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25982
May 19th, 2008 16:00
PowerEdge SC1420 BIOS does not detect CD-ROM
I had a PowerEdge SC1420 running with a PERC 320 DC controller and a Fujitsi 146 GB SCSI drive and Windows Server 2003. The only application that I had running on it was Quickbooks Database Server, with the company's data files.
I finally had a chance this weekend to add a second Fujitsu 146 GB SCSI drive. That went OK and afterward I could boot into the OS and see the second drive.
I did find any option available in the SCSI configuration utility or the RAID Storage Manager to expand the existing RAID 0 one disk array to a RAID 1 array, so I ended up deleting the RAID 0 array and creating the RAID 1 array. That looks fine from the SCSI configuration utility.
Of course, the array deletion removed access the operating system as well as the application. I have a fully licensed copy of the OS to re-install, and I had moved the Quickbooks company files to another computer and set it up to host access to the files and had tested that Quickbooks worked with that file before I had touched the server. I had never moved anything else to the server because I had suspected that I would eventually need to delete the original array and create a new one.
My problem is that the BIOS does not recognize the CD-ROM drive, so I cannot re-install the OS. The only boot options that come up in the Boot Device Menu are the floppy drive and the PERC 320 DC controller.
It's been a few years since I have dealt with an issue like this and I feel that I am not remembering something crucial. I am an accountant by trade but typically I am the first one used to address computer issues because of a chronic lack of funds for outside tech support.
I will keep researching this issue and come back to see if anyone can provide me with any answers or clues.
Peace...
at5147
884 Posts
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May 20th, 2008 03:00
david.j.wood
145 Posts
0
May 20th, 2008 11:00
Many Dell BIOSes only show devices in the F11 'one time boot menu' screen (or whatever key it is on your machine) if a device is enabled amongst the boot device choices in the BIOS configuration screens don't appear in the 'one time boot menu'.
Go into the BIOS screen and make sure amongst the Drive 0-5 options that the CD-ROM is recognised. If you can't get the drive recognised here you won't be able to boot from it (try cables, different motherboard ports, even a different drive).
Put the CD drive into the boot sequence. If this machine has a 'one time boot menu', put it in under the RAID controller - you can use that menu to override the boot sequence once. If it doesn't have a 'one time boot menu' you will need to put the CD-ROM higher than the RAID controller - though I'd move it back below the RAID controller afterwards to make sure that the machine boots even if a CD is accidentally left in the drive.
hafr
3 Posts
0
May 20th, 2008 16:00
So, I swapped out the CD-ROM for a known working CD-ROM of nearly identical type...no difference.
I then swapped out the CD-ROM's cable for a known working cable...no difference.
I finally found a list explaining the LED troubleshooting combinations and found that the server was telling me that there was a cable issue, so I disconnected and remounted every cable in the system...no difference.
I went back in to review the BIOS settings and realized that I had inadvertantly disabled the CD-ROM drive in the BIOS during an earlier phase.
The server now recognizes the CR-ROM. However, Windows Server 2003 setup does not have the necessary SCSI driver. I went through that back in January, so now I just to jump through that hoop again.
hafr
3 Posts
0
May 21st, 2008 01:00
OK, it came back to me and I downloaded the SCSI controller driver to feed to Windows Server 2003 during setup. I also had to download the Ethernet driver and install it after setup to access the network and Internet.
I was under the impression that I might have to do some additional configuration of the RAID 1 setup within Windows, but I wasn't very surprised to learn that the RAID 1 setup is transparent to Windows because it is being handled at the BIOS level.
Everything is good to go now, tomorrow I start adding applications and data.
Thanks for the responses and all of the support in these forums.