Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers

**Brad** · September 29th, 2006

I am in a bit of a conundrum. At my office, we ordered a nice new server to put in our lab (Dual 3.2 Xeon, 2GB RAM, 2 73GB SCSI HDDs etc....). We are trying to install Win2k3 Server onto this server and are running into an issue where the Windows installer can't see the drives. We realize that it must be a RAID/SCSI controller issue, and pehaps just a driver issue.

We need to be able to get the drivers onto the server, but the server does not have a floppy drive.

Any suggestions?

**kcnychief** · September 29th, 2006

Find out what the drivers are and slipstream it to your installation CD. Either that, or find a floppy and hook it up for the interim, whichever you think is easier.

**Brad** · September 29th, 2006

I am willing to do the slipstream, but wanted to see if there were any other creative people on here willing to take a crack at another way.
The server is a blade server, so it does not have a drive bay to just plug a drive into.

**kcnychief** · September 29th, 2006

Not really sure what creative way you could do besides a slipstream. You don't need a drive bay, while it's not IDEAL by any means, you could open the case and hang the drive out by the side.

I wouldn't recommend it, but it could be viewed as creative

**Brad** · September 29th, 2006

Haha, I will go ahead and slipstream the disc. Rep++

**fitz** · September 29th, 2006

can it recognize a USB floppy drive?

**Brad** · September 29th, 2006

I don't think it can. I have a floppy drive that I can use, just not the cable to connect it.

**kcnychief** · September 29th, 2006

That's a viable option, and quite frankly I'd be shocked if your BIOS didn't support it at this point. You don't have to boot to it, just make sure your PC can detect it.

**Brad** · September 29th, 2006

I'll see if I can find a cable because I would rather be able to do that then have to slipstream a CD

**Admiral Michael** · September 29th, 2006

Well wouldn't a slipstreamed CD bve more future-proof? By this I mean, you would'nt need to install a floppy if you ever have to format. Just use the specialized CD.

**kcnychief** · September 29th, 2006

Not necessarily - if it's a server I would assume you would be restoring from backup going forward, wether it's tape or images.

In the case of a workstation, I would agree with you though.

**Admiral Michael** · September 30th, 2006

True, but in those extreme cases a slipstreamed cd would be faster.

**Shamus MacNoob** · September 30th, 2006

Originally Posted by Brad

I am in a bit of a conundrum. At my office, we ordered a nice new server to put in our lab (Dual 3.2 Xeon, 2GB RAM, 2 73GB SCSI HDDs etc....). We are trying to install Win2k3 Server onto this server and are running into an issue where the Windows installer can't see the drives. We realize that it must be a RAID/SCSI controller issue, and pehaps just a driver issue.

We need to be able to get the drivers onto the server, but the server does not have a floppy drive.

Any suggestions?

Who makes this server ? The ones we use all come with there own boot disks and are easy to setup, you just insert the cd and go .

**kcnychief** · September 30th, 2006

Good chance it was bought without an Operating System, either that or they wanted to modify the configuration (software) that was already on there.

**Shamus MacNoob** · September 30th, 2006

OS or not they still supply the software drivers or least least they do where I come from

**kcnychief** · September 30th, 2006

Well even if they did supply the software drivers, that wouldn't do him any good if he only has one optical drive and it's in use with the OS Install CD

He still would need to slipstream or use a FDD. He wasn't asking about the drivers, he was asking about a way to access them while trying to install so the OS can see his HDD.

**Brad** · September 30th, 2006

It is a Dell server and it was bought without an Operating System

**Shamus MacNoob** · September 30th, 2006

Originally Posted by kcnychief

Well even if they did supply the software drivers, that wouldn't do him any good if he only has one optical drive and it's in use with the OS Install CD

He still would need to slipstream or use a FDD. He wasn't asking about the drivers, he was asking about a way to access them while trying to install so the OS can see his HDD.

Not with the ones we get with smart start you boot with the drivers and when needed it asks for the OS these are HP and its called "smart start" its not an OS just the needed boot up cd with drivers... guess maybe you could call Dell and ask what they have to offer ...

drz01 · September 30th, 2006

Why not put the driver in a usb pen drive? You can usually make one of these drives bootable. Just place your system drivers on this pen drive.

**Brad** · September 30th, 2006

As stated earlier, the USB is not bootable on this computer. The only thing that I can boot from are the HDD, The CD drive, or NIC.

