My server was running out of storage, so I decided to upgrade one of my drives. I followed the directions and turned off the array, removed the drive from the list, powered down and then replaced the drive. Turned the computer back up but I forgot to give power to one of the parity drives(I use 2). I turned it back off, plugged the parity drive back in and now, for the last few hours, have been unable to boot back into unraid. It's been a bunch of baffling errors:

 

black screen with a cursor that never progresses

the unraid menu screen gets stuck at the second command

boots straight to BiOS

frozen on the splash screen

 

There is just no consistency to the errors. Did the motherboard/cpu end up getting borked? I tried the unraid drive on my laptop and it booted straight into unraid. I'm at a loss as to what is going on.

check usb bios boot setting boot menu keys esc/f12 at boot see if unraids usb is listed...

 

It sounds like your server is encountering hardware or configuration issues after the changes. Since the USB boot drive works on your laptop but not on your server, the problem likely lies with your server's hardware or BIOS configuration. Here’s a step-by-step guide to diagnose and resolve the issue:

1. Verify Physical Connections

Check All Power and Data Connections:

Confirm all drives (including the parity drives) are properly connected to power and data cables.

Ensure the motherboard’s power cables and SATA/PCIe connectors are securely seated.

Disconnect Non-Essential Drives:

Temporarily disconnect all drives except the USB boot drive to rule out a faulty or conflicting drive.

Inspect Hardware:

Check for any signs of physical damage or loose components on the motherboard, CPU, or RAM.

 

2. Troubleshoot USB Boot

Test USB Boot Priority:

Enter the BIOS and ensure the USB drive is the first boot device.

Set the boot mode to Legacy if Unraid is not configured for UEFI.

Recreate Bootable USB:

Backup your current Unraid USB contents to another location.

Reformat the USB drive using the Unraid USB Creator tool.

Copy the backed-up config folder back to the USB drive to retain your settings.

Try Different USB Ports:

Use a USB 2.0 port instead of USB 3.0, as older motherboards can be picky about USB 3.0.

 

3. Reset BIOS Settings

Sometimes the BIOS can become corrupted or misconfigured during hardware changes.

Clear CMOS:

Power off the server and unplug it.

Locate the CMOS reset jumper on the motherboard (refer to the motherboard manual) or remove the CMOS battery for a few minutes.

Reinstall the battery and power on the server.

Reconfigure BIOS Settings:

Re-enable any required settings for Unraid:

Boot mode: Legacy or UEFI (depending on your setup).

SATA Mode: AHCI (not RAID).

Disable Fast Boot (if enabled).

 

4. Diagnose Boot Errors

If the issue persists, the errors you've described may provide clues:

Black Screen with Cursor:

This often indicates an issue with the bootloader or drive initialization.

Verify the USB drive's integrity by running a chkdsk or disk repair tool on another machine.

Stuck at Unraid Menu:

Select a different boot option in the Unraid menu (e.g., "GUI Mode" or "Safe Mode").

If Safe Mode works, a plugin or configuration in Unraid may be causing the issue.

Boots to BIOS:

Ensure the USB drive is detected as a bootable device in the BIOS.

Check if the motherboard's boot order was reset during hardware changes.

Frozen on Splash Screen:

Disconnect non-essential peripherals (e.g., extra drives, GPUs, or USB devices) to rule out conflicts.

Update the BIOS to the latest version if available.

 

5. Test Hardware

If the problem persists after addressing the above:

RAM:

Test the RAM using Memtest86, available in the Unraid boot menu.

Power Supply:

A failing PSU can cause inconsistent boot behavior. Test with a known-good PSU if possible.

Motherboard and CPU:

If possible, test the motherboard and CPU with another machine or consult with a technician.

 

6. Recovery Path

If you suspect the Unraid installation is corrupted despite it working on your laptop:

Recreate the USB boot drive as described earlier.

Restore the config folder to retain your array and settings.

Boot into Unraid and reassign drives as needed, ensuring no drives are overwritten.

 

Additional Notes

Drive Assignment Check: When you boot back into Unraid, verify all drives are correctly assigned. If the array is started with a missing or mismatched drive, you risk data loss.

Parity Sync: After getting Unraid to boot, you may need to perform a parity sync to ensure redundancy is intact.

the server may support uefi mode only or is old and doesn't support uefi boot mode

go to WebUI> Main > click flash
scroll to bottom and check or uncheck permit UEFI boot.

 

Edited November 21, 20241 yr by bmartino1
typo