HP ML350 G6 Server — 128GB RAM — 8-SAS 900 GB drives — 2 CPUs with 4 core each
Have HP SmartStart 8.7 CD
To install OS (Windows Server 2022), the SmartStart CD ‘requires’ the original manufacturer’s OS DVD which I don’t have.
To install OS from a flash drive, the server only allows MBR formatting, rather than UEFI. This means the installation will be 32-bit. That’s a problem because the RAID 5 partition is ~4T. The 32-bit installation downgrades the drive to 2T. The OS is installed as 32-bit, but the drives are not upgradable to 64-bit without wiping the entire drive. The SmartStart CD won’t allow me to install the OS because I don’t have an MS installation DVD, and the USB install only allows MBR (32-bit installation).
I have created a one-disk array and got the OS installed as 64-bit, (through a bunch of machinations) but when attempting to create an array on the rest of the drives, the system refuses to boot because the EFI partition isn’t where the server is expecting.
I’m at a loss for what to do. Does any have ideas to help me out?
