Problem installing Windows 2K Server on SC 1435

Question

So I had to buy a PE SC1435 for work and as we've done in the past the server was ordered with Server 2K3 with the intention of installing 2K SP4. In the past the Dell setup discs have given the option for W2K and W2K3, however this system only comes with the W2K3 option.

No big deal I thought, d/l the drivers for the SAS RAID card and I should be able to use a floppy disk when W2K Server setup asks for newer SCSI drivers. I did this using a USB floppy drive. The problem comes in when W2K Server goes to begin copying files to the HDD after formatting the drive. What happens is the system asks for the SCSI drivers from the floppy, but for some reason I can no longer get the system to recognize the USB floppy! This means exiting the install and it never completes.

What I need to know is an easy way to install these drivers properly so that I can finally get W2K server up and running.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Mark_A_Smith · Answer

Forgot to add: You MUST be using 2K with SP4 slipstreamed into the media.

Mark_A_Smith · Answer

Boot into the F2 BIOS setup with the floppy attached.  Go to Boot Sequence.  Move the USB floppy to the TOP of the boot order AND remove the checkmark from it.  Save and exit.  Try again...

slerch666 · Answer

Excellent. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the help!

Mark_A_Smith · Answer

Please realise that this may just be a waste of time.  We never certified 2K on the SC1435 and I have never tried to load it up in the lab.    My only other suggestion would be to try out NLite.  You can use it to create the SP4 slipstream and also integrate the Perc/NIC and other drivers right into the OS CD.  We have had great success with getting this to work with other platforms.

slerch666 · Answer

I created a slipstreamed SP4 W2K install disc using an SP3 CD as the base. I also set the floppy drive up as you suggested. The problem persists. I believe the second time 2K is asking for the SCSI driver disk, the reason it can't see the floppy is that it no longer sees USB devices. Any other ideas? I checked inside to see if there is a floppy connector, just to see if I could get away with using a floppy drive from another system. No dice (as expected). I may just give up and put 2K3 on here and pay too much for terminal services licenses to connect machines to it.

slerch666 · Answer

It may be a waste of time, but I like a challenge every once in a while. ;-) I checked out NLite and I have to say that's a darn nice piece of software! I used the driver disk I created for the SAS device, chose to have the install add it and guess what? The installation worked like a champ! Freaking awesome. I DID walk away from it while it was getting ready to boot for real the first time, but I'm confident it will work. I should have thought ahead and added the NIC and video drivers, but that's what I get for thinking. Thanks for the time and assistance!

atlantisnet · Answer

Did you get this working? I tried to create a CD using nLite but each time I boot from the CD, I get an error that says:
"The file lsi_sas.sys could not be found."

This file is on the CD. nLite put a file named "LSI_SAS.SY_" in the \i386 folder of the Windows 2000 SP4 CD.

I downloaded the drivers named "SAS5iR_WS03x86_1.24.04.00.exe" at:
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/format.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&deviceid=10269&libid=46&releaseid=R150416&vercnt=3&formatcnt=0&SystemID=PWE_XEO_1435SC&servicetag=&os=WNT5&osl=en&catid=-1&impid=-1

I see there are some other files on that page. Are these the correct ones?

The drivers I am trying to use are as follows:

07/21/2001 05:30 PM 22,048 cocpyinf.dll
08/09/2005 06:44 AM 1,015 delpseud.inf
03/05/2007 07:07 AM 13,027 lsi_sas.cat
02/09/2007 10:21 PM 6,691 lsi_sas.inf
02/09/2007 09:53 PM 347,136 lsi_sas.pdb
02/09/2007 09:53 PM 93,184 lsi_sas.sys
03/07/2001 10:39 AM 3 lsi_sas.tag
05/21/2007 01:50 PM 0 sas.txt
02/26/2007 10:45 PM 4,641 SAS5iR_WS03x86_1.24.04.00.txt
02/09/2007 11:05 PM 3,660 symmpi.dbg
02/09/2007 11:05 PM 369,664 symmpi.pdb
02/09/2007 11:05 PM 104,496 symmpi.sys
12/07/2006 08:12 AM 5,060 txtsetup.oem

Message Edited by atlantisnet on 05-21-2007 02:05 PM

slerch666 · Answer

I did get it to work. Are you sure you added the drivers correctly using NLite? It's been a while since I set this up so I'm trying to recall all the details of the software. You may want to add video and NIC drivers to the install as well to avoid a reboot or 2.

