SmartStart CD for Windows Server 2008

[Matty-CT]

Smartstart 8.30 claims to support Windows 2008 R2 but Windows setup fails for me on a ML350 G6 using HP branded media. HP Support had me simply run setup via the OS DVD. I wanted to avoid this due to the old F6 and driver installs. However, I suprised to see that W2K8 R2 (HP branded) has drivers for P410 RAID controllers. If it has P410, then it should have older drivers too.

HP Support claims that a forthcoming Smartstart will fix the glitch.

Hope this helps those ready to lose it!

[Cshare]

I ran upon the same issue, the installation of WIN2K8 R2 will fail on the final stages.

How I got around this was by not installing SNMP and not installing the HP insight Management WBEM Providers for Windows (WMI-based providers). I also setup Custom PSP Installation Mode.

[m3rdpwr]

Here's how to fix it.

When you get to the SNMP screen do the following:

Leave Public and Private as your default community strings.

Also, remove the IP all together.

It now works.

This is a bug HP has not fixed.

You could change the community strings, as long as they don't match which in many cases, they do.

So just leave everything as is and just remove the IP from SNMP install screen.

When the OS loads, change you SNMP settings in Windows.

All is good...

-Mario

[m3rdpwr]

I should have mentioned above that this is when you are using SmartStart andget to the point of the SNMP config.

Also, if you decide to install the 2008 x64 OS and PSP later, that doesn't work properly.

Why you ask?

Well, HP's Network Management Utility won't work because it thinks the mini-port drivers aren't going to load no matter what, trust me.

They work for the mezzanine 326m NIC's once updated, but not the 370i's.

Took a while to figure that all out...

FYI, 2008 R2 seems to be fine though...

-Mario

[GPetit]

Just to follow up on this thread:

Installing Windows Server 2008 R2 with SmartStart using a USB key fails ("The unattend answer file contains an invalid product key. Either remove the invalid product key or porvide a valid product in the unattend answer file to proceed with Windows installation"). However, installing from the SmartStart DVD worked.

[GPetit]

Sorry, forgot to mention that this was using SmartStart 8.60 and 8.70 (same result with both)

[wcapers]

Thanks to everyones comments I notice that I was using a 32 bit and not a 64 bit and that was my problem.  Some times a second eye or comment can be a big help.

Thanks you all