Windows Home Server Service Pack 1; will not install?

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Windows Home Server Service Pack 1; will not install?

by Kermit
(El Paso,Texas, U.S.A.)

Monte,
I mentioned earlyer in this post that I was planning on building a computer and would be installing "Windows Home Server", and asked if you had any experance with this Operating System. It is Server 2003 XP with some windows dressing.

Now here is the problem I have been trying to get the Operating system to install have set the BIOS to boot the DVD Drive before the hard drive. Kept getting a post to reboot or insert a disk in the boot drive and press any key like you always get. Did so 30 times. Nothing; no install. Hard drive spins up light is on new WD,HD. New DVD drive New motherboard. Installed memory one chip at at a time and checked BIOS to make sure second chip was reconised! BIOS said everything is fine. This is not my first build thanks to you.

Wondered if the mother board was bad called the teck dept. of computer supper store where I purchased all the parts. Said replace the motherboard, 43 mile round trip; new mother board. Same thing no install. Called the supper computer store again. DVD Drive may be the problem a second 43 mile round trip. This was after I was successfull in loading XP on the drive, to see if it was the drive. And tried to Install Home Server over it. Same thing
Have replaced DVD Drive SATA. Same thing no install. Tried to install on a second new SATA HD. Same thing. Have sent emails to Directron.com (Supper Computer Store in Huston) where I purchase the Operating System. Customer Service and Teck Dept. No answers yet.

Is this a DEFECTIVE Install Disk?

Many thanks

Kermit

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Windows Home Server Service Pack 1; will not install?

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Apr 11, 2010
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New system will not boot
by: Support

Hello Kermit,

1st - Have you tried any other bootable CD/DVD's?

2nd - If the system will power up and go in to bios then the motherboard, processor, and memory are good.

Do you have a floppy drive and a bootable floppy?

If you have a floppy drive in another computer you can make a boot floppy and check the hard drive in the new computer.

See this page for a bootable floppy:
Create a bootable floppy (You will need FDISK.COM on the floppy to see the hard drive).

What I suspect is that the Server CD/DVD does NOT have the right SATA drivers to load the SATA controler.

Check the CD/DVD that came with the motherboard, you are looking for the sata driver and a file called TXTSETUP.OEM This file and the drivers (in that folder) need to be on a seperate device, normally the floppy drive but can be on a pen drive.

Or -

You can put the Install cd/dvd in another computer, find the file called HAL (no extention), open it with notepad (read only don't worry about that you will not be changing anything) and search for your SATA controler name that you found on the motherboard cd/dvd).

If they aren't there then make the SATA driver floppy, watch the boot sequence, along the bottom of the install screen a notice will appear: Press F6 to install your controler drivers. (or something like that it has been a couple of years since I setup a server). Then at the appropiate screen insert the floppy and let the install program load them. (Don't forget to remove the floppy or you will get a non-system disk error when you restart after the file copy).

If the SATA drivers are on the cd then you have a different problem.

How old is the Install cd? That is when was it manufactured?

Hope this helps...

P.S
It is always better to have all the memory installed at the time of the OS installation.

Apr 12, 2010
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Reply !
by: kermit

Yes Monte,
I did install windows XP on the 160gig WD SATA Hard drive and created a 20gig partition which Windows Home Server reqires and would have created one if it did boot, per the preinstall boot instructions that came with the package; to test if the drive was good was unable to get the Home Home Server to boot. Boot sequence does not reconise the install cd in the DVD drive goes directly to XP and starts XP. So I know that the hard drive is good.

Replaced the DVD drive with a different brand. Was using Lite-on Drives for all installs of first 2 rebuilds were IDEA drives the last 2 were Sata. But the last DVD Burnner was a different model OEM. Did have a Neros Disk which may have the drivers. Again XP Home Edition installed no problem. New DVD Burner is a sata MSI.

I have opened the Preinstall disk when in XP on the same computer and can see all the files. I will look up the one you said to find.

