Windows NT 4 Server Install Crashes

[Guest]

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

Attempting to install Windows NT 4 Server on a pair of Dell Poweredge 1800
servers for the purposes of replacing the domain controllers in Windows NT 4
domain so that they may be upgraded to Windows 2003 Server and Microsoft
Active Directory. The Dell servers have dual Intel Xeon 3.6 GHz Processors
with 1GB on-board cache, 1 GB DDR SDRAM, two 36 GB Seagate Cheetah hard
drives configured for RAID1 and attached to an Adaptec I20 SCSI RAID
controller, ATI Raedon 7000 16 MB on-board video and Intel Pro1000MT on-board
LAN. The installation goes fine until the end of setup diskette #2 (where
you would normally be asked for 3rd party drivers). At this point a BSOD
occurs, but the system reboots so quickly that I'm not able to see what the
stop error is. I've tried disabling the caching and seqeuntial processing,
I've disabled the on-board USB, I've set all the IRQ allocations to manual,
the COM port to COM1, the parallel port to bi-directional mode, etc. I even
upgraded the BIOS. Nothing makes this installation happy.

Is this just "too much" hardware for NT 4? If so, how do I address the fact
that Microsoft's preferred upgrade path is to integrate new hardware running
NT 4 into the existing domain and then upgrade the OS of the domain
controllers, BDC first? This was the most basic server I could buy from Dell
that would meet the needs of my domain once it is upgraded to Windows 2003
and AD.

Thanks for any suggestions that anyone may have.

 

[Guest]

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

Did you tried <F6> "trick"? For new hardware without correct proprietary
"OEM" installation media it is usually neccessary.

If you are not aware about <F6> trick - simply hit a few times <F6> key on
your keyboard while the first screen of NT setup is on with message like
"Setup is inspecting hardware...". This action has not any immediate effect,
but it will disable autodetecting of mass storage devices hardware and
autoloading of standard disk drivers. Because of this you will be asked for
these drivers sooner. Do not forget to install CD-ROM driver manually in
case it needs another driver than disks (it is usually autoloaded and
unlisted, but if autoloading is disabled...).

Another thing you shoudl to check is chance of bad HAL detection or even
need of special proprietary HAL driver. In such case OEM installation media
is necessary. There are workarounds - for ex. you can make unattended
installation script.

The most hard problem you will meet later will be fact that youll be not
able to install BDC this way correctly due "inaccessible" network adapter
during setup. WinNT does not recognize motheboard bridges technology untill
at least service pack 3 is applied and all new adapters connected to bus
located "behind bridge" cannot be accessed during setup. But you cannot
setup BDC without connecting PDC during setup...

One solution is to build standalone (member) server and then use (expensive)
third party tool to promote it to BDC . Other solution is to add
(temporarily) any old fashioned net adapter that is "known" by NT setup to
machine and do network part of setup through this adapter.


"PrentP" <patrickp@ci.concord.nc.us> pí¹e v diskusním pøíspìvku
news:1C1AB857-890D-46CD-BF80-9A01DFA70765@microsoft.com...
> Attempting to install Windows NT 4 Server on a pair of Dell Poweredge 1800
> servers for the purposes of replacing the domain controllers in Windows NT
4
> domain so that they may be upgraded to Windows 2003 Server and Microsoft
> Active Directory. The Dell servers have dual Intel Xeon 3.6 GHz
Processors
> with 1GB on-board cache, 1 GB DDR SDRAM, two 36 GB Seagate Cheetah hard
> drives configured for RAID1 and attached to an Adaptec I20 SCSI RAID
> controller, ATI Raedon 7000 16 MB on-board video and Intel Pro1000MT
on-board
> LAN. The installation goes fine until the end of setup diskette #2 (where
> you would normally be asked for 3rd party drivers). At this point a BSOD
> occurs, but the system reboots so quickly that I'm not able to see what
the
> stop error is. I've tried disabling the caching and seqeuntial
processing,
> I've disabled the on-board USB, I've set all the IRQ allocations to
manual,
> the COM port to COM1, the parallel port to bi-directional mode, etc. I
even
> upgraded the BIOS. Nothing makes this installation happy.
>
> Is this just "too much" hardware for NT 4? If so, how do I address the
fact
> that Microsoft's preferred upgrade path is to integrate new hardware
running
> NT 4 into the existing domain and then upgrade the OS of the domain
> controllers, BDC first? This was the most basic server I could buy from
Dell
> that would meet the needs of my domain once it is upgraded to Windows 2003
> and AD.
>
> Thanks for any suggestions that anyone may have.