ProLiant ML110 G4 Smart Array or E200(i) Controller Drivers for Win2000 Server

[b k]

Well first of all thanks for not supporting this product over ActiveChat, and letting me know this after entering my PN&SN several times.

I have tried all of the Win2k Controller Drivers I could find within the Proliant ML110 Section on hp.com

I have tried most reasonable drivers on the delivered Support CD.

Nevertheless, after adding the controllers/drivers at the beginning of the Win2k Server Installation I can chose the partition etc. and continue the process.

But I always get stuck at the same place. It asks me to insert the Smart Array SAS/SATA Driver Diskette into Drive A:, but when I do this.. nothing happens.
Over and over again.

None of the drivers let's me get beyond that point. Btw: I also tried to disable the "Virtual Floppy Whatever" by pressing F10 (F9 was apparently corrected in the documentation.)
But this Option cannot be found in the BIOS so I doubt that it has anything to do with it.

Over and over again. How frustrating.
I can only hope that I get some answers around here because this doesn't make me a happy first-time hp customer at all.

Thx in advance and Cheers.

[Oleg Koroz]

please use all options available for you to contact HP , with new purchase you entitled for first 90 day's Software:OS Installation assistance and PSP for all supported options.

As you can notice Windows 2000 server is not supported OS at ML110 G4

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12577_div/12577_div.html

however if you consider to install 2003, al drivers available under
http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/index.html

along you might want to try driver alone with F6, in my opinion you need to have Win 2000 with SP3 or SP4 build in.

http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/locOsCat/20_61.html all for 2000

http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/24922.html try this one if no luck Install 2003

[b k]

First of all I thank you for replying to my issue, oleg.

However, I've also got to say that my client is comparable to a benevolent organisation which has a limited budget, and timeframe.
It is a bit out of topic, but the way how big, established or ignorant (small-medium) companies treat their customers is a sad mirror of what our world is becoming, and how inefficiency and ignorance spread in our society.

- We paid money for a product which I understand is in a low price category, and therefore one cannot expect too much. But at least; One could expect that the delivered package has working, inhouse win2k drivers for the components used. This is a known issue on the side of HP, and delivering a working product is absolutely basic. And: the Win2k drivers are delivered within the Support CD for this product. They do not work. Period.

- I tried the search function within these forums here. They are useless or at least, not user-friendly. I know there are threads here which treat this problem, but before knowing about "nlite" (read on) I had no chance finding a hp-forums post with a related answer to the same problem.
And I haven't got the time to browse through 160 pages of forum posts on hp.com

- Active Chat is apparently not supported for those two servers we bought.

- I called the support number today. The first assistant dropped me out of the line, probably because of incompetence, and for no reason. The second assistant informed me of two possibilities:
Either we could buy the HP Floppy Toolkit for 80 Euros, or we could try embedding the needed driver on a win2k ISO using "nlite" freeware. (By the way, I was waiting on line for 10 minutes without him saying a single word. Probably searching through his issue database and lack of customer service.)

- So here we go. If I was one of that kind of people which buys every kind of excrements which is thrown at us, I could charge our client for the Floppy Kit. But either way, my client's timeplan does not allow waiting for another delivery.
I also tried embedding 1-2 of the Win2k drivers into a Win2k SP4 using nlite and using this Install. The same for Win2k SP4 without embedding. No result..

I will try more into the nlite/slipstream direction tomorrow. And btw. here are some related threads:

https://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1087922&admit=-682735245+1183563525612+28353475
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1137042

Thx for taking your time, but the point system is child's play anyway. Especially if hp is not able to deliver user-friendly, basic products and drivers. And also with partially lacking customer-service.

And No: Windows Server 2003 is not an option.
I hope you get my point.

(Still hoping for more responses, and possibly some hp people actually read this stuff and think about it.)

As a comparison. If we small/medium businesses, or self-employed people would deliver such products; We would go under in this sad and lousy 2-class society.

Cheers.

[trmdad]

just an FYI so you do not have the same problem later. W2K is an unsupported OS on all new equipement as MS has 2000 in the extended support phase it went out of the "mainstream" support in 2005. W2K3 R2 is the current version of windows and R1 was the previous so HP has only ever tested back 1 rev of the operating system. The supported OS is listed on the quickspecs for the systems as well as the specs for the options.