It turns out that I am going to need the drivers too. The ones on the Dell website are completely useless (you have to install them on the server once it is already running). There is no INF file in the bunch (that I can see anyway) to slipstream with.

I'm stuck.

September 29th, 2006	Top \| #1
Brad OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: March 2002 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 2,276 Blog Entries: 1 Reputation: 1552 Power: 158	Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers I am in a bit of a conundrum. At my office, we ordered a nice new server to put in our lab (Dual 3.2 Xeon, 2GB RAM, 2 73GB SCSI HDDs etc....). We are trying to install Win2k3 Server onto this server and are running into an issue where the Windows installer can't see the drives. We realize that it must be a RAID/SCSI controller issue, and pehaps just a driver issue. We need to be able to get the drivers onto the server, but the server does not have a floppy drive. Any suggestions?

September 29th, 2006	Top \| #2
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 302	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers Find out what the drivers are and slipstream it to your installation CD. Either that, or find a floppy and hook it up for the interim, whichever you think is easier. XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief

September 29th, 2006	Top \| #3
Brad OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: March 2002 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 2,276 Blog Entries: 1 Reputation: 1552 Power: 158	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers I am willing to do the slipstream, but wanted to see if there were any other creative people on here willing to take a crack at another way. The server is a blade server, so it does not have a drive bay to just plug a drive into.

September 29th, 2006	Top \| #4
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 302	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers Not really sure what creative way you could do besides a slipstream. You don't need a drive bay, while it's not IDEAL by any means, you could open the case and hang the drive out by the side. I wouldn't recommend it, but it could be viewed as creative XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief

September 29th, 2006	Top \| #5
Brad OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: March 2002 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 2,276 Blog Entries: 1 Reputation: 1552 Power: 158	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers Haha, I will go ahead and slipstream the disc. Rep++

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September 29th, 2006	Top \| #6
fitz *XPista7eopardix Joined: April 2004 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 4,014 Reputation: 2947 Power: 164**	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers can it recognize a USB floppy drive? Hee-hee! Evil makes my buttocks tingle.

September 29th, 2006	Top \| #7
Brad OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: March 2002 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 2,276 Blog Entries: 1 Reputation: 1552 Power: 158	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers I don't think it can. I have a floppy drive that I can use, just not the cable to connect it.

September 29th, 2006	Top \| #8
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 302	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers That's a viable option, and quite frankly I'd be shocked if your BIOS didn't support it at this point. You don't have to boot to it, just make sure your PC can detect it. XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief

September 29th, 2006	Top \| #9
Brad OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: March 2002 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 2,276 Blog Entries: 1 Reputation: 1552 Power: 158	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers I'll see if I can find a cable because I would rather be able to do that then have to slipstream a CD

September 29th, 2006	Top \| #10
Admiral Michael Michaelsoft Systems CEO Joined: February 2003 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Canada Earth Posts: 3,125 Blog Entries: 8 Reputation: 2216 Power: 163	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers Well wouldn't a slipstreamed CD bve more future-proof? By this I mean, you would'nt need to install a floppy if you ever have to format. Just use the specialized CD. Apple MacBook Pro Intel Quad-Core i7 2GHz \| Corsair 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Memory \| WD 750GB 7200RPM Black Edition SATA Hard Drive \| Intel HD Graphics 3000/AMD Radeon HD 6490M 256MB GDDR5 \| 15.4" LED backlit glossy screen @ 1440x900 \| Dual Band Airport Wireless/Bluetooth \| Gigabit Ethernet \| Thunderbolt I/O \| Built-in Webcam \| Backlit Keyboard \| Firewire 800 \| DVDRW \| OS X Lion 10.7.1 My Site \| My DVD Collection \| Your Chevrolet Guy

September 29th, 2006	Top \| #11
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 302	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers Not necessarily - if it's a server I would assume you would be restoring from backup going forward, wether it's tape or images. In the case of a workstation, I would agree with you though. XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief

