After a reboot, I had a kernel panic, unable to mount root. I suspect my usb drive is bad, because when I try to check it with Windows it is locked. So I grabbed my backup off Unraid Connect. Its from November, but I think it should work. I make the new thumb drive and try it in my server, and the pc wont boot from it. I try it in another pc, it loads. I put the original back in the server, it will boot up and then stop at the kernal panic. 

I even tried making a brand new unraid thumbdrive and put that into the server, wont see it.
I'm lost.

Try with a different flash drive and/or that same flash drive but with a new stock install.

The original thumb drive is failing, and is write locked. So I cant do anything with that. I was able to back up the config directory, but cant copy the whole drive. I retrieved my backup from Unraid Connect, and put it on a new usb. The server wont boot from it. If I put the newly made backup drive into a spare test pc I have, it will boot right up, so I know the usb is good.

48 minutes ago, DrewT said:

I was able to back up the config directory

That's all you need, create a new stock install and restore the /config folder, you then just need to replace the key.

Just to be super clear here, what do you mean replace the key? I'm just trying to understand because I THINK did exactly that. I created a new install on a thumb drive, copied over the config. Put it in the server, and after it posts I just get a blinking cursor. If I turn it off, put the old drive back in, power up, it goes right back to the stopped part. 

If I take the newly created thumb drive and boot my laptop from it, it boots successfully. So I know the new drive is good. 
I tried different ports on the server, no difference. It seems like my pc only wants that drive. I reset the bios. No change. 
 

Quick thing to try.  Put the the thumb drive in your laptop running Windows.  Look for the directory in the root of the drive that begins with    EFI

 

Rename it to either       EFI-   or EFI   depending on its present name.  Now try and boot your Unraid server.  

Edited February 9, 20242 yr by Frank1940

I tried with both efi- and efi . No change. Thanks though!

Go to the BIOS during startup.  Look to set up the boot order so that the BIOS actually looks for your thumb drive and make it the first device that it tries to boot from.  Sorry but every BIOS is different so I can't give more specified instructions... 

You fixed it. That was the problem, when I changed the drive it changed the boot order! Deep inside like 3 menus I found which drive it was looking for first. AMAZING! I will mark this solved! 
THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!