[G-Stress]

Finally I have a real server to toy with. I just got a poweredge 2500, with no experience with scsi I'm at a hault as to how I'm going to install win2k3 on this. I've heard I need a scsi cd/dvd drive, or that I could get a bootable pci sata card and run a sata cd/dvd drive also.

I just want to confirm this and get this up and running.

[Rockn]

What does the server have in it now for a controller and hard drives can run it on? The CD/DVD drive makes no difference, it could be IDE for all the installation process cares.

[G-Stress]

The server now only has scsi, the only ide controller is floppy. I was gonna get a scsi dvd drive, but if I can use a sata dvd drive with a bootable pci sata card that'd be nice I'm heading to the store now to see if I can find one to get this up and running.

[Rockn]

You may be asking for more trouble setting it up than it is worth by adding another controller card. The floppy is not IDE I can assure you. Why do you need a DVD drive unless the install media is on DVD?

[G-Stress]

The install media is on disc yes, I can't think of any other way to install 2k3 on this machine. So I got a SIIG PCI SATA Host controller that's configured for boot and a sata dvd-rw and it reads and boots fine off the disc, but it's blue screening during the install right after it says Starting Windows, right before the license agreement.

Something about check for viruses, newly installed HDD's controllers and make sure HDD's are configured and terminated properly. Hopefully it's something simple and not an issue with the sata pci host controller.

[G-Stress]

I'm having the hardest time trying to get 2k3 installed. This is my first time really messing with scsi and a real server. It's booting fine off the cd and goes through the setup all the way until it says "Starting Windows" then it BSOD's.

I've downloaded all the scsi driver's off the website onto a floppy and tried the f6 and loaded the driver's, but it still does it. There is quite a bit of documentation and tutorials on Dell's website, but to be honest I'm not sure if the driver's are setup right or how to check.

I don't want to throw a sata hdd and install the os on that I really want to figure out why it's blue screening. As far as I know about system info:

2 1000Mhz P3 Processors
3 SCSI drives
3 Power supplies
I believe 1 GB of ram

[Rockn]

Is the SATA controller just controlling the CD/DVD drive? What is the controller in the server make and model. Not all controllers play well with Windows 2008 or other server installs. If the SATA controller came with a driver disk use the F5 or F6 option during installation to add additional drivers for this controller. It may be all that is holding up the install.

[G-Stress]

@ Rockn,

Thanks alot for the reply I did try the F6 option to load driver's only I was loading the SCSI/RAID Driver's for the power edge not the SATA Host adapter, that may have been my issue and I didn't even think about loading those driver's cause the adapter was bootable.

Anyway I did manage to get 2k3 installed, this will be good learning and experience for me for both a real server and advance my knowledge in 2k3. What I did was use an old ATA 133 IDE card and connected an IDE CD-Rom and was able to install that way just fine. To answer your ? yes. The SATA Host adapter was only controlling the DVD/R. I also attempted to even connected a sata hdd with the dvd/r still connected then I it would no longer boot off cd.

I did get it installed though so I'm happy and ready to learn.

Thanks alot for all the help and advice from everyone on the forums!