September 30th, 2006	Top \| #12
Admiral Michael Michaelsoft Systems CEO Joined: February 2003 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Canada Earth Posts: 3,125 Blog Entries: 8 Reputation: 2216 Power: 163	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers True, but in those extreme cases a slipstreamed cd would be faster. Apple MacBook Pro Intel Quad-Core i7 2GHz \| Corsair 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Memory \| WD 750GB 7200RPM Black Edition SATA Hard Drive \| Intel HD Graphics 3000/AMD Radeon HD 6490M 256MB GDDR5 \| 15.4" LED backlit glossy screen @ 1440x900 \| Dual Band Airport Wireless/Bluetooth \| Gigabit Ethernet \| Thunderbolt I/O \| Built-in Webcam \| Backlit Keyboard \| Firewire 800 \| DVDRW \| OS X Lion 10.7.1 My Site \| My DVD Collection \| Your Chevrolet Guy

September 30th, 2006	Top \| #13
Shamus MacNoob OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: January 2002 Location: Brossard,Quebec Posts: 4,199 Blog Entries: 1 Reputation: 1481 Power: 178	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers Originally Posted by Brad I am in a bit of a conundrum. At my office, we ordered a nice new server to put in our lab (Dual 3.2 Xeon, 2GB RAM, 2 73GB SCSI HDDs etc....). We are trying to install Win2k3 Server onto this server and are running into an issue where the Windows installer can't see the drives. We realize that it must be a RAID/SCSI controller issue, and pehaps just a driver issue. We need to be able to get the drivers onto the server, but the server does not have a floppy drive. Any suggestions? Who makes this server ? The ones we use all come with there own boot disks and are easy to setup, you just insert the cd and go . ASUS PN5-E SLI,Intel E8400,2 x 8800GTX 768mb SLI,ASUS VW266H 26 inch LCD, 8 GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer, Silverstone Strider 850watt PSU.Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit.

September 30th, 2006	Top \| #14
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 302	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers Good chance it was bought without an Operating System, either that or they wanted to modify the configuration (software) that was already on there. XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief

September 30th, 2006	Top \| #15
Shamus MacNoob OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: January 2002 Location: Brossard,Quebec Posts: 4,199 Blog Entries: 1 Reputation: 1481 Power: 178	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers OS or not they still supply the software drivers or least least they do where I come from ASUS PN5-E SLI,Intel E8400,2 x 8800GTX 768mb SLI,ASUS VW266H 26 inch LCD, 8 GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer, Silverstone Strider 850watt PSU.Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit.

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September 30th, 2006	Top \| #16
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 302	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers Well even if they did supply the software drivers, that wouldn't do him any good if he only has one optical drive and it's in use with the OS Install CD He still would need to slipstream or use a FDD. He wasn't asking about the drivers, he was asking about a way to access them while trying to install so the OS can see his HDD. XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief

September 30th, 2006	Top \| #17
Brad OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: March 2002 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 2,276 Blog Entries: 1 Reputation: 1552 Power: 158	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers It is a Dell server and it was bought without an Operating System

September 30th, 2006	Top \| #18
Shamus MacNoob OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: January 2002 Location: Brossard,Quebec Posts: 4,199 Blog Entries: 1 Reputation: 1481 Power: 178	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers Originally Posted by kcnychief Well even if they did supply the software drivers, that wouldn't do him any good if he only has one optical drive and it's in use with the OS Install CD He still would need to slipstream or use a FDD. He wasn't asking about the drivers, he was asking about a way to access them while trying to install so the OS can see his HDD. Not with the ones we get with smart start you boot with the drivers and when needed it asks for the OS these are HP and its called "smart start" its not an OS just the needed boot up cd with drivers... guess maybe you could call Dell and ask what they have to offer ... ASUS PN5-E SLI,Intel E8400,2 x 8800GTX 768mb SLI,ASUS VW266H 26 inch LCD, 8 GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer, Silverstone Strider 850watt PSU.Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit.

September 30th, 2006	Top \| #19
drz01 Weekend DJ Joined: March 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 524 Reputation: 820 Power: 110	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers Why not put the driver in a usb pen drive? You can usually make one of these drives bootable. Just place your system drivers on this pen drive.

September 30th, 2006	Top \| #20
Brad OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: March 2002 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 2,276 Blog Entries: 1 Reputation: 1552 Power: 158	Re: Installing Win2k3 W/o RAID/SCSI drivers As stated earlier, the USB is not bootable on this computer. The only thing that I can boot from are the HDD, The CD drive, or NIC. It turns out that I am going to need the drivers too. The ones on the Dell website are completely useless (you have to install them on the server once it is already running). There is no INF file in the bunch (that I can see anyway) to slipstream with. I'm stuck.