\\.\E:,2 Error Message Anybody seen this?

[tubby]

This morning, I sucessfully re-assigned "E" to a different drive letter. -I choose "T" No change in error message. Changing the drive letter to "T" did not alter the \\.\E.....

Note: I did not un-install Rollback Rx for this test.

-After this test I returned the drive letter back to "E"

- During my early morning session with the PC, I did note two (2) "oddities" that may shed a clue...............or they may be a "red herring"??? Regardless,

1) I have a handful of flash drives at my disposal. Only the flash drive I "created" containing the Dell "Factory out-of-box" restoration media is seen by the PC as "E"

I un-plug this flash drive, plug in any other flash drive, it is seen as "F" I tried this repeatedly. ( Tonight anyway) Only the Dell "Factory out-of-box" flash drive is seen as "E"


2) The PC has 3 USB ports. One (1) on the right-hand side and two (2) in the back. Now this may sound goofy but I have repeated the following test 3X over 3 days.

When I plug ANY of my test flash drives into the USB port on the side of the PC, it may or may not be recognized! Seemed to be somewhat randam/intermiitent in nature. -About a 50%-50% chance of "beening seen" by the PC.

- I may have found a bit of a pattern though. If I plug the flash drive into either of the rear USB ports, they ALWAYS work! If I THEN immediatly plug the flash drive into the "questionable" side USB port, it will always work. This does not at all seem to a hardware issue. Either something is slightly buggy or I am doing something wrong.

I would sure like to get Horizons opinion based on the 2 screenshots and the 3 "log" files I provided them (at their request) before going to much further...after all, I am a "Gold"member.......................and yet, it has been nearly a week since they said they would analize data. -Perhaps all that glitters isn't gold????

-I guess my only fear of un-installing Rollback, changing the flash drives assigned letter to something other than "E" (then re-installing Rollback) is that perhaps I would destroy the means to use the Dell "Factory out-of-box" media (Dell makes the customer create this media.....one has to request to get the recovery media "all done up" by Dell. (This is sort of annoying, but perhaps there is a- method in their maddness) -Please don't tell it is to save $7.00

the 'ol Tubbster

[carfal]

Tubby, the fact that you changed the drive letter of the flash drive and you still got the same drive letter E: displayed in the error message is a big clue as to what is going on. I think this would go a long way in helping Horizon diagnose what is happening. Hopefully their following this thread.

From a Laymans perspective (thats me ) i would guess that your Dell recovery software has linked your flashdrive to the system in an aggressive way. I suspect that you have some sort of scheduled tasks running in the background continueally searching for this flash drive which in turn is confusing Rollback into thinking that its a non removable protected drive. How exactly this is happening is the challenge at hand for Horizon.

In the mean time, you could try searching for these tasks and terminate them and see if Rollback still has the error (shedding some more light on this problem). Look for anything resembling the Dell recovery software. I know it may not be obvious but this is something only you can do.

Good luck

[tubby]

The error message continues, just like clockwork, when I run a Rollback defrag.

I re-tested this morning

1) All my flashdrive are recognized by the PC as "F" except the "Dell Factory out-of box" flashdrive which is recognized as "E"

- Dell insists folks "make their own" emergency media. All the flashdrives I have are made by Sandisk. (I doubt the manufacturer matters but I thought it best to make that point clear)

2) All along, just one atom of one of my brain cells thought the error message may have "something" to do with the Dell Emergency media I made. Making that media did not go smoothly and I had to have Dell help via "remote access" to finish making the media. Dell said others have had the same problem creating the Emegency media.

- I will search PC for "something" running in the background that may shed more light on my issue.


3) Now, during my "travels" I have discovered that one of my three USB ports seems "questionable" !!!

- When I plug a flashdrive into it, I have about a 50% - 50% chance that the flashdrive will be recognized at all! -The othe two USB ports work fine, but this one simply acts "funky" about half the time. (Funny, the "funky" USB port is the same one I used when creating the "Dell Factory out-of-box" media. But perhaps that is coincidental ?????

