Original Computer Dead

[jcinwentz]

I created a small trial server as a proof of concept to make sure I understood how Unraid worked.  Loved it, of course, and bought my PRO license.  So the other day we had a thunderstorm and somehow that computer got fried (yes, it had a surge protector).  Have tried fixing the computer but no luck so I've given up and tried moving the hard drives to a new computer.  Unraid starts to boot, I get to select the GUI interface, the usual linty of text lines scroll up the screen as the OS loads, then the screen goes blank and the USB stick pulses.

 

Now, there was nothing on that server that I need.  it just had copies of files on it so I could exercise the system and ensure it was working OK. 

 

How can I use the existing key I have and simply start a new array?

[trurl]

Sounds like a hardware problem, or possibly a problem with Flash. You should be able to just boot up with the disks and the key should work with the new system.

 

Put Flash in PC and let it checkdisk. While there make a backup.

 

If it still doesn't work, prepare Flash as new install and copy config folder from your backup. 

[jcinwentz]

OH, that would be great but hadn't gotten to the part where I backup the key.

 

The key boots up and I can specify that I want the GUI interface but I've moved most of the hard drives from internal bays to an external bay connected by USB.  Not the fastest thing but again, I'm just trying to get something up and running right now.

 

Is there a button I can push to just tell UNRAID when it boots to bring up a clean system and just ignore the hard drives?

 

[trurl]

Don't even try to use them with USB.

 

It is a little unclear. Does the flash drive still work?

[jcinwentz]

Seems to be, the computer boots up and takes me to the screen where you can specify to bring up unraid in command mode or GUI and after specifying it runs maybe 5-10 seconds while it's reading the usb and loading things into memory.  Then screen goes black and the flash drive's LED pulses.

 

[jcinwentz]

Interesting, I downloaded a test key.  Does the same thing. 

[itimpi]

It might be worth booting in non-GUI mode.   Some hardware/bios/Linux kernel configurations seem to only boot in GUI mode and others only in non-GUI mode.    The reason has never been identified (which is why it has not been fixed).  
 

Most users run UnRAID headlessly administering UnRAID via the network so that for such users it is not an inconvenience to just set the default boot mode to be the one that works.   I also have not seen any indication that this affects whether the GPU can be passed through at the hardware level to a VM.

[trurl]

13 hours ago, trurl said:

Put Flash in PC and let it checkdisk. While there make a backup.

 

If it still doesn't work, prepare Flash as new install and copy config folder from your backup. 

12 hours ago, jcinwentz said:

OH, that would be great but hadn't gotten to the part where I backup the key.

Do you mean you were unable to make a backup of your flash drive when you put it in your PC? Or what do you mean? I have a feeling that your use of the word "key" and my understanding of the word "key" in this context may be different.

 

12 hours ago, trurl said:

Does the flash drive still work?

10 hours ago, jcinwentz said:

Seems to be

9 hours ago, jcinwentz said:

Interesting, I downloaded a test key.  Does the same thing. 

What do you mean by a "test key"? Do you mean you tried a different flash drive? Or do you mean you tried to get a different REGISTRATION KEY for a new flash drive? Or do you mean you downloaded a new installation and put it on the same flash drive? Or what?

[jcinwentz]

Went back to UNRAID and downloaded a "test key", one that works 30 days.  Put it on a usb flash drive using unraid's tool and inserted it in the pc.  did the same thing, light on the flash drive is pulsating bright-dim-bright-dim over and over. I get to the point where I tell it to bring up a GUII interface but never gets to the point where I can log in as "root" and I'm never getting to a point where I get an interface, just a blank screen.  

 

Interestingly if I press the power button on the pc to turn it off, it appears that unraid is doing a shutdown.  Takes 30-60 seconds for the pc to really turn off.  The pc is a little Dell OptiPlex 790, 8 GB RAM, i5 processor, 2 hard drives with 3TB each and a SSD for cache.  If I ever get it up.  

[trurl]

Can you boot any other OS on the computer and get a screen that is not blank?