btowntkd wrote:
As a fun side-project, I'd like to install Windows Server 2008 R2 onto it over the weekend. I'd like to retain the functionality of the status LEDs, etc.
To the best of my knowledge, HP has not produced x64 editions of the drivers utilized by these devices. I've seen other folks post this in other discussion areas on this site.
btowntkd wrote:
From what I understand from reading through forum posts thus far, the LED features can be preserved on a custom OS install, by installing the right drivers and installing a couple windows services.
This is correct...on
x86 installations. Server 2008 R2 is available in 64-bit only; both x64 and IA64. (You'd be using the former.)
btowntkd wrote:
My current plan to install 2008 R2 involves removing the OS drive, formatting/reinstalling on a different PC, and resealing it. I realize in order to get my Server 2008 R2 install to work properly, I'll need to pre-install the drivers before transferring the OS-drive back into the EX485.
Sysprep is quite a bit different under the Vista family of OSes (including but not limited to Windows Vista, Server 2008, 7 and Server 2008 R2). Unlike previous versions of Windows, where you could pretty much just build a functional system and run Sysprep, you will need to familiarize yourself (if you have not done so already) with the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) and, if necessary, the Windows DDK and SDK. And last but not least, Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment). Building a deployable image isn't quite as cut and dry as it was in the "good old days."
btowntkd wrote:
- Where can I find a definitive list of the component drivers I'll need to download and preinstall?
- Where can I download the HP Windows Services that enable the status-LED behaviors?
- Is there a complete guide somewhere that details the process of a custom Windows Server 200X install? During my searches, I saw people mention that they had successfully done it, but then neglected to walk through the process.
The official HP product support page is here:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/soft ... g=en&cc=us Downloads are available for Vista x86/x64, XP and Server 2003. The only downloads I can see are the Client Update 2.5 (for Vista/XP) and Server Update 2.5. Remember that HP did NOT intend for you to change the EX485 so you're unlikely to find drivers on the site.
However, you might be able to extract drivers from the Server Recovery disc. If you fire up your EX485 when you get it, you can go into Device Manager and find what the drivers are, including the INF files used. Once you know the INF files, you can find everything else pretty easily. You might also want to check the hardware ID(s) of the device(s). Why? Because the drivers are
x86 32-bit drivers and won't do a lick of good in 2008 R2. However, if you
know what the drivers are, including the
harware IDs, it will facilitate easier searching for them online. And that's assuming they even exist...
If you do manage to find drivers, they will need to be digitally signed by Microsoft or the Microsoft compatibility signer. A simple authenticode signature is not sufficient; the drivers must be signed by a certificate (with trusted CA) that supports Kernel mode driver signing. If you use incorrectly signed or unsigned drivers, you will have an unbootable server (it'll sit at a screen requiring you to push F8, then select advanced options and then seleting "disable automatic driver signing enforcement," a setting NOT remembered with subsequent reboots.
btowntkd wrote:
Note that I am familiar with sysprep already. I had actually been considering a different approach, as well; one that involved slipstreaming the drivers onto a custom 2008 R2 unattended installation-DVD, then running the install DVD off a USB DVD-Rom. I'm not sure this would work, since I don't have the debug cable, and cannot change the boot order. If the boot order defaults to DVD-rom first, however... then I'd be golden! Something tells me it won't be that easy
Which Sysprep? Version 2003 and earlier, or the WAIK and WinPE I mentioned earlier? If you're familiar with only the former, you've really got your work cut out for you. If you're familiar with the WAIK and WinPE, then you've cleared a big hurdle already.
In any case, you've got your work cut out for you, but having done some projects like this in the past, it is fun nonetheless.
Matt
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