible.

I built a PC running x64 (AMD 4800+) with two drives in RAID 0 (stripped) and it has been working perfectly since January 21st.

Because I'm typically unlucky, I thought I should run RAID 0+1 in case one of my drive fails. So I added two new identical drives (drives are WD 320Gb/16Mb cache SATA II and mobo is ASUS A8N SLI Premium) and connected them to the mobo. Up to know, all is good. I format them, still good.

I go into the BIOS to enable the NVIDIA RAID on port 3 and 4... Here is the mistake: I change a few other settings also (I know, that was stupid)... Of course, when I reboot, the computer hangs because of the BIOS changes. So I pop the mobo battery out and switch the jumpers to reset the BIOS. Go back to the BIOS and reconfigure it to work. I htink I forgot to change the date, but I'm not too sure.

The computer now boots and get up to the Windows x64 login prompt. However, it suddently stops and I get the following error message:

"The evaluation period for this copy of Windows has ended. Windows cannot start. To continue using Windows, please purchase and install a retail copy of the product."

The evaluation is supposed to be for 180 days and it worked fine minutes before resetting the BIOS. I need to have access to the RAID 0 stripped drives to backup the files before moving to my RAID 0+1 configurations.

Can someone help me solving what appears to be a "bug" or "windows defense mechanism"? I already tried resetting the BIOS again, but that didn't help.

Thanks in advance and if you are missing any information to help me, just ask and I'll be happy to provide since I really need to get the system back up and running.

JR

 

[RebateMonger]

In XP, if you accidentally set the BIOS for some old date (1-1-80), and then change the date to today (3-26-06), XP will think that you've been using it for 26 years. - Even if you just installed XP yesterday, on 3-25-06.

I played with this stuff when XP was first released, and found it's VERY unforgiving of system date changes. ANY advances in the date are added to the total.

 

[jrgeoffrion]

Do you know if there is a solution to get "back in"? I'm stuck at the moment...

 

[RebateMonger]

Dunno.

A "safe" way might be to install Windows on another (bare) drive in the same PC. You don't have to activate it, since it's temporary.
Then load the RAID drivers into that version of Windows.
Then install the RAID 0 array drives and copy the data somewhere else.

Hopefully, there are other solutions.

I use RAID arrays (RAID 1 and RAID 5) all the time, but I wouldn't trust them for irreplaceable data. As always, you need to keep backups.

 

[jrgeoffrion]

ok, I've installed x64 on one of the "extra" two drives. As such, I can now booth from that drive. That's a first step. I connect the two RAID 0 drives but they are not "recognized". So I took ASUS NVIDIA Chipset MakeDisk v6.65 and made a floppy (hoping this is the RAID driver I need -- I'm pretty sure it is) from my laptop. When I put the floppy in the x64 machine and double click on nvuide.exe, it says:

NVIDIA Unistall
nvuide.exe version 1.0.1.37
Available Commands are:
EnumDevices
UnnistallGUI
UnifyUninstal...

Do I have the right driver? How do I get it on the x64 machine to "see" the RAID 0 drivers (which I can't connect before booting since they are boot drives and "over ride" the new drive.

JR

 

[jrgeoffrion]

I'm almost there... If both the RAID 0 and "new" drive are plugged in when booting, Windows always selects the RAID 0 as the "default" OS (hence I get the same problem with the expiry date).

Is there a way to tell Windows from which of the two instances to booth?

 

[RebateMonger]

That seems like a BIOS settings issue. I doubt it's Windows telling the system where to boot. If Windows was installed on a single-drive system, with no other Operating System, it won't point elsewhere for the boot. Windows does use a file, the boot.ini file, that points to the various operating systems and helps decide where to boot from.

Usually you can tell the BIOS, "HEY! This is my boot disk. Use it!". I've done that with multiple IDE drives on non-RAID Intel-chipset motherboards.

I'd expect to see the RAID array as a "Drive" that could be set lower down in the boot priority than a non-RAID drive. But I have no idea how it's handled on NVidia-chipset boards. Sorry.

Note: It'd seem like you (maybe) could disable the Windows RAID driver in your working (non-RAID) system, boot from that, and then re-enable the RAID driver after you've gotten into Windows. This would force the system to boot from the non-RAID drive into Windows, and then allow Windows to see the RAID drive afterwards. Without a RAID driver, there's NO WAY that Windows is going to boot from the RAID array. The only problem would come if Windows has to re-start in order to utilize the RAID driver. It may.

Another thought is to load the RAID drivers as part of a CD-based BARTPE environment. This would allow you to boot from CD, but you'd also have RAID drivers loaded so BARTPE could see the RAID array. Again, I'm speculating here. I haven't played with RAID drivers in BART, and don't even know if it can be done.

Hopefully, you'll get somebody here that knows the NVidia RAID chipset.....

 

[jrgeoffrion]

Would anyone know if there is a way to "repair" the Windows installation with the "corrupted expiry date"? Even if it requires installing a retail version?

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: jrgeoffrion
Would anyone know if there is a way to "repair" the Windows installation with the "corrupted expiry date"? Even if it requires installing a retail version?

UseNet discussion of what to do when X64 Windows XP expires:

"So you have been using the Trial RTM version of Windows XP Professional x64
for a few months now, you like it and decide to continue using it, but you
realize, its a trial that will eventually expire, so you will need the Full
OEM version.

You purchased the Full OEM version, your trial has not expired, all you do
is, put in the disk, and choose upgrade and you are done. One thing though,
you will have to reapply all Windows Updates sinces receiving the trial
since the RTM OEM Full version only has updates it was shipped with.

If its a case where your trial has expired and you don't want to format and
lose all that data, boot off the Full OEM RTM Windows XP Professional disk,
it will launch into setup, accept the F8 License agreement, you will have
option to do a Repair upgrade, select this and you are home free, again, you
will have reapply all Windows Update, since its kind of a Clean Upgrade that
saves all your files and personal settings."

Another discussion that says the same thing....do a "Repair Installation" with the full OEM CD.

This is typical of how Microsoft's Trial Versions are upgraded to full versions....via a "Repair Install" using a full-version CD and a new Key.

Microsoft says "Windows XP Professional x64 Edition trial software expires 120 days after activation. After this period, you will need to purchase a license through an authorized system builder, then reinstall the software using the new license."

 

[jrgeoffrion]

T-H-A-N-K-S!!!!