Windows 2003 Servers freeze during boot

[Steve Kadish]

Hi,

We have three Windows 2003 servers which, more than not, freeze while booting. It's at the point before the login when the screen is displaying "configuring network adapters." The mouse freezes, the "color bar" in the window stops moving, and that's it for 20-30 minutes, at which point the server will reboot and boot normally. (And we get a "server has recovered from an ASR" alert.) No .DMP files are created.

They are all Proliant servers, but they are different models, generations, and PSP versions. Two are identical configs but they are completely different in hardware and configuration from the third.

About the only things that all three have in common are the OS, the backup agents, and the anti-virus.

Does anyone have ANY ideas?

Thanks,
- Steve Kadish

[Jon Finley]

Try updating the BIOS to the most current version on each. Also, in one case (that I found) it was directly related to the motherboard rev.

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=803534

Jon

[Steve Kadish]

Hi Jon,

Thanks! As it so happens we've already updated all the BIOS revisions. One of them I did yesterday to see if it would solve the problem. On that server I also updated to PSP 7.8 with all the trimmings, but the issue remained.

Thanks,
- Steve

[ed k.]

Hi Steve, please take a look for some troubleshooting hints in next web doc-s:
http://search.techrepublic.com.com/search/Microsoft+Windows+Server+2003+and+memory+and+server.html
and
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00786070/c00786070.pdf?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN
and
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00786078/c00786078.pdf?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN
Regards :-) Ed K.

[Steve Kadish]

Hi Ed,

These are not HP Storage Servers.

Thanks anyway,
- Steve

[Rancher]

It could be a hardware issue. Have you run diagnostics on them?

[dms_1]

Hi,

do you have the same issue when booting with a bootable CD?You can turn of ASR in RBSU, boot the server with Smart Start and make advanced hardware test (with 99 loops, so that you can stres the device).When the ASR is turned off and there is a hardware issue the server will freeze on the device which is causing the issue.Do not use PSP 7.8 try with 7.7 - the network drivers in 7.8 are causing a lot of trouble.Try updating the server firmware too

Regards

[Steve Kadish]

Hi,

I was hoping that someone might have seen similar behavior. I have requested that my systems administrator open a ticket with Microsoft.

Thanks,
- Steve

[Richard Darling]

Steve, I've been having similar problems - do you use Trend Micro?
RD

[Steve Kadish]

Hi Richard,

Sorry, no - our AV solution is McAfee.

Thanks,
- Steve