Help with installing Win2003 on a Dell PowerEdge 750; Setup cannot find the hard drive?

[spanky]

someone at work saw that i was staying late, so they asked me to do them a favor and install win2003 on a server. he gave me instructions and cd key... sounded simple enough. i rebooted the server and booted off the cd. after setup completed loading a whole bunch of misc files, i press "enter" to set up windows, but it gives me the following error:

"setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer.

make sure any disk drives are powered on and properly connected to your compiter, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is correct. this may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostic or setup program.

setup cannot continue. to quit setup, press f3."

now, i am pretty sure that i probably have to install drivers for the adaptec raid controller. when i hit "F6" during the initial stages of setup, i get to a screen where it tells me i can install drivers from a floppy or whatever, but this server does not have a floppy disk drive. and even if it did... i do not have the adaptec drivers.

does anyone have any suggestions as to how to proceed with this problem? i admit that i could be totally off base with my assumption above, so please call me a "dumbass" and point me in the right direction

 

[networkman]

I suggest you install a floppy drive temporarily and get the appropriate drivers onto a 1.44 disk. The OS doesn't appear to accept any alternative methods.

Just last week I did my own install of 2003(MS Promotional Copy(NFR)) and that was the only way I could find for loading SATA drivers for the PCI card I was using in my server with the WD 36 Gig Raptor drive.

 

[spanky]

thanx for the input networkman. someone told me i might need to get some dell cd's and load the drivers before the OS? i dont know how that could make sense but....

 

[spanky]

basically, it comes down to this...

i have a poweredge 750 that does not have a floppy disk drive. i am supposed to install windows server 2003. i think it's got two sata drives that are plugged into an adaptec sata raid controller. windows setup needs to have 3rd party drivers loaded for the adaptec sata raid controller, or else setup does not recognize any drives. do i have any hope of getting this thing to work?

 

[phisrow]

You'll need either to use a floppy, as much as that sucks Windows just doesn't play any other way, or slipstream the drivers into the install disk.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314859/en-us describes your problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/814847/en-us and/or http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316037/en-us may be what you are looking for. A nuisance, I know; but it's the best way I know of.

 

[Smilin]

The hard way:

put a floppy in and F6, or pre-populate your install media with the drivers.


The easy way:
Use the Dell server install CD which will build an unattended setup for you then prompt for media as needed.

 

[mparr1708]

Easiest way if you have no floppy is to go to dells website and download the server assistant cd.

Heres a link to the CD download page:

LINKY

Now this will come down as an ISO. Just use your favorite burning software to burn the CD and then boot the server from the newly burned CD. It should boot into a Dell version of linux and you can just follow the on screen instructions from that point.

 

[spanky]

thanx for the support guys. i gave up last night and emailed the engineer who asked me to do the install. i just told him i was screwed without the dell cd.