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 Post subject: upgrading an ex495
PostPosted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 10:56 am 
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I just got an Ex495 off ebay. And a Windows Home Server 2011 installation package.

Can I load up the OS on a small hard drive (250 gb) that is installed on an old HP laptop. And then use the hard drive in the server?

I'm wary of installing directly into the Server as I can't see error messages.

Thanks for any tips and tricks in advance.

Fred


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 Post subject: Re: upgrading an ex495
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 11:58 am 
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The answer is basically yes but too a point where you would partially install WHS2011 onto a drive then move it to the EX495, boot off it and the installation or updating should take place. Thing is I am not quite certain how far the initial installation should go before you move the drive but if you search the forums I am certain you will find that answer.

In my opinion this is where a DEBUG Board comes in very handy as it will provide you with a video output making the installation easier, that and an external optical drive. This will also come in handy for recoveries and troubleshooting that are often difficult to do with headless systems.

The only draw back you have right now is knowing if your EX495 is a fully functional unit since you just acquired it.

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ChefFabrizio
 Post subject: Re: upgrading an ex495
PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2014 12:23 pm 
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I am not at all handy in the mechanical side, so using a debug board seems way too difficult for me. Hence why I've not installed more RAM.

The unit I got works fine, as I was able to boot it to the network with the drives that shipped. Though those run WHS v1 I think. I wanted to start fresh as my ex470 is about to die, and get all the machines working on whs2011. But, none of the suggestions, usb stick, unattended file, NOTHING will install whs2011.

I'm really frustrated and upset. All the posts seem to make it seem so simple. But, those posts were of the Vail beta, and not the OEM System Builder DISC. So, maybe the usb drive is not bootable. Not sure.


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 Post subject: Re: upgrading an ex495
PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:35 pm 
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Some users have installed WHS2011 on another PC up to a certain point and then moved the drive to there MSS and have reported good results but I am uncertain where that installation stops and I think its where the computer needs to be rebooted. Searching the forums for this may help you as I know the information exists.

VAIL was just the code name for WHS2011 at the time it was being developed by MS and to my knowledge the procedure works but I understand some ran into some issues with it. Its interesting because Acer put out their Revo Center and they actually create a USB Flash Drive to recover their WHS2011 server and I have yet to try to see if it would work on an MSS or if it could be modified to work on the MSS but its not been a high priority for me.

The DEBUG board is your best option especially since it does allow you to easily troubleshoot the server and its more frustrating troubleshooting a server without video especially boot issues and sometimes its just a prompt which needs to be answered. I can tell you that once you have one installed and working you will wonder how you went so long with out one.

The other thing worth mentioning is that if you ever needed to recover WHS2011 off a server backup the DEBUG Board would help out immensely as I am not sure how you would go about doing it blind and its not as simple as the HP WHSv1 recovery/reset solution.

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Migrated from WHS2011 to WS2012E: HIGHLANDER

~ Norco 4220 Enclosure
~ Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5
~ AMD Phenom II X4 995 3.2 GHz
~ 8 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
~ 3 Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8


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ChefFabrizio
 Post subject: Re: upgrading an ex495
PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 12:30 pm 
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well a bad usb drive was the culprit, now WHS2011 is running and running pretty well.

Though I have real head scratcher of a problem. I've mounted 4 drives. 3 work fine, but that 4th, can be seen by control panel, yet it is not recognized by WHS2011 disk management part.

I'm at a loss to know what to do. updating the driver did nothing. It still notes no driver is installed for this disk. Yet in driver detail, it lists where the drivers are.


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 Post subject: Re: upgrading an ex495
PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 12:57 pm 
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Does the drive have a letter assigned to it?

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Exploring the possibilities!

Migrated from WHS2011 to WS2012E: HIGHLANDER

~ Norco 4220 Enclosure
~ Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5
~ AMD Phenom II X4 995 3.2 GHz
~ 8 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
~ 3 Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8


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