Unable to boot from CD

[Jeroen_7]

I am unable to boot from the SmartStart CD. My server doesn't detect any IDE CD-ROM drives at boot, neither from a Windows 98 boot disk.

The CD-ROM drive is detected and bootable when placed in a workstation.

The server is right from the box, inserted a SmartArray 532 controller, 3x18GB U3W and 1GB RAM extra. RAID is configured as RAID5 and fully operational.

The message shown after boot:
Attempting boot from floppy drive (A:)
Attempting boot from NIC
Non-System disk or disk error
replace and strike any key when ready.

Is my ML350 G2 already defective????

[Claude Boileau]

Hi Jeroen,
For the non system disk or disk error you want to check the boot order so that the 532 is selected 1st in the scsi controller order. You can also check the other floppy device boot option; this will be under the standard boot order option under system option. F9 to access the bios.
Hope this will help.

[Jeroen_7]

No matter what settings and boot order are used, the IDE controller (both primary and secundary) aren't detected. Even when booting from a floppy with a Win98 bootdisk, the CD-ROM isn't detected. The CD-ROM works because we placed it in a Win98 machine. Another brand of CD-ROM doesn't work either.

The controller boot order is set to:
1. SmartArray 532
2. PCI IDE
3. SCSI Ch. 1
4. SCSI Ch. 2

The boot order is set to:
1. IDE CD-ROM
2. Floppy
3. SmartArray 532
4. Network

If I check the IRQ's, there is no IDE Controller. Even with the secundary controller enabled, there's no sign activity.

Meanwhile I submitted my server as a DOA unit and the local service engineer will come to repair the server.

[Silvio Danilovic]

We have the same problem with ML350 G1. Whatever we do, server doesn't try boot from CD drive. We tried another CD drive or bootable CD, we used Compaq Erase Utility and afterwards Configuration Utility that requested Diagnostics installation too.

Nothing works!
Please share with me if you succeed to boot it.
Silvio

[Silvio Danilovic]

The only workaround that made SmartStart work was to connect SCSI CDR/CDRW (in my case was Plextor) and it booted without any problem.
Installation went smoothly and my server is up and running again.
It would be nice to get feedback from Compaq how to make it work with IDE CD drive.