Please would it be possible for someone to provide me with a ghost image containing the files stored in the EX485 SMI USB internal flash memory.
I have been attempting to repair a dead EX485 that I recently purchased and aside from the BIOS problems that have now been fixed it now appears the onboard flash memory is corrupted and will not enter recovery.
I have read in other posts that its possible to restore the SMI area but this need to be acheived using an image of the files as opposed to copying files to that location. I am also aware of the steps to unhide the SMI files but in my case the files have either been formatted or overwritten.
Having carried out a lot of work so far by desoldering the EEPROM and reprogramming it would be great if I could get this unit up and running again.
It would be really appreciated if someone could help me out here with a ghost image of the SMI area so that the recovery facility using the units own internal flash can be restored.
Many thanks in anticipation.

I have written this many times throughout the forums but you can actually perform a simple test to see if the SMI Area is functional or not.

(1) Basically with the EX485 off disconnect any connected USB Devices and remove all Hard Drives from he server.

(2) Turn the EX485 on and look to see if the servers health light will blink the Recovery Code and you will not have to press the Status/Reset Button with the paper clip as mentioned in the HP Documentation. This is because with the absense of any bootable devices the server will boot into its recovery mode from the SMI Area which you are thinking may not be functional.

(3) When you see the server health light blink the recovery code logon to your router and check the DHCP Lising to see if you see a device starting with the name MININT and if you see this then your SMI Area is working and possibly the connected drive is preventing it from booting into its recovery mode.

(4) If after a couple mins you do not see the server health light blink its recovery code then as in #3 logon to your router and check the DHCP listing anyway and look for a device starting with the name MININT and if you see this then your server did boot into recovery mode but something did not work properly with the Health Light and also its possible the drive originally in the server prevented the server from entering its recovery mode.

The other thing you want to make certain of is that the LAN Port on the server is functioning properly which is easy to check by simply looking at the small LED's. The Green LED should be on and solid and the other AMBER or ORANGE which every you chose to call it should be blinking. If thats not functioning then you real issue is there and resolving the SMI Issue if it exists will do you no good without LAN Connectivity.

If the LAN Port is working but the SMI is not then you do need to get a copy of the SMI for the EX48x, create a bootable USB Flash Drive then copy the SMI files to the Bootable USB Flash Drive. Once thats done then simply plug the flash drive into the bottom rear USB Port, remove the Drive from the bottom bay so its not connected to the back plane. Turn the server on and when you see the Health Light blink the Recovery Code then insert the Bottom Drive and then perform then run the Server Recovery Proceedure ignoring the part about shutting the server down, turning it on and using the paper clip because your server will be in recovery mode and your good to go.

If your not able to get a copy of the SMI Files then your only option would be to purchase a debug cable, create a Bootable USB Flash Drive and boot the server into DOS. I believe if you do this you may be able to expose the SMI Area and copy the files from it. Its a gamble but the files may be still there but the SMI Area may not be in a state that will allow it to boot the server into recovery mode meaning its lost its boot function. Again this is a gamble and it may not work but its quite possible that the SMI Device may show up.

Good Luck on your quest to resolve your issue and if there is anything I can do to help you along the way please feel free to ask.

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Many thanks for this valuable advice Comp1962.
I will work through this and see how I get on

Your very welcome and should you have any additional questions please let me know.

_________________
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