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What OS to run on 2850?
I've been running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit on a PowerEdge 2850 for several years with no difficulties. But now it's time to change, and I can't find anything that seems to work.
I've looked for other comment threads about this, and a few have looked promising. But even though the threads aren't very old, none of the links to resources/solutions still work. Dell apparently feels a need to move things around more or less at random, thus breaking links left and right.
I've tried Windows 10 Pro, Server 2019, and Server 2012 R2. They all do the same thing: The four-pane blue Windows thing appears for a while, and then the system just reboots with no message. For Server 2012, a few numbers flashed briefly at the top left corner, before rebooting; but nothing I could read.
I've read about some kind of "OS assistant" program or server management tool that others have used successfully, but again the links to it don't work.
The 2850 is set for basic SCSI drive functions, no fancy RAID options. I haven't been able to find any PERC 4 (is it?) drivers for any version of Windows. Or does it just need basic LSI SCSI drivers since I'm not using RAID? Seems like those would be included with Server 2019 and 2012, even if not included with Windows 10.
It also has only a CD reader, not DVD. So nothing that requires installing from DVD media, will work.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. The 2850 is too well-suited for its application to be retired. Even if I could afford to replace it, which I can't.
DELL-Chris H
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December 9th, 2019 07:00
Knick0,
As far as Windows Server is concerned, the latest I am showing supported would be Server 2008 R2. As far as Windows 10, it is a workstation OS so it isn't supported on the server.
Do you know if the 2850 has a Drac 4 installed, as that would give you the ability to mount the media virtually.
Knick0
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December 9th, 2019 13:00
Also, what I'm looking for is a replacement for Windows 7, which has End Of Life/End Of Support next month.
But so does Server 2008.
So Server 2008 is not a viable option.
Knick0
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December 9th, 2019 13:00
It does have the DRAC 4.
Windows 10 seems fine on the R710. And as indicated before, Windows 7 ran fine on the 2850.
A Google search turned up Community Forum threads where people were able to install and run Server 2012 on the 2850, by using drivers from Server 2003 or 2008, and/or by using some kind of Dell System Manager software (CD?) that assists in installing an OS on a system. But all the links in those threads are broken, so I can't find what they were using.
For example:
This forum thread shows Server 2012 running on a 2850. It also suggests that Server 2008 originally would not, without "help."
Meanwhile, within that thread, this link to the PERC 4 drivers is one of many that no longer works. It just goes to a generic support page.
DELL-Chris H
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December 12th, 2019 05:00
Knick0,
The tool that's being referenced is the Build and Update Utility , which you can boot to for assistance in installing the OS. As far as installing beyond 2008, it would be based on trial and error to see if the later OS's will install. The hold up will be the loss of Microsoft support for SCSI was after that Server 2008 time frame.
Knick0
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December 12th, 2019 23:00
It seems that what at least one of the commenters did, was install 2008 (or even 2003) and then upgrade to 2012, which apparently kept the SCSI drivers.
What concerns me too is that when I try installing 2012, it doesn't even get to the setup screen telling me that no hard drives are detected (due to lacking the SCSI drivers). All I get is the 4-pane blue Windows thing for a while, and then some flashing numbers and a reboot.
Maybe that install assistant thing, will help with that, somehow.
Does 2012 - or 2008 for that matter - require the No-Execute CPU feature, or maybe even virtualization? I know there were many CPU options over the life of the 2850, and the CPUs in mine don't have either of those.
Knick0
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December 19th, 2019 15:00
Also, I don't remember ever seeing CD media big enough for a 1.3 gig .iso.