How can I install an OS on a Dell PowerEdge 840?

Discussion in 'Windows Server' started by lild545, Jul 22, 2014.

  1. lild545

    lild545 MDL Novice

    Jul 20, 2014
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    I need help on trying to install an OS on a Dell PowerEdge 840, upon boot there is the 3 options: Utility Mode, Bios and PXE boot. In the Bios there is an OS install mode but i have found that mode only limits the amount of RAM to 256Mb I have tried installing Windows XP Windows 7 Windows Home Server 2011 and Windows server 2012 R2, i have tried all four with both Disk and USB i have tried EVERYTHING and have looked everywhere on the internet. Please i really need help with this.
     
  2. 35rem

    35rem MDL Novice

    Feb 11, 2013
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    from your description it seems it is not seeing a hard drive (no hard drive or bad hard drive)
     
  3. lild545

    lild545 MDL Novice

    Jul 20, 2014
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    #3 lild545, Jul 23, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2014
    (OP)
    No, i have plugged the hard drive into another computer and tried it and it works fine, it is plugged directly into the motherboard with a SATA cable and it is 500gb, in the BIOS it is detecting the hard drive, and if i tell the BIOS to boot from a CD it doesnt even display the OS install screen it just continues with its normal boot until is says that there is no OS on the 500gb hard drive. :confused:
     
  4. 35rem

    35rem MDL Novice

    Feb 11, 2013
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    try to go into bios setup and set CD and USB devices to boot before hard drive.
    normally when the bios sees a M$ boot CD you have to press any key to boot from the CD, if no key is pressed after a few seconds it will try to boot the hard drive.
    Have you tried the CD in a different computer to see if it will boot off it?
    also you may want to check the CD drive in another computer to see if it is still capable of reading disks.
    in your first post you stated "I have tried EVERYTHING" we dont know what every thing is, and we have to ask questions and give blind suggestions.
     
  5. lild545

    lild545 MDL Novice

    Jul 20, 2014
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    I have tried everything you have just said and all of the boot USB's and CD's are all working and the optical drive and USB ports are all working too so im dumbfounded.o_O
     
  6. 35rem

    35rem MDL Novice

    Feb 11, 2013
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    next question is the drive compatible with the computer?
    PowerEdge 840 can use SATA or SAS hard drive, but not both at the same time.
    there should be a setting in the bios to change to one or the other.
    another thing could be a faulty motherboard as I have a Optiplex that is doing about the same thing and think it has a faulty motherboard.
     
  7. lild545

    lild545 MDL Novice

    Jul 20, 2014
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    #7 lild545, Jul 24, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2014
    (OP)
    Yes the drive is a SATA drive that came with the computer and when its booting up it shows the drive just fine, but all i want to know is how to get OS bootable CD's and USB's to show up. I have set the boot order right for booting of CD drives and it doesnt show up so i set it for USB's and the USB's also dont show up, im so annoyed at this computer.:mad:
     
  8. Dave101

    Dave101 MDL Junior Member

    Feb 27, 2014
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    Go grab UBCD "ultimate boot cd" and see if that will boot up, other than that setup a WDS and use PXE boot. Also reset the BIOS to defults and then try and boot to the CD.
    Iv had multiple computers with a similar issue and resetting the BIOS always helps.