[USED] Ultimate File Server - 24 Bay SuperMicro Opteron Servers w/24 Port RAID $299+

Ok, so I am just now out of room on my current server, so I am finally starting to setup this new server. I am trying to install win8 64bit onto it. Right now I am just using the stock dual core chip setup with 8gb ram. I keep getting stuck at the "setup is starting" screen. I get the language selection screen, and when I click next it just spins on the setup is starting. What am I missing?
 
I took the HDD out of the server. I put it into my desktop and was able to install windows onto it and boot to it with no problem. Took drive back to server and it says boot device not found. Check media and reboot. I have the drive installed in the top left bay. I can see the drive in bios. I have that as the only selected boot device. When I try to start the server though, it says no boot media found or something. I have been trying for hours now and its frustrating me. Do I have a hardware problem with my server or do I have a bad setting someplace?
 
Power5 said:
Ok, so I am just now out of room on my current server, so I am finally starting to setup this new server. I am trying to install win8 64bit onto it. Right now I am just using the stock dual core chip setup with 8gb ram. I keep getting stuck at the "setup is starting" screen. I get the language selection screen, and when I click next it just spins on the setup is starting. What am I missing?
Click to expand...

Any reason your using a desktop OS for a server.....

try with another OS and see if it hangs or not..

Only connect the drive you plan to put the OS on and nothing else..

remove the raid cards and connect a drive direct to the motherboard, could be the system has no drivers for this as it is old hardware.
 
I am not a server expert by any stretch. I know win8 and it does everything I need really. I tried installing 2011 and it hung at the driver search. So as you say, its probably the drive cards. I will try installing it to the sata on the mobo and see if that works. Makes sense since it does not see the drive with the OS on it. Sees the drive in bios, but not on boot.
 
So I pulled the cards and connected the OS drive to the mobo I get the same error during boot. The only boot device I have enabled is the Sata0 on the board. Bios sees the drive just fine just cant boot from it for some reason.
 
I have tried my WHS2011 disc from what I installed on my poweredge. I got to select the HDD I have connected to the SATA0 port. Then it did its thing and popped up saying that I needed to insert media for drivers. I had no problems installing WHS2011 on my poweredge. Do I need to get the mobo drivers from some place?

According to this page, WHS2011 is not compatible with the mobo.
http://www.supermicro.com/aplus/support/resources/OS/OS_Compatibility2.cfm

Anyway to make this compatible with win8 or WHS2011? I thought I saw that people had installed. I think I may have a vista disc someplace. If I install that can I update it to w7 then to w8 or something?
 
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I installed win8 from USB flash without issues.

I upgraded the BIOS to the latest version, but that was the only thing I did before swapping to dual 6 core cpu's and installing Win8.

EDIT: I should mention, this was onto a standard 128GB SSD connected to the Mobo.
 
So I should flash the BIOS to the newest version then I guess. Do you have the link to that BIOS? Not sure how a BIOS flash would help, but dunno. Also not sure how installing from a USB would be any different than installing from the DVD drive connected to the IDE cable in the case. Definitely starting to piss me off.

Supermicro just told me that if its not on the supported OS list they cannot say if it should work or not. Thanks.

Same mobo on both versions, but did you have the QC or DC version to start with?
 
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So if I update my BIOS via the link found on this page:
http://www.supermicro.com/Aplus/motherboard/Opteron2000/MCP55/H8DME-2.cfm
I should be able to use a USB flash drive to do so? I do not have any floppy drives at this point so a USB or burned to DVD is my only option for flashing a new BIOS.

So I disabled all the PCI slots. I tried installing windows 8 without a bios update yet. It failed at the setup is starting screen again. Put in WHS and I am past the copying files part and its on the second step. Has not gotten past 0% yet but the dots are still moving so thats promising. If I can get WHS to install I will then try win8 with the updated BIOS.
 
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WHS failed. Could not get the 2nd step to go past 0%. Went back to the basement to find that it had an error. Not sure what it was, but asked if I wanted to restart. Checked the logs and the last thing it said was that it was trying to start the windows 7 install. Not sure why it said that, but I guess WHS 2011 and Win 7 used the same install wizard?



I hope that I can get the BIOS to flash so I can get an OS installed.

Wes: Would you mind giving me some particulars on your steps for updating the BIOS and installing win8? What settings did you use in the BIOS?
 
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Ok. I used rufus to create a bootable flash drive. I copied the bios onto it. I turned the USB 1 device where the flash drive is inserted into a floppy emulator since when on Auto, it would not do anything. Now it boots to the flash drive it seems but it just stops at the FreeDos prompt and just has a blinking cursor. I am using a USB keyboard as that is all I have. Keyboard works during post to get into bios and works just fine in bios. Is there some reason its not working when it gets to the freedos prompt or is there some other issue causing it not to give me a prompt I can use?
 
I am not sure how any of you guys got an OS installed. You make it sound easy. "Just dropped in a drive and an OS file and were up and running in no time." I have updated the bios to 3.5. I have pulled every card out of the mobo except for one stick of ram and the CPU. I have tried using a CD of win8, win7 and WHS2011. ALL fail during install. If I reset the mobo by pulling the battery, I can get win8 to allow me to input the product key. I can get win7 and WHS2011 to allow me to pick the drive I want to install to. With Win7 and WHS2011 it goes to the next phase and tells me its copying windows files. Then moves onto the extracting windows files. This is where it hangs up. It just stays at 0%. Its showing the dots moving like its doing something, but never gets anywhere. I have let it do its thing for 30 minutes with not a single % change. With Win8 it just hangs on the product key page after typing it in and clicking next. Nothing happens after over 30 minutes as well. No settings I change in BIOS make any difference. What is the one trick that I am missing to get past the first step of the OS install?
 
Sorry to hear you are having troubles Power5. I bet it is very frustrating.

Try posting in the avsforum thread. They seem to be more active over there about this server.
 
Carisma said:
Sorry to hear you are having troubles Power5. I bet it is very frustrating.

Try posting in the avsforum thread. They seem to be more active over there about this server.
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qft, not sure how many times it's been mentioned in this thread, but nearly everything you want to know has been discussed in that thread. (not just related to Power5's issues)
 
Finally got it working. Not sure if it was the DVD drive or what. I created a USB win8 install and it seems to have possibly been the fix I needed. I did check that AVS thread a few times and got the sat2-mv8 updated drivers from there so windows could recognize my 3TB drives I have. Now formatting all my old drives from my old server. Have backed up all my files to my (3) 4tb externals.
 
Any recommendations for something similar to this? Looking for 16 bay (3U) or higher.
 
I snagged one of these from my old employer that got new SAN controllers. Gutted it and put in new hardware.

Supermicro 3U
 
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For those still wanting one of these they are back up again.

This time intel flavored. Snagged another one for a total of 3 and a norco! GF is going to kill me.
 
erebus720 said:
For those still wanting one of these they are back up again.

This time intel flavored. Snagged another one for a total of 3 and a norco! GF is going to kill me.
Click to expand...

Links? Or the ones in the OP still good? Sorry, being lazy. :D
 
I just installed a Tt TR2 600w PSU in place of the dual 900w and the thing is whisper quiet now. Such an amazing upgrade. Definitely recommended to anyone.
 
I ordered two @ $319.99 each + $80 shipping per (aka free shipping), had to get rack shelves elsewhere.
 
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