Sams Teach Yourself MCSE Windows NT Server 4 in 14 Days
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author(s): David Schaer, et al
ISBN: 0672311283
Publication Date: 12/15/97

The last example is a different hardware layout. In this case, you have IDE drives. Windows NT is loaded on the first adapter, second disk, and second partition.

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)

Notice in all the examples that all hardware numbering begins at 0, with the exception of the partitions, which begin at 1. This might sound trivial, but it also can cause you to get the question wrong on the exam.

Several switches that you can use in the BOOT.INI can modify the way that Windows NT boots up. Even though the important part of the BOOT.INI when it comes to exam time is the ARC names, the switches still deserve a brief explanation. Here is a list of the possible switches and a brief description of each:

•  /basevideo—Starts up Windows NT with a basic VGA video driver and a resolution of 640×480.

•  /sos—Shows all drivers being loaded at boot up instead of showing progression dots (...).

•  /noserialmice=[comn | comx,y,z]—Disables checking for pointing devices attached to a serial port. If the com portion is not specified, no ports will be checked.

•  /crashdebug—Enables automatic recovery and restart.

•  /nodebug—Switches off monitoring of debugging information.

•  /maxmem:n—Specifies the maximum amount of RAM to use. This can be handy in troubleshooting bad SIMMS.

•  /scsiordinal:n—Specifies which SCSI adapter to use. This can come in handy when two identical adapters are used in the same machine.

•  /baudrate—Specifies the baud rate to be used for debugging. If you do not set the baud rate, the default baud rate is 9600 if a modem is attached, and 19200 for a null-modem cable.

•  /debugport=comx—Specifies the com port to use for debugging, where x is the communications port that you want to use.

14.3.3. The Last Known Good

Earlier in the chapter, I explained how to go about troubleshooting a machine. In that explanation, I talked about returning a computer to a previous state. However, if a configuration change is causing the server to have boot problems, you are presented with the problem of not being able to get the server up and running in order to return the configuration to its previous state. However, there is a way around this, and it is called Last Known Good.

You can use the Last Known Good configuration when a configuration change that you previously made causes the system not to boot properly.

So what will it change back? To understand the answer to that question you must understand what defines the Last Known Good configuration. Two things should happen before the configuration is saved as a good configuration:

•  The configuration must not have caused any critical system errors.

•  A user must log on successfully.

In other words, after you boot up the computer without any problems and log on, the configuration is saved as a good configuration. Then, say, for example, that you make a change to the system configuration that requires you to restart the computer. On restarting, the computer will not boot up properly. Invoking the Last Known Good configuration will take it back to the configuration that was in place when you last logged on successfully (without any errors).

With that in mind, you must consider when and when not to use the Last Known Good configuration. This is important for the exam. In a troubleshooting question, you might be asked what is the appropriate course of action to take, and the Last Known Good might be an option. However, the Last Known Good might not repair the problem.

One example of this type of problem is when you reboot the computer, log on, and then the system crashes. On restarting, the problem still will exist because the configuration was saved once you logged on to the server.

Another example of a situation in which the Last Known Good configuration might not solve the problem is when the configuration change is made after several reboots followed by someone logging on to the computer. Invoking the Last Known Good only changes the configuration back to the most recent successful configuration.

You invoke the Last Known Good configuration at bootup. Before you see the blue screen, you see a message that states, Press spacebar NOW to invoke Hardware Profile/Last Known Good menu.

Pressing the spacebar gives you three options. The first lets you have several hardware configurations for the server. The second is the Last Known Good configuration and the third is to exit. The top of the screen displays a brief message explaining the procedure along with a list of the different hardware configurations. The bottom of the screen displays three options.

•  Use the up and down arrow keys to make the selection that you want. Then, press Enter.

•  To switch to the Last Known Good configuration, press L.

•  To Exit this menu and restart your computer, press F3.