HP Proliant DL140 G3 - No Floppy / USB Floppy - How to get Raid 0 enabled & install W2k3 ?

[C.Garside]

Hello HP Users,

I've posted here a few of my problems but this one seems to be taking the micky now. Never in all my years of I.T have I come across such a conudrum.

I have the DL140 with no Internal Floppy nor External USB floppy avilable.

I simply want to have Raid 0 on my 2x Raptor Drives & be able to install a Windows 2003 Standard OS.

This is seeming to be futile. Everything I have tried has failed. I've looked her eint he forums for a foolproof way of achieving this and no one has posted one or found one.

I enable Raid0 and then insert OS CD, Windows reports NO HDD's found.

So I try another route, Disable Raid, Install OS. Download Embeded Raid Drivers, Manually install .inf file drivers via "New Hardware" "Have Disk" route. I then restart server. Go to Bios enable raid, Restart Server, Press F8 configure Drives, Craete Array, Raid-0, Save, Confirm all warnings,

However When restarted the system's OS is not found.

I am getting realy annoyed now and thats not something seen by myself in a very long time when it comes to I.T. This problem is just annoying.

Can I please ask anyone who has an answer for this problem to reply here.

Thank You!

[KarloChacon]

hi

let me see
OK you have posted 3 topics regarding one of them

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1171074

it says you installed W2003, you just got 4 unknown devices using nlite ...
my fist question you got RAID enabled on this installation?

because you again tried to install W2003 normal CD is the issues started again right?


so I wanna know when you used nlite you had RAID (because it just says 4 unknown devices nothing about RAID)?

usually to enable RAID
try this to enable the RAID

Get into the Bios (F10)
- Advance
- Advance Chipset control
* Serial ATA -> Enable
* SATA Controller Mode Option -> Enhanced
* SATA RAID Enable -> Enabled
- Save and Exit


regards

[C.Garside]

Karlo No Offense intended,

But I already know how to enable raid. Yes the other installation came up with 4 unknown devices and yes I was unable to figure them out, After thinking it must have been my Nlite config I choose I decided to try witht he normal CD of W2K3.

The formats take 2 - 3 hours at a time per harddrive so im am sur eyou can imagein why I feeling real peed, Never the less I thank you for your post even though it contains nothing which I don't already know.

The question is simple,

Without a floppy disk of anytype, Internal or External, How can you install windows 2003 on a raid 0 config without getting the error message on the setup process called "No Hard Drives Seen"

Thank You.

[C.Garside]

Has anyone else got any ideas?

Thank You.

[Mi6t0]

Okay :)

So... you do the right thing - make the array firstly.
Then boot from winCD and press f6, then install the drivers from the floppy and it should be done.

Regards,

Mi6t0

[C.Garside]

Hello,

Not sure if you read but I mentioned it multiple times in my thread, "I don't have a floopy or external USB floppy"

Hense I need Help.

Thank You.

[C.Garside]

So I take it that no one knows anything to help me in this matter?

[C.Garside]

Ok so from what i've read (All forum posts in here) the outcome is always something to do with Nlite.

My question is this,

So If I for example download drivers, insert into nlite along wtih OS, make image, Burn to disk, restart server, enable raid 0, boot from cd. Is that correct?

Well if you said Yes! Your wrong! The reason is that when you enable raid-0 or Raid-1 BOTH HDD's are WIPED!!! Then you boot from cd and you never guess what.. Yup thats right "Server cannot find any hard drives to install WIndows 2003"

So please, Stop saying that if you have no INTERNAL or EXTERNAL floppy drive then you can use Nlite and all will be swell, Because your wrong.

So unless im missing something here how exactly have those people who used Nlite managed to get raid enabled and install and OS?

And Remember this only goes for those who have:

NO INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL FLOPPY DRIVES!!!!

Why am I typing in caps? Well as evidently the person above did not read this mager part and continued with a solution thinking that I have a External USB Floppy Drive.

Thank You!

P.S If no one can answer Im just going to RMA this server cos I bought it 7 days ago and already im annoyed with it.

[Mi6t0]

Hello, I'm sorry - I didn't read the first post carefully cause I was sleepy.

Well, if Nlite doesn't help, you will need a floppy...

So as I can see, you are able to install windows without raid configured, right?
In this case you can try backuping the OS (for example with Acronis Trueimage or Norton Ghost, they can make backups on network). Then you can configure the raid 0 and try to restore the image. But I am not sure that the drives will be detected. I think that is something, that you could test...

[john562]

Well if your dl140 G3 has a LSI Logic SAS controller your gonna need to download the LSI logic 1068 driver and split stream it with Nlite onto windows 2003. Its the only way to install without a floppy. Good luck