Hi,

Are you able to provide the blue screen stop codes? 

Can you try using 2.1. Using the LifeCycle Controller in this article: https://dell.to/3edJCau if it helps.

Hi Joey

T40 has no LifeCycle controller.

What other options we have?

Regards

Hi @Steve Bungay,

You are right. That passed my thought on T40 ability. Seems to be quite straight forward installation with OS media. 

Are you having issues? What OS are you trying to install? T40 seems to be limited to only few OS. 

Hi Joey

I am trying to install Windows Server 2019 and it has become a nightmare. 

The Server does not recognise UEFI NTFS USB key without legacy media selected. Once we install using legacy media option, it does not boot from hard drive.

BIOS has very limited options and almost all advise on forums is either incomplete or misleading e.g. may experts do not know that T40 does not come with Lifecycle controller.

Dell support has spent more than 8 hours so far without any success. 

It will help if you can give me step by step instructions on how to create media, specifically the formats because I understand the USB can be recognised only when formatted FAT32.

Regards

Hi,

Could you let me know more about how you create the OS media? Are you using Rufus? If it's Rufus, the partition scheme is GPT and target system is UEFI non-CSM right? And the file system is FAT32 (as default)? Can you give me a screenshot of the media creation settings that you have used.

What is the server's BIOS settings on Advance Boot Options?

The WIM file is too large for FAT32, so you have to split it.

1. Mount ISO by double-clicking it in Windows.
2. Run the following command to split the install.wim file:

dism /Split-Image /ImageFile:e:\sources\install.wim /SWMFile:k:\sources\install.swm /FileSize:4096

-Assumes E: is your mounted ISO
-K: is the location where you will copy the SWM files (split WIM file)

3. Run diskpart.exe, then the following commands:

select disk 1 (assumes disk 1 is your flash drive, 'list disk' to be sure!)
clean
create partition primary
active
format fs=fat32 quick
assign
exit

4. Run the following command to copy all the install files except the WIM file (which is too large), this will take several minutes to complete:

echo install.wim > list.txt | xcopy f:\*.* /s/e/f /exclude:list.txt d: | del list.txt

5. Run the following command to copy the SWM files to the installation flash drive:

copy K:\sources\*.swm F:\sources

-Assumes K: is still the location where you saved the SWM files.
-Assumes F: is the letter assigned to your flash drive.

You can usually use Rufus, but it has been pretty hit/miss for me.

Hi Joey

Sorry, just saw it.

When I created the disk using GPT - UEFI non CSM setting, it was not recognised when I used UEFI setting with External Legacy media disabled.

One of the posts stated that there is some firmware issue and FAT 32 is recognised. I then created a USB with FAT32, MBR, UEFI Non CSM, NTFS. This showed up during the boot. The installation however did not proceed with error message - UEFI:NTFS "Could not locate '\efi\boot\bootx64.efi': [14] Not Found

Next time, I created another disk with the above and it is not showing in boot sequence.

Other tried options GPT - UEFI non CSM with Legacy Boot enabled. This allows installation but after installation, does not boot from the hard drive. I have to keep the USB inserted. It then boots from hard disk.

Regards

Hi @Steve Bungay,

Thanks for the installation methods that you have tested. So it seems that Rufus's GPT UEFI non CSM works with Legacy boot enable but you need to keep the USB attached. What if you change the boot list to UEFI back after installing on Legacy boot enable?

Are you able to try using FAT32 with GPT UEFI non CSM?

Found someone writing a guide to create USB media for installation: https://dell.to/3eM9r0t

Hi Joey,

See below:

What if you change the boot list to UEFI back after installing on Legacy boot enable? Does not boot and Goes to F1,F2, F5 Options screen

Are you able to try using FAT32 with GPT UEFI non CSM? Does not boot and Goes to F1,F2, F5 Options screen

I had screen the article you mention. Also tried option NTFS with MBR UEFI non CSM. It does not work.

Only FAT 32 is recognised when Legacy Boot is not selected.