DL380 800MHz W2k3 Install Problem

[Dan Cormack]

I have been trying to install Windows 2003 Server Standard to a DL380 and am having no success. I do not have a new SmartStart CD (newest I have is 5.30) and so I have tried a number of things to install W2K3, none of which work. The install gets past the Loading Drivers part and crashes at the Starting Windows notification. The server hangs at this screen requiring a power reset.
Is there a way to install W2K3 to this server without having to order a new SmartStart CD? I need to get the server running as soon as possible and didn't want to wait on the CD.

[Ken Henault]

When it crashes, does it give you a stop code? You probably need to add the drivers for the array controller. Do you know what controller you have? All the drivers etc you need can be downloaded from. http://h18000.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/locate/69_1122.html.

Put the approriate array drivers on a diskette, then tell Windows to use it by pressing F6 at the approrpiate time.

I don't think you'd be able to build it with SmartStart anyway. Version 5.5 is the last that supports your system, and it doesn't have support for 2003.

[Dan Cormack]

1. It does not provide any stop codes. It locks up (doesn't blue screen) with the install display visible.
2. I am using the integrated Smart Array Controller which Windows has direct support for.
3. I'll try the drivers again but the only array controller drivers I see are for the add-on cards 5.x or 6.x or for the non-miniport Smart Array controllers. (and that driver does not include the oemtext file as it's intended to be used after Windows has installed.
4. I find it hard to believe that HP would discontinue support (by way of the Smart Start CD's) for a server which is not too old but who knows?

I hope someone from HP can lend a hand.

[Victor Pendlebury]

Hi Dan,

Is your bios up to date ?

Only latest will provide support for W2003

http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/17424.html

I have done manual installs on G1 machine , did not encounter any major issues but had to upgrade Bios for W2003 support

Hope it helps

Regards

Victor

[Rob Huehn · Accepted solution]

Hello Dan:

That's funny as I was just doing the same thing this weekend! I did get it working. First try, Smartstart 6.4, but that version did not support the DL380 Gen 1 I was using. Then tried Smartstart 5.50, worked great by choosing other OS as the selection, created the utility partition, ect, but I got stuck at the exact same screen as you were. Now, before I tried any of this, I did upgrade all BIOS's to latest version, but that didn't seem to make a difference. What did work however was a system erase from Smartstart 6.40, then rebooted, ran the ROM based Smartarray utility to create a RAID1 config, and booted using the W2K3 CD. Worked fine. Then manually installed the W2K3 support pack for Proliants. Everything working fine now.

Good Luck

[Neal Bowman]

Can you go into System Configuration via F10 key? This will let you see if an array has been created. Also, check for the OS type setting at the main menu. If it is set for an OS other than Microsoft Windows, you may experience the symptoms you are describing. The system allocates the installed memory configuration slightly, depending on the OS selection. What OS was installed on this server prior to the load attempt?

[Dan Cormack]

Hey Rob!
Your suggestion worked like a charm!! I ran System Erase using my Smartstart 5.30 CD and then ran the ROM Array configuration to create the Logical drive. I booted off my Windows 2003 CD and FINALLY got past the Starting Windows screen!! Thank you once again!!!

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Rob:
What did work however was a system erase from Smartstart 6.40, then rebooted, ran the ROM based Smartarray utility to create a RAID1 config, and booted using the W2K3 CD. Worked fine. Then manually installed the W2K3 support pack for Proliants. Everything working fine now.
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[Rochelle Adsitt]

Can someone tell me at what point during the process of resolving this issue that you rebuild the system partition? I've tried executing the steps listed by Rob and Dan as the resolution but after erasing the system and then configuring the array with the ROM Array utility, I ran through the Smartstart 5.5 manual install so that it would build the system partition. After Smartstart was finished and I booted off the Windows 2003 CD, my DL380R01 still hung at the point where it said it was starting Windows setup.

[Neal Bowman]

Rochelle, once you run the System Erase utility, either from SS6.4 or SS5.5, you will need to reboot again with the SmartStart 5.50 CD. You will then run through the System Configuration Utility. Once you save the configuration, the system will reboot again. (Don't remove the SS CD.) The next reboot will start the Array Configuration Utility, which will then allow you create an array and logical drives. You can use the wizard to accept the default configuration for arrays/logical drive sizing, or you can manually set the logical drive sizes. Once this info is saved, the array is created, and the system reboots. The next step (automated) is creating the F10 System partition. another reboot follows, then the F10 partition is populated with the configuration/diagnostic files. Once the file copy is complete, the system reboots, completes SmartStart, and then prompts you to build driver diskettes if you need them. You are now ready to boot from your OS CD.

Good Luck!

[Rochelle Adsitt]

Thanks Neal, but I've already executed all of those steps and still gotten a hung system when Windows tries to load. I'm getting the impression from this thread and another one that the solution appears to be to skip building the system partition. The way I read it in the responses above in this thread, I see no reference to creating a system partition as one of the steps in the solution. It looks like Dan and Rob went straight from creating the array with the ROM based utility (rather than through SmartStart) to booting off the W2K3 CD and starting the Windows 2003 server installation.