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Installing Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2

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by gary 1 view

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ok, here is my problem.

we currently have an old server running windows server 2000, exchange server 5.5. this is my main company server, for email, internet, ftp, etc.

I bought a new Dell server, which was supposed to be pre-installed with windows small business server 2003, r3, but it was pre-installed with just windows server 2003. well, after going round and round, they sent me the correct CD so i could install WSMS2003 R2.

So, i popped in the CD, and ran the install wizard. after a few screens, i get an error that say "install stopped by user". i can't go past that point at all.

I'm wondering, if i just need to have the system boot up from the CD and do a fresh install of the OS.

Is this correct???? or is this all wrong and i should be going down a different path.

Thanks

9 replies

by why me worry?

you will need to perform a clean reinstall by killing the existing system partition and reinstalling SBS from scratch. The error message you are getting is because SBS is detecting an invalid upgrade path from Windows 2003 Standard, thus kicking in a self destruct script during install. Windows SBS is a scaled down version of Windows Server, so what you are really trying to do is similar to upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 98. That by definition is a "downgrade" and requires a complete blow away and reinstall of the O/S.

by gary

ok.. i plan on doing a fresh install... so i insert the cd, restart the server, and have it boot from the cd. after all the windows stuff loads, i get 3 options, press enter to set up windows, press R to restore, or f3 to quit. when i press enter, i get a messages stating that it can't find any hard drives. If i press R, i get the same error. any ideas on how to get past this?

by why me worry?

If your system isn't seeing any of the drives, then you need to press the F6 key during the text portion of the install to preload the RAID or SCSI controller driver for your server. The prompt is there, just be vigilant. Make sure you have the driver copied to a floppy disk or other accessible media (CDROM) so that you can complete your install.

I'm not too familiar with Dell servers, but I know that they should come with an install CD that will create a custom partition with all the drivers and support software. HP Proliant servers come with a SmartStart CD, and I am sure that Dell should have something similar to allow you to setup the RAID array and install the O/S with hardware specific drivers.

by gary

well, i figured out how to get the new OS installed. I had to boot using "Dell OpenManage Software" That loaded a program, that help with the preinstall, etc.

New question: my server has over 200gig on it, but after the install, drive C: is only 32mg. So, i need to add a partition some how. where can i do this, or do i need to completly reinstall from the beginning.

by now left tr

And you can't install + Configure an OS?
Look at the Disk Management Console (like in say...XP) - being a Dell there will also be one on the CD anyway (Veritas Version - ArRAY MANAGER),

by gary

I know, right... it is one of the 15 hats that was recently thrown at me to manage in our small business. but, i'm trying to learn

by dhyre

It's ok, don't get discouraged. Keep trying to learn, that's the only way to better oneself.
The 32 meg drive you are referring to is Dell's utility drive that it sets up when you use the open manage software. You would have had to had larger than that to install SMB2003 server anyway. Sounds like you should go into your computer management on the server. To get there - click start > programs > administrative tools > computer management. This will bring up your computer management mmc which can allow you to look at and change various aspects of your computer (in case you didn't know). You will want to go to the disk management which is underneath storage. From there you can see all drives installed on your system, as well as any drives that have not been partitioned yet. You can change the drive letters to drives, etc. (I'm only giving this much info since I don't know your level of expertise). You should be able to see what size your partitions are based on how you set it up during installation and partition any unused drive space. Let me know if you need any further help.

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