Win2k3 & PowerEdge 2450 - won't install

[rileymartin]

Help!

I tried installing Windows Server 2003 and each time I get the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 logo and the little status bar moving from left to right and that's when I get a stop error, or the system hangs. I tried the installation about 20 times so far with same result. I ran full diagnostics from the utility partition and no errors were reported on any hardware. During the server installations I tried the following so far:

1) Swapped out memory, hard drives, SCSI back plane.
2) Updated PERC & BIOS firmware.
3) Tried installing with the PERC and also tried installing using the onboard SCSI conroller.
4) Installed using server assistant.
5) Installed not using server assistant.
6) Tried windows server 2003 microsoft original media.
7) Tried windows server 2003 sp1 slipstream.
8) Tried installing as NTFS.
9) Tried installing as FAT32.

I'm out of ideas on what to do/try. I haven't been able to find any useful information on Dell or Microsoft or anywhere else. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Any help would be greatly appreicated. Thanks.

 

[LawnBoy]

What is the stop error?


"We must fall back upon the old axiom that when all other contingencies fail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[rileymartin]

I'm using the latest server assist CD from Dell. The filename I downloaded is 4.5_ISM_A00.ISO. I am using that along with a slipstream I made of Win2k3 Enterprise server sp1. Both the server assist CD and Win2k3 CDs work fine for installations on a PowerEdge 2550. Just not with this 2450.

Sometimes I get the following error:

*** Hardware Malfunction

Call your hardware vendor for support

*** The system has halted

I get this error after the windows setup process. After copying the files from the Windows server 2003 sp1 CD the server reboots, I get the Windows logo status screen, it finishes copying files and then goes to the grey screen where it says the following:

The type of the file system is FAT32
A disk check has been scheduled.
To skip disk checking, press any key within 10 seconds
Windows will now check the disk.
Volume serial Number is 4715-FF7E
Windows is verifying files and folders...
3 percent completed..

Usually it hangs during the countdown. For the first time it actually started checking the drives but hung after 3%. I just rebooted and it got past the countdown and got hung right after saying Windows is verifying files and folders... Usually it just hangs and every once in a while I get a stop error. After a few reboots I got it to produce the below stop error:

MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION

STOP 0x0000009c (0x00000001, 0xF772D2B0, 0XB2000000, 0X00000115)

I checked out all the connections again, re-connected everything, CPU's, voltage regulator, all data/power cables... Everything....

One thing I did fined was that the two CPUs in this Dell server are labled Compaq. I bought this server used and now I found there are Compaq CPUs in this server. I guess a CPU is a CPU. I don't know if CPUs are manufactured differently for Dell and Compaq.

 

[LawnBoy]

I suspect you have the wrong PERC driver.


"We must fall back upon the old axiom that when all other contingencies fail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[rileymartin]

Thanks for the reply.

I tried installing with the PERC controller and then without the PERC controller. I removed it from the system and got the same error.

 

[LawnBoy]

Are you running a RAID array? If so the PERC is the device that manages the array and you MUST use it with drivers that are appropriate for the firmware level.


"We must fall back upon the old axiom that when all other contingencies fail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[rileymartin]

When I had the PERC 2/DC in the server I used the latest driver that I downloaded from Dell's site. I selected the model of the server and then drivers/updates and downloaded the driver from the array controllers section. When I added the driver through the GUI setup it displayed a list of PERC drivers and I made sure to select the 2/DC driver.

When I removed the PERC from the system I connected the internal cage to the SCSI-A connector on the motherboard. I then re-installed and used the windows supplied driver.

Both ways gave me the same result.

 

[LawnBoy]

When installing the drivers, did you hit F6 early in the load or did you do it later on when windows asked you to?


"We must fall back upon the old axiom that when all other contingencies fail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[rileymartin]

I believe I did it early in the load, right after post.

 

[LawnBoy]

Then I'm at a loss as well. It must be a hardware problem, and that only leaves the motherboard/processors... Since the PERC runs off of the onboard SCSI controller, if it was bad the PERC wouldn't work either...

In the PERC config, will the array initialize? If so, that suggests that the disk subsystem is fine.


"We must fall back upon the old axiom that when all other contingencies fail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[rileymartin]

The PERC 2/DC is an add in card and everything with the creation/initialization of the array worked fine. I did it over and over again with each new attempted installation.

I also removed the PERC 2/DC add in card from the system and used the SCSI controller that's integrated into the motherboard and had the same issues there as well.

 

[LawnBoy]

I'm out of suggestions, sorry.


"We must fall back upon the old axiom that when all other contingencies fail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[rileymartin]

Thank you for your help.

I don't think there's anything that can help at this point. Everthing is pointing to a hardware issue. I guess it's either the CPUs or the motherboard.

 

[normntwrk]

Try installing a different OS like Linux as a test

 

[xwire]

I know you said that you swapped out memory. Can you just run the minimal amount of ram and see if you get the same result?