OS cannot start on ML530 following Disk Admin and Smartstart

[magicka]

I keep getting this problem.This is a brand new server running Raid 5 with Parity with online spare. I load NT 4 server, once up I run SP6a then IE6 then Smartstart having configured a 3999mb NTFS boot partition. I go into Disk Administrator to partition and format the additional drive space (69GB) and shuffle the drive letters correctly. I exit Disk Administrator and go into Compaq array drive utility to check and all is well so I reboot.

On reboot following the POST (showing 1 logical drive and correctly identifying SCSI devices) I get the following error "Intel Boot Agent Version 3.0.05 PXE-E61:Media Test Failure - Check Cable PXE-M0F: Exiting Intel PXE ROM Error Loading OS.

This makes little sense as I have already been able to boot into NT successfully and run updates etc so cant be a cable problem. So the problem is either what I did in Disk Admin or following the Smartstart Installation.

I am rapidly losing patience here!

Thanks

 

[TheLad]

The changes you have made may affect what boot partition number the system partition thinks it is. You may have to amend BOOT.INI to get the OS to boot.

However, to edit BOOT.INI, your system partition has to be FAT not NTFS. The only other way is to create a bootable floppy disk with NTLDR and other files on. Someone else with better experience at doing this can carry on from here.... -----------------------------------------------------
"It's true, its damn true!"
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[magicka]

Seeing as the server has no data on I merely reinstalled NT Server and made sure that when I partitioned the remaining disk space I didnt choose 'Mark as Active'/

All working now!

Thanks for the assistance

 

[TheLad]

The "Mark as Active" option sets the bootable drive, so your old system config was probably trying to boot from the volume you created. -----------------------------------------------------
"It's true, its damn true!"
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