BSOD with RAID in ML110 G4

[Walter R-T]

Hello,

I've got a new ML110 G4 that I am trying to install Server 2003 (standard, 32bit, with SP2) onto. I've managed to get around the lack of a floppy drive by integrating the drivers into the installation CD. The drivers I have used are from here:
http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/26742.html

And I have also tried including these ones too:
http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/25492.html

By using those drivers, I can get Server 2003 installed. If I create the array prior to installation, then I can see the array in text-based setup, and even the GUI portion runs quite happily, but as soon as the server does it's first boot into Windows I get a stop 0x0000007b error on startup.

If I disable the RAID in the BIOS, then the server will boot up (although then the array is broken and I'm booting off just one disk rather than the full array). I've tried reinstalling the above drivers from the desktop, but get a message stating that the drivers are installed but not required.

If I re-enable the RAID in the BIOS, or turn on AHCI support, the blue screen appears and the server won't boot. Turn the RAID/AHCI off again, and I can boot.

I've tried updating the firmware, no difference. Does anyone know what could be causing this, and how I can get around it? Is there a different driver I can try other than the ones on the HP site?

Thanks in advance.

[Walter R-T]

Forgot to mention - this is using the embedded SATA RAID controller, with the two supplied 160GB SATA drives. The server is basically as it was supplied to us, however I have removed the bundled SBS and now trying to install Windows Server 2003.

[ChrisRAID]

Hey... I'm in the same position as you... I want to keep the RAID during install but get the legenday blue sceen of death... Did you ever get help???

[Walter R-T]

Hi Chris,

Yes, it is all running now. Turns out that you HAVE to use a floppy drive to install the RAID drivers at time of install, there is no other way around this - incorporating the drivers into the CD wont work (and I tried 3 different methods for this, including the very long winded manual way outlined in the MSKB).

The floppy drive also MUST be one of the ones approved by Microsoft/HP - it must be one of the ones which have the drivers built into the original base Windows OS CD as supplied by MS. There is a list of them on the MSKB, not sure of the link, but basically there are just about half a dozen or so models that are supported. HP do make one, so it would pay to check with your hardware supplier and get one off them. If you don't use the correct model of USB floppy, then it will appear to read the disk when you press F6 but the install will still fail later on.

Once you do that, download the latest drivers from HP, make the floppy disk, set up the RAID array, then use the "F6" option during the OS install to incorporate the drivers.

It's quite annoying really, on any server which includes RAID there should be a way to use that RAID without requiring additional components to be purchased. I would have thought that the MINIMUM that HP should have provided is a FDD controller on the motherboard, even if they didn't provide the drive.

Anyway, hope that helps.

Regards,
Walter

[CA1525425]

Hi Walter

I went down this path to solve my problem with a lack of floppy etc.

I also thought I had cracked it by slipstreaming the drivers into the installation CD but then experienced a BSOD on eventual reboot following the installation of the OS.

I eventually solved it by only slipstreaming the drivers for the SATA RAID controller - its been a while now so my memory is vaugue.

If I recall I initially slipstreamed everything in sight into the OS installation CD. I can only assume that in my case there was some form of conflict.

You might want to investigate this line - I have built two of these boxes using this method successfully.

Regards

Alan

[Walter R-T]

Interesting - I (like you) originally tried to slip stream all drivers, which didnt work, but then gradually took more and more items out of the equation. I've tried so many combinations and versions of drivers that I'm relatively certain that I tried it with just the RAID drivers, but cant guarantee it.

I have to say though, that I spent a huge amount of time on it and wasted many, many CD's. If I knew then what I know now, I would have ordered the FDD at the same time I ordered the server, without hesitation.

[CA1525425]

Walter(or anybody else reading this thread) I used this free utility here

http://www.nliteos.com/download.html

to easily slipstream the drivers into a bootable CD. It was mentioned in one of the many threads about this very subject on the HP forums.

Well it worked for me!

Good luck

A

[Nikos Kastanas]

hello everybody

i have the exact same problem with the exact same proliant server (ml110g4) but i try to install win xp.

During install i press F6, i load the drivers from a nec usb floppy, setup reads and loads the drivers, but at some point when setup continues it asks me to insert the floppydisk again in order to load the drivers again. Only problem is that i didnt disconnect the floppy and it should be able to load the drivers. My guess is that during install xp shuts down the usb port that the floppy is connected to and it cant find the drivers (or something like that).

i tried slipstreaming the raid drivers in the istallation cd using nlite and everything worked great until the first system restart after the installation. Thats where i got a BSOD :)

any ideas? i'd appreciate any help

thanks in advance