You receive an error message if you run Chkdsk.exe on a Windows Server 2003 quorum disk

In a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Microsoft Cluster Service (MSCS) environment, the MSCS service tries to recover the quorum disk when the MSCS folder in the quorum disk is inaccessible or does not exist. In this situation, the quorum disk may be damaged after MSCS tries to recover the quorum disk.

You can test whether the quorum disk is affected with this problem by running Chkdsk.exe in read-only mode. You can run Chkdsk.exe in read-only mode if you do not use the /f or /x options. For example, you can type chkdsk drive letter: at a command prompt, and then press ENTER. You can use the following switches:

• /f Fixes errors on the disk.
• /x Forces the volume to dismount if it is required.

If the quorum disk was affected with this problem and you run Chkdsk.exe in read-only mode, you may receive the following error message:Important If this problem occurs, do not run Chkdsk.exe with the /f or /x option on the quorum disk. If you run Chkdsk.exe with the /f or /x option on the quorum disk, the data on quorum disk may be corrupted.

This problem occurs when the MSCS service tries to recover the quorum disk from a corrupted state. In this case, incorrect volume information data may be written to the quorum volume.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart your computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2003

To work around this problem, you can recover the quorum disk when you apply this hotfix on all the MSCS nodes and then format the quorum disk. This procedure is useful if the quorum disk is already affected with this problem.

To recover the quorum disk when you apply this hotfix on all the MSCS nodes and then format the quorum disk, follow these steps:

1. Double-click the 217103_enu_x86 or IA-64 platform type_zip.exe file, and then extract the file contents to a location that can be accessed by all the nodes in the MSCS cluster.
2. Log on to the Windows Server 2003-based computer by using an account that has administrative permissions.
3. Double-click WindowsServer2003-KB891189-x86 or IA-64 platform type-enu.exe.
4. Back up the quorum disk by using the Windows Server 2003 Backup and Recovery Wizard or a third-party backup utility.
5. Format the quorum disk by using the Disk Management utility. For additional information about how to format a quorum disk , click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   257937 How to format an existing partition on a shared cluster hard disk
6. Restore the quorum disk using the Windows Server 2003 Backup and Recovery Wizard or a third-party backup utility.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For additional information about the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: