Missing operating system after install

JJ

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Before I give up, I thought I would check to see if anyone has any
suggestions.

I have a new Dell PowerEdge 600SC and Dell does not support NT4 on it, but I
have heard of others who have loaded it.

I use the 3 NT boot floppies to start loading NT, create a 2GB partition
(after deleting all other partitions), and it does format the partition and
load some of the files from the CD.

Then it gets to the stage where it tells you to remove any floppies and
reboot the system to continue the install. I remove the floppy and reboot
and I get the error "Missing operating system".

If I boot the system with a DOS floppy, I can switch to the C: drive and I
see the WINNT directory, and a "dir /ah" shows boot.ini, etc. So it looks
like everything is there, I just can't coax the thing to load it.

Any ideas?
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.setup (More info?)

what was on the disk before?

try fdisk /mbr

then reinstall the OS


Rick
 

JJ

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Windows 2003 was on the disk before, plus a Dell utility partition.

I am almost certain I have tried fdisk /mbr without success, but I will try
again.

"Rick Chisholm" <rchisholm@NOSPAMsouthlandonline.com> wrote in message
news:u5SHwbXHEHA.2624@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> what was on the disk before?
>
> try fdisk /mbr
>
> then reinstall the OS
>
>
> Rick
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.setup (More info?)

post back so we can try something else if that doesn't work.

Rick
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.setup (More info?)

You didn't mention the drive controller (possibly SCSI, or ultra DMA, or
ATA100, or raid, or serial ATA), but you may need to boot the Windows NT
setup disks or CD-Rom and *F6* very early and very important (at setup is
inspecting your system) in the setup to prevent drive controller detection,
and select S to specify additional drivers. Then later you'll be prompted to
insert the manufacturer supplied Windows NT driver for your drive's
controller in drive "A"

If you wait and then S to specify additional drivers, then it may be too
late as Windows NT Setup at this point may have already assigned the
resources your drive's controller is wanting to use.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect


"JJ" wrote:
| Before I give up, I thought I would check to see if anyone has any
| suggestions.
|
| I have a new Dell PowerEdge 600SC and Dell does not support NT4 on it, but
I
| have heard of others who have loaded it.
|
| I use the 3 NT boot floppies to start loading NT, create a 2GB partition
| (after deleting all other partitions), and it does format the partition
and
| load some of the files from the CD.
|
| Then it gets to the stage where it tells you to remove any floppies and
| reboot the system to continue the install. I remove the floppy and reboot
| and I get the error "Missing operating system".
|
| If I boot the system with a DOS floppy, I can switch to the C: drive and I
| see the WINNT directory, and a "dir /ah" shows boot.ini, etc. So it looks
| like everything is there, I just can't coax the thing to load it.
|
| Any ideas?
|
|
 

JJ

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It did not help.

"Rick Chisholm" <rchisholm@NOSPAMsouthlandonline.com> wrote in message
news:OtU$JUYHEHA.164@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> post back so we can try something else if that doesn't work.
>
> Rick
 

JJ

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It looks like it has a Caviar WD-XL80S, which is an 40GB IDE drive. This
page:

http://help.nec-computers.com/eu/pib.asp?second=on&platform=spec_WD400BB&layout=1409

says that it is an Ultra ATA-100 interface. Does this type of drive need a
driver? I thought IDE/ATA was pretty standard.

"Dave Patrick" <mail@NoSpam.DSPatrick.com> wrote in message
news:OnOC2EbHEHA.3656@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> You didn't mention the drive controller (possibly SCSI, or ultra DMA, or
> ATA100, or raid, or serial ATA), but you may need to boot the Windows NT
> setup disks or CD-Rom and *F6* very early and very important (at setup is
> inspecting your system) in the setup to prevent drive controller
detection,
> and select S to specify additional drivers. Then later you'll be prompted
to
> insert the manufacturer supplied Windows NT driver for your drive's
> controller in drive "A"
>
> If you wait and then S to specify additional drivers, then it may be too
> late as Windows NT Setup at this point may have already assigned the
> resources your drive's controller is wanting to use.
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
> Microsoft Certified Professional
> Microsoft MVP [Windows]
> http://www.microsoft.com/protect
>
>
> "JJ" wrote:
> | Before I give up, I thought I would check to see if anyone has any
> | suggestions.
> |
> | I have a new Dell PowerEdge 600SC and Dell does not support NT4 on it,
but
> I
> | have heard of others who have loaded it.
> |
> | I use the 3 NT boot floppies to start loading NT, create a 2GB partition
> | (after deleting all other partitions), and it does format the partition
> and
> | load some of the files from the CD.
> |
> | Then it gets to the stage where it tells you to remove any floppies and
> | reboot the system to continue the install. I remove the floppy and
reboot
> | and I get the error "Missing operating system".
> |
> | If I boot the system with a DOS floppy, I can switch to the C: drive and
I
> | see the WINNT directory, and a "dir /ah" shows boot.ini, etc. So it
looks
> | like everything is there, I just can't coax the thing to load it.
> |
> | Any ideas?
> |
> |
>
>
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.setup (More info?)

Not the drive itself. The drive controller. Yes, if your controller is
ata100 then you'll need the manufacturer's driver on floppy and need to use
F6

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect


"JJ" wrote:
| It looks like it has a Caviar WD-XL80S, which is an 40GB IDE drive. This
| page:
|
|
http://help.nec-computers.com/eu/pib.asp?second=on&platform=spec_WD400BB&layout=1409
|
| says that it is an Ultra ATA-100 interface. Does this type of drive need
a
| driver? I thought IDE/ATA was pretty standard.
 

JJ

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It's not an ATA100 controller - just checked (that was an option we didn't
choose).

It's strange because from the NT install diskettes, I can format the drive
and it does copy over the winnt folder and boot.ini, etc. (because I can
boot from a DOS floppy and see them on the C: drive). It just can't boot
from it.


"Dave Patrick" <mail@NoSpam.DSPatrick.com> wrote in message
news:uDDUzGcHEHA.2472@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Not the drive itself. The drive controller. Yes, if your controller is
> ata100 then you'll need the manufacturer's driver on floppy and need to
use
> F6
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
> Microsoft Certified Professional
> Microsoft MVP [Windows]
> http://www.microsoft.com/protect
>
>
> "JJ" wrote:
> | It looks like it has a Caviar WD-XL80S, which is an 40GB IDE drive.
This
> | page:
> |
> |
>
http://help.nec-computers.com/eu/pib.asp?second=on&platform=spec_WD400BB&layout=1409
> |
> | says that it is an Ultra ATA-100 interface. Does this type of drive
need
> a
> | driver? I thought IDE/ATA was pretty standard.
>
>
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.setup (More info?)

This really sounds typical of a controller driver issue. The hardware may
just be too new for this operating system.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect


"JJ" wrote:
| It's not an ATA100 controller - just checked (that was an option we didn't
| choose).
|
| It's strange because from the NT install diskettes, I can format the drive
| and it does copy over the winnt folder and boot.ini, etc. (because I can
| boot from a DOS floppy and see them on the C: drive). It just can't boot
| from it.
 

JJ

Distinguished
Apr 5, 2004
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Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.setup (More info?)

Could be (although it is perplexing, at least to me, why it can create &
format the partition and load the preliminary files onto it, but then can't
boot it).

I've given up for now. I put Windows 2003 back on it (no problems there).
I really wanted NT4 on it so I could put it on a NT4 domain as BDC, promote
it to the PDC, then upgrade it to Windows 2003 to be an AD server.

"Dave Patrick" <mail@NoSpam.DSPatrick.com> wrote in message
news:uQGMgtcHEHA.3032@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> This really sounds typical of a controller driver issue. The hardware may
> just be too new for this operating system.
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
> Microsoft Certified Professional
> Microsoft MVP [Windows]
> http://www.microsoft.com/protect
>
>
> "JJ" wrote:
> | It's not an ATA100 controller - just checked (that was an option we
didn't
> | choose).
> |
> | It's strange because from the NT install diskettes, I can format the
drive
> | and it does copy over the winnt folder and boot.ini, etc. (because I can
> | boot from a DOS floppy and see them on the C: drive). It just can't
boot
> | from it.
>
>
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.setup (More info?)

i think what we have here is a multi-boot util that is set for Win2003
on the active part - the other "OS" choice being the Dell Utility
itself, which is used for recovery etc.. If you can find the conf for
that you can change it and have as many partitions and OSes as you desire.

Rick
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.setup (More info?)

Run fdisk without parameter and check if your primary partition is checked
as "Active" (means bootable), this is another cause for message you are
getting on startup.

And I am not sure deleting of dell service partition is good idea, if
nothing help, try to return it back and install NT above it. - boot from
first dell recovery/support CD, there is option to reinstall original system
and it is including service partition.

luck

"JJ" <jjjj@nospam.com> pí¹e v diskusním pøíspìvku
news:OUcXw8bHEHA.3528@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> It did not help.
>
> "Rick Chisholm" <rchisholm@NOSPAMsouthlandonline.com> wrote in message
> news:OtU$JUYHEHA.164@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > post back so we can try something else if that doesn't work.
> >
> > Rick
>
>
 

JJ

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Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsnt.setup (More info?)

It is active.

I have tried it with and without the Dell utility partition. The Dell CD
creates the utility partition first, so I can't put NT before it.

fdisk sees an extended partition, but won't let me delete it because it says
it contains logical drives, but when I try to display the drives on the
extended partition, it says there aren't any!

I tried Partition Magic 6 and it won't work either - it sees the drive, but
gives an error 106 (?). But that's a pretty old version.

I've given up for now and re-installed Windows 2003.


"Jiri Tuma" <jiri.tuma@nospam.seznam.cz> wrote in message
news:uOvVxMiHEHA.2576@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Run fdisk without parameter and check if your primary partition is checked
> as "Active" (means bootable), this is another cause for message you are
> getting on startup.
>
> And I am not sure deleting of dell service partition is good idea, if
> nothing help, try to return it back and install NT above it. - boot from
> first dell recovery/support CD, there is option to reinstall original
system
> and it is including service partition.
>
> luck
>
> "JJ" <jjjj@nospam.com> pí¹e v diskusním pøíspìvku
> news:OUcXw8bHEHA.3528@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> > It did not help.
> >
> > "Rick Chisholm" <rchisholm@NOSPAMsouthlandonline.com> wrote in message
> > news:OtU$JUYHEHA.164@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > > post back so we can try something else if that doesn't work.
> > >
> > > Rick
> >
> >
>
>