Mother boards that I am using are Biostat G31-M7 TE. Have used this mother board for 3 builds and replace the orignal one with the same 3 days ago. Same results. These boards do have a no head application for servers. I checked the bios and down loaded the manuals from the drivers disk,and reviwed the manuals, Motherboard, BIOS,and software manuals. The driver on the disk are for the intel North and south bridge, Realtrack video, sound, and networkcard. Nothing I have found for the DVD Burners. Memory is Kingston DDR2 800 and is on the list from manufacture have used it in 3 builds now same MB 2 each 1gig chips for this build. Bios reconises both chips.

Thank you, for your quick reply didn't expect it so soon. By the way server 2003 is the same as XP to install additional drivers (F6) your memory chips are still good. Per your ebook "How To Build A Server".

Kermit.

Apr 12, 2010
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Additional comment
by: Kermit

Monte,

You asked how old the Disk is well Microsoft came out with Windows Home Server in 2005 lots of problems. Service pack one is the copy I recieved
in the orignal package and no broken seals. So the disks has been around for awhile Service Packs 2 and 3. Three (3) was released for Windows 7 Applications, in preperation for Windows 7 in 2009. First in BATA, and now a clean up date download that includes SP2. If I ever get that far.

Again thanks.

Kermit

Apr 12, 2010
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Additional information.
by: Kermit

Monte, you asked the age of the CD read the package 2007 is when Service Pack 1 was released.

I have 2 computers with floppy drives; an external floppy drive as will as an external DVD burner; and a 2gig flash drive. so no problems in following up in that direction of your reply.

Have read the reviews on this product by buyers of same from New Egg, Tigers Direct & Directron. com a total of 3oo reviews pro and con and most of the problems date back to the first relese and service pack one installs between 2005 and 2008 service pack 3 came out in 2008. Just my luck to get service pack 1, no wonder it was on sale for less than $100.00.

Thanks again.

Kermit

Apr 12, 2010
Rating

Bootable Device
by: Support

Hello Kermit,

When you boot from the install cd/dvd and the hard drive is raw (no partitions) the BIOS should see the CD/DVD as bootable and you should get the line -

Press any key to boot from CD...

But if the drive has an OS installed then you have to go in to the BIOS and set the boot sequence.

That is you have to tell the BIOS what device you want to boot first, second, third, etc.

I suspect that the first device is either the floppy drive (if installed) or the hard drive.

Check the boot sequence, you want the CD to boot first, then the floppy (if installed) then the hard drive.

Hope this helps...

Apr 12, 2010
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Back AT It.
by: KERMIT

Yes the DVD is set as the first boot drive have not changed it even set up the first boot drive which was th floppy as there is none as disabled and put it in the 3 boot. That didn't work either. DVD Drive is the first boot dirve. Hard dirve is good. Will be going into the files of the install disk and the drivers disk per your recomendation.

Thanks
Kermit.

Apr 12, 2010
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You Not Going to Believe This!
by: Kemit

Monte,

You are not going to belive this just got off the phone with the Tec.Dept.,at Directron.us. Said that I did not need to use the preinstall disk and had no IDEA as to why it would not boot but to use the actual install disk that is in the package of 3. Will be trying that route will let you know as to how things go. Also said that it was not needed for personal use, only if I was to give it to a customer. So much for reading the instructions that came with the install package.

Thanks for your efforts may we all learn something from this.

Kermit

Apr 12, 2010
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Good News!!
by: KERMIT

Monte,
Good news got the OS intalled most difficult part was getting the driver for the Networking card off the Motherboard disk would only install the drivers for the Intel chips and the video for Server 2003. Took a couple of hours to figure out how to access the correct drivers from a choice of 10. Cranked up a different computer with the same motherboard; located the correct one and some how managed by accident to install driver. It is a gigabite card. Dowloading all Server 2003 up dates at this time.

Guess I am going to have to up grade my router it is 100 gigabite and all of my new builds are 1000. But that will be another story.

Again thanks for your help and hope other readers will find the posts benificial.

Kermit

*** Edit Support ***

Congrats!

On the router speed, check with your ISP on the maximum speed in Bytes (not bits) per second that your connection can handle. Most are still under 750K Bytes, unless you have a 'T' connection as in a T1, T2, or T3.

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Windows Home Server Service Pack 1; will not install?

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Windows Home Server Service Pack 1; will not install?