Clean Windows Server 2003 Setup

HP MediaSmart EX470 Clean Windows Server 2003 Setup

Installing a clean Windows Server 2003 on a headless (no video out) system is not a simple task. I would not recommend attempting this without having either a lot of experience with OS deployment or a lot of patience and desire to learn.

There are generally two ways to do this on the EX47x series: one is to hook into the network boot loader used for recovery mode and push down an image, and the other is to use a pre-configured hard drive.  With either method you must have an installation of the OS pre-configured.  The most straight forward method is to take a hard drive to another system and install Windows Server 2003, then use Sysprep to prepare for an unattended installation.

Pre-requisites:

  • Licensed Windows Server 2003 (integrated SP2 preferred) installation media
  • Windows Server 2003 SP2 or newer Deployment Tools (download from Microsoft website)
  • HP MediaSmart drivers to be gathered for unattended installation (Download)

Instructions:

  1. Gather drivers from HP EX47x system and SiS website (should have minimum of .inf, .sys, and .cat for each driver — or download here)
    • AmdK8, Marvell 61xx and Marvell Virtual Device, SiS RAID (from \Windows\OemDir on EX47x WHS installation), SiS AGP, SiS Gbe, and SiS VGA
  2. Organize drivers into a directory structure
    • Drivers\AmdK8
    • Drivers\Marvell\61xx
    • Drivers\SiSRaid
    • Drivers\SiSAGPDrivers\SiSGbe
    • Drivers\SiSVGA
    • Drivers\WNAS
  3. Create Sysprep.inf using Setupmgr.exe included with Deployment Tools, or use sample file below
    • Add mass storage drivers (if the SiS RAID driver is not specified then the system will never boot)
  4. Install Windows Server 2003 SP2 on a hard drive using another system that is ACPI-compliant (hyper-threading or multi-core preferred)
  5. On first boot, skip updates and Finish the server setup to open incoming connections
    • If an ethernet adapter driver was installed with the stock setup, feel free to install updates before continuing
  6. Enable Remote Desktop in System Properties (My Computer properties, or Control Panel | System)
  7. Copy files required for unattended deployment to this fresh installation (use a flash drive or burn previously gathered files to a disc)
    • Drivers to C:\Drivers
    • Sysprep files from Deployment Tools to C:\Sysprep
    • i386 folder from Server 2003 installation disc to C:\Sysprep\i386
  8. Run Sysprep (ensure it is version 2.0, which will be displayed in the window title) with default options, and choose Reseal; this may take a while
  9. After shutdown, disconnect the hard drive and install in the first HP MediaSmart drive bay (make sure there are no other drives installed)
  10. Power up, wait for unattended setup processes to complete (should be less than 5-10 minutes), test Remote Desktop, install Windows Updates
  11. The sample Sysprep.inf will configure the network adapter to use a DHCP assigned IP address
    • If you do not have a DHCP server (most gateway/routers will), change the settings using Setupmgr.exe to use a static IP address
  12. Sample and functional Sysprep.inf (change AdminPassword, ProductKey, [LicenseFilePrintData], ComputerName, and JoinWorkgroup to suit) on next page.

Continued

 

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