Hyper-V Server 2008 - Install Failures

We have not had much in the way of success getting Hyper-V Server 2008 to install.

The idea was to have two servers running SBS 2008 setup routines and post setup routines for our upcoming Webinar: SBS 2008 - Setup Webinar this Thursday.

The server hardware is vanilla Intel Server Systems series stuff:

• Intel Server System SR1530HSH 1U Rack Mount
• Intel Xeon Processor X3350 Quad Core at 2.66GHz
• ASHPCIEUP Riser Card
• 8GB Kingston KVR800D2E5/2Gi (Intel Certified)
• Intel SRCSASRB PCI-E 4x RAID Controller with Firmware 470
• 2x 320GB Seagate Enterprise Storage SATA in a RAID 1 Array
• 1x 320GB Seagate Enterprise Storage SATA hot spare.

The first attempt to install from media we created in early October yielded this interesting screen:

Microsoft Hyper-V Server Language Selection

Now, that is not so bad, at least until clicking on the English option in this screen and the subsequent Locale screen and still seeing the alternative language menu in the top left.

Okay, so maybe we grabbed the very first copy off Microsoft's servers and someone had put the wrong version on it: Hyper-V Server 2008 RTM available for download today!

So, we went and downloaded a new copy of the product, and burned it to DVD on the slowest setting possible.

When we started running through the setup routine again, we were greeted with:

Hyper-V Server 2008 Language Selection

Okay, so the language has changed in the top left menu but the language options are down to two?!?

Then, here is the kicker: Thinking that surely we were dealing with a hardware related problem we ran through the Windows Server 2008 Standard install routine and installed Server Core ... in record time. So, there is no problem with the hardware that we can see. It is brand new!

This is the message we consistently received when we would finally get a chance to load the RAID driver:

Device Not Found

Now, the install routine dragged itself out very painfully in between each click, each step in the routine. It did not matter where we were in the setup routine, the time span between clicking on something and the routine actually responding could be 10 or 15 minutes in some cases.

We did update all of the BIOS and firmware components in the server. We even ran through the setup routine with the on board RAID controller just in case. Still no way it would install.

We have another identical server waiting to be built. It will be our new SBS 2008 server. So, just in case ... we will invest a little more time into this install mystery and get that box setup and updated and see if the Hyper-V Server 2008 install routine will run through successfully. If it does, then we know there must be a hardware issue with the original box, if it does not, then we know there must be a problem in the software.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

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