Regardless, at this point I simply do not trust this one particular USB port (it just doesn't "seem" like an intermittent hardware issue......bit it COULD be I suppose!)

I guess I feel obligated to learn why one of my USB ports seems to be working intermittently before going further (What if my error message is related to a "funky" USB issue)

- I do like the 'remote access" technique uses to help solve problems. It kind of makes me feel like a rich guy to be sitting in front of the PC with a cup of coffee while Dell "takes over my PC" in hopes of solving some issue.

Some of the PC "purists" I know sort of "poo-poo" this technique but I kind of like it. I wish Horizon would/could utilize "remote access"


tubby

[tubby]

Well, at least my "questionable" USB port is OK now. I did the "remote access" thing with Dell. Dell tinkered with "Chipset" and a few other things...........right now all the USB ports are ok. No change in error message though.

tubby

[nexstar]

tubby, when you re-assigned the drive letter, how was the flash drive described in the Computer Management window?

It is an odd one and as carfal says, it does seem that the flash drive has been tied to the system in some way which made Rollback think it was a fixed disk.

I think I would follow up your ticket and give Support a little 'nudge' with this information as there will be plenty of Dell machines out there with a similar setup. I would be inclined to see what they suggest then before testing out any further possibilities. The issue itself is probably not potentially harmful but it may be better not to go poking it without some feedback .

Graham

[tubby]

Changing the drive letter demonstrated no unusual characteristics that I noted.


Disk 1
"Removable disk" "T"

-I defragged at this point. No change in Rollback's message. Still (seemingly) pointing (again) to "E"

Now I thought Rollback did not support multiple drives but could support any number of partitions. When you say '"fixed drive" you mean hard drive right? (not a partition)



tubby

[nexstar]

Originally Posted by tubby

Now I thought Rollback did not support multiple drives but could support any number of partitions. When you say '"fixed drive" you mean hard drive right? (not a partition)



tubby

Yes, you're right that it only protects one physical drive. I meant that it looked like it was being treated as a partition on the protected drive. But it doesn't report it that way from what you've said.

One other thing that might be interesting to discover is, if you go into the Rollback defrag menu with your Dell usb stick inserted, how does Rollback describe it? If you do the same with any of your non-Dell usb sticks, does Rollback show them at all in the defrag menu? If so, how are they described and what if you have Dell and non-Dell sticks plugged in at the same time (different ports )?

Clutching at straws really, but just trying to see why it might be being treated differently.

Graham

[tubby]

A Dell tech is due to come to my house and replace the "questionable" USB port I found in my travels. The USB port just happens to be the one I used to create the "Factory out-of-box" media. Perhaps my Rollback error message is not connected to this hardware issue at all...........but then again.......????

The USB port is intermittent in nature (the other USB ports are fine)

-Still have not heard from Horizon since I submitted the screenshots and the three log files they requested.

I best get the funky USB port under control before going much further. I usually have good luck with hardware. I have never had a harddrive die which is probably why I don't clone/image (even though I know I should).

-This is why I wanted (at least) the Dell recovery media. It is interesting to me me how many Rollback users dream of cloning/imaging a harddrive with out killing Rollbacks snapshots. ( I have read the post(s) regarding "Image for Windows" which give some hope to "digital time travelers" with such a dream! )

-tubby

PS to nexstar .............want to hear my melon joke?

"Where do watermelons, cantalope and honeydoo go in the summer-time?"


give up?.....



"John Cougar's Melon Camp!" ............

-tubby

[nexstar]

Originally Posted by tubby

PS to nexstar .............want to hear my melon joke?

"Where do watermelons, cantalope and honeydoo go in the summer-time?"


give up?.....



"John Cougar's Melon Camp!" ............

-tubby

lol ........I'm going to deny knowing what/who you are talking about on the grounds that it will definitely date me .

I'd still be inclined to update your Horizon ticket with what you have uncovered as it might a) give them some insight into what's going on and b) remind them that it's not been sorted yet .

Graham

[tubby]

Ok.............

"What's green, and sings rock and roll?......"






give up?...




Answer: "Elvis Parsley" !!!

-hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha