Question : Booting of DVD on HP Proliant ML150 G6

G'day All,

I've always had problems with HP servers and the "easy start up CD" I don't know why I keep on doing to my self. I wonder if Dell does the same thing with startup cds?

In this case a brand new ML150 G6, fresh of the box. I tried to install SBS 2003 HP version. I booted of the start-up cd fine, I selected my OS and portioned the drive and installed the required drivers, it then asked me to insert my SBS cd and reboot, which I did, the installation continued with an error "could not find files."(can't remember the exact files) I rebooted and attempted to run the easy startup cd again, and for the life of me the server will not boot of the DVD drive. I've reset the BIOS, took the battery out, took the RAID card out, and the server will not even look at the DVD drive to boot from, I checked the BIOS boot settings and I have CD/DVD first, the BIOS recognises the DVD drive but it just will not boot from it. I don't know what caused that first attempt to install SBS that it wont see the DVD drive when booting. The server just power-cycles continuously.  

Any help very much appreciated,

Cheers,

Arthur

Answer : Booting of DVD on HP Proliant ML150 G6

test with a minimum connected : mobo, 1 ram stick, cpu, video card, 1 HDD, 1 DVD

Here my troubleshooting procedure :
Precautions :
-During connecting or disconnecting devices, be sure to have the AC removed
-Temporarily ground yourself, or use a wrist strap for ESD prevention

-With a new motherboard : verify if all mounting standoffs correspond with the holes in the mobo !!
   Or test the motherboard outside the case, on a wooden  (non conductive) surface
-Clean the system from dust, then  test with the minimum setup - disconnect also all peripherals and network cables :
-What to connect :  only  motherboard + CPU + 1 ram stick, video card, power supply
-Verify that the 4-, 6- or 8-pin CPU Aux power plug is connected
-Verify that the VIDEO card has a power connecter - if yes, connect the power to it !
Now power on  your PC : on boot, do you have a display?
-if NO it is one of the connected: RAM, Power supply , video card or monitor, so if possible swap ram, Power supply, video card or monitor - leaving only motherboard and cpu
-if YES, connect devices till the problem shows
*** note : if the fans are running, this shows there is 12 V present from the Power Supply; this does not mean the PS is ok, you still need 3.3 V and +5 V as well; and other signals.
Additional tests and things to try :
-boot without ram, it should beep; (also, without video card)
-try bios default settings, (if possible) or clear the bios by removing AC and bios battery
-renew the CPU heatpaste, and verify that the heatsink is mounted flat on the CPU, allowing for a good thermal contact
-you can also check the motherboard for bad capacitors as shown here :   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

The term POST refers to the Power On Self Test  procedure - here a link  with a short explanation  http://www.pchell.com/hardware/beepcodes.shtml