atlantisnet · Answer

I'm pretty sure I added them correctly. I simply clicked on the 'Driver' button in the 'Integrate' button on the 'Task Selection' window. On the 'Drivers' window, I clicked the 'Insert' button and selected 'Single Driver'. I browsed to the folder I extracted the driver files to and selected the 'lsi_sas.inf' file (I also tried the delpseud.inf file -- same result). Finally I selected 'Textmode driver' and the 'Dell SAS 5x and SAS 6c Controller Driver (Windows 2000)'. I see there is an option for 'Regular PNP driver'. Did you use that?

slerch666 · Answer

I'm pretty sure I used the PnP driver option, not the text mode as I believe the drivers Dell provides are the PnP drivers. If I had an option to make it so you could download it, I'd make an ISO of the disc I created.

atlantisnet · Answer

Thanks for your help slerch666!

I finally got it working. What I did was create a new copy of Windows 2000 into a folder on my hard drive. It seems as if nLite made changes to the original one I made. I then edited the txtsetup.oem file to only contain information about the Windows 2000 driver (symmpi). Finally I made a new CD using nLite. I selected single driver, delpseud.inf, Testmode driver. At this point I selected the "Dell SAS 5x and SAS 6x Controller Driver (Windows 2000) option. By the way, since I made the change to the txtsetup.oem file, this was the only driver shown. I then made the CD and it worked!

Here is a copy of my altered txtsetup.oem file:

# txtsetup.oem - version S2003.2 for symmpi Windows Server 2000 driver
#
# ***********************************************************************
# *
# Copyright 2006 LSI Logic, Corp. All rights reserved. *
# *
# This file is property of LSI Logic, Corp. and is licensed for *
# use as is. The receipt of or posession of this file does not *
# convey any rights to modify its contents, in whole, or in part, *
# without the specific written consent of LSI Logic, Corp. *
# *
# ***********************************************************************
#
# format for txtsetup.oem.
#
# General format:
#
# [section]
# key = value1,value2,...
#
#
# The hash ('#') introduces a comment.
# Strings with embedded spaces, commas, or hashes should be double-quoted
#

[Disks]

# This section lists all disks in the disk set.
#
# is a descriptive name for a disk, used when
# prompting for the disk
# is a file whose presence allows setup to recognize
# that the disk is inserted.
# is where the files are located on the disk.
#

d1 = "Dell SAS 5x and SAS 6X Controller Driver (Windows 2000)",\lsi_sas.tag,\

[Defaults]

# This section lists the default selection for each 'required'
# hardware component. If a line is not present for a component,
# the default defaults to the first item in the []
# section (see below).
#
# is one of computer, display, keyboard, mouse, scsi
# is a unique string to be associated
# with an option.

scsi = DELL_SAS_2K

[scsi]

# This section lists the options available for a particular component.
#
# is the unique string for the option
# is a text string, presented to the user in a menu
# gives the name of the key to be created for the component in
# HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ControlSet001\Services

DELL_SAS_2K = "Dell SAS 5x and SAS 6x Controller Driver (Windows 2000)",symmpi

[HardwareIds.scsi.DELL_SAS_2K]
id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0054&SUBSYS_1F041028", "symmpi"
id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0054&SUBSYS_1F061028", "symmpi"
id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0054&SUBSYS_1F071028", "symmpi"
id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0054&SUBSYS_1F081028", "symmpi"
id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0054&SUBSYS_1F091028", "symmpi"
id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0058&SUBSYS_1F0E1028", "symmpi"
id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0058&SUBSYS_1F0F1028", "symmpi"
id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0058&SUBSYS_1F101028", "symmpi"
id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0058&SUBSYS_021D1028", "symmpi"

# This section lists the files that should be copied if the user
# selects a particular component option.
#
# is one of driver, port, class, dll, hal, inf, or detect.
# See below.
# identifies where the file is to be copied from, and must
# match en entry in the [Disks] section.
# is the name of the file. This will be appended to the
# directory specified for the disk in the [Disks] section to form the
# full path of the file on the disk.

[Files.scsi.DELL_SAS_2K]
driver = d1,symmpi.sys,SYMMPI
inf = d1,lsi_sas.inf
inf = d1,delpseud.inf
driver = d1,cocpyinf.dll,none
catalog = d1,lsi_sas.cat

[Config.SYMMPI]
value = Parameters\PnpInterface,5,REG_DWORD,1

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Problem installing Windows 2K Server on SC 1435

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