MediaSmartServer.net
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/

What's this mobo header for?
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=622
Page 7 of 17

Author:  yakuza [ Sun Apr 13, 2008 9:22 am ]
Post subject: 

Good work, all. A couple points:

- you DO need external airflow across the board when it is running on the bench, as you've found it will overheat.
- the F12 boot options should all work, presuming you have a bootable source connected. The boot options in the BIOS don't work, this is how you manually choose boot source.
- the + next to the HDD in the F12 boot menu means it is expandable with more options underneath. :wink: You should see your USB key listed there...

Author:  T-Bone [ Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:41 am ]
Post subject: 

keep in mind that I dont yet own a MSS. when i asked if you could just store the cable in the case and use it when needed the issue of air flow came up. after looking at pictures of the case on line I noticed the main board is raise. could you loop the cable under the board that way it doesnt disturb air flow over the CPU? In the pictures I saw it looked as there were alreay a lot of cables underneath a few more shouldnt matter right? I hope to get my unit in a month or so.

Author:  cakalapati [ Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:01 pm ]
Post subject: 

I wish it were that simple. The MSS form factor is relatively small. The engineers who designed that case put a lot of work in getting that sexy form factor. They did not leave much room for non-HP improvements.

I've tried several things. Either wires got in the way or the connectors were just too big for such a small case. The cables that come with the MSS are brilliantly positioned so that no other cable (especially no 1/2 inch monitor cable) will fit. Even a ribbon cable is problematic!

Perhaps creating some sort of a daughter board would be a solution but that (I'm sure) has some pros and cons too.

If anyone figures out a way to have the cables without damaging the case, please post your results.

Author:  ymboc [ Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:47 pm ]
Post subject: 

While I can't show pics because my board is out having work done on it...:D

What I'm planning is having the ribbon fold over the edge of the board to the space below the board & beside the power supply... from there I can either route it to the back or the front...

if I'm able to tuck it through the space of the poweroutlet my work is done... if not I can make a custom (sheet metal) bracket to support it beside the power supply and cut a hole in the chassis where the kensington security hole is.

Failing that I can route it forward cutting a hole in perforated mesh to fit the connector...

Either way I think its doable but it helps if you're using a ribbon. cakalapati, if you strip back the sheath of your cables a bit you may be able to fold your cables over the edge of the board and be able to work within that space there as well. Alternatively, squeeze it between the ATX connector & the heatsink maybe? Either way I think there's enough room for you to play with there...

Author:  ymboc [ Fri Apr 18, 2008 6:13 pm ]
Post subject: 

So I finally put the machine back together. It hasn't been in one piece since early February.

There was a little less room in the opening than I had expected so I filed around the cutout until the ribbon fit. VGA port was able to squeeze out beside the power-plug as expected.

X2-Glamour shot thrown in for good measure...

Attachments:
DSCF1972.JPG
DSCF1972.JPG [ 170.96 KiB | Viewed 30808 times ]
DSCF1974.JPG
DSCF1974.JPG [ 106.16 KiB | Viewed 30806 times ]
DSCF1975.JPG
DSCF1975.JPG [ 109.61 KiB | Viewed 30816 times ]
DSCF1979.JPG
DSCF1979.JPG [ 137.08 KiB | Viewed 30803 times ]

Author:  cakalapati [ Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:19 pm ]
Post subject: 

ymboc,

Great pictures! I hope you were careful to make sure your ribbon cable was not sliced when you reassembled your machine. Those metal edges can be sharp. From the looks of things, (I take it you did power on your machine), nothing was shorted out. Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to do something similar to be careful not to damage the wire.

I cannot believe you got the ribbon through the power connector. Well done!

Author:  Diehard [ Sat Apr 19, 2008 8:22 am ]
Post subject:  VGA location

ymboc,

Yeah, nice job, great picks. Have you started another thread about your X2 project ? If so, where's the thread ?


UPDATE, Ok, I found it "Saw a EX470 post with a Amd X2" great job there too.

Your such a pro, you should write a WIKI or a book called "WHS harware upgrade hacks for Dummies" I'd buy a copy.

Author:  ymboc [ Sat Apr 19, 2008 8:35 am ]
Post subject: 

It's in the "Saw a EX470 post with a Amd X2" Thread

I'm having thermal and/or temperature diode issues (take your pick) with the brisbane core. (When the machine is re-assembled).

The paste I applied this time was as5 but I think I'll go back to my old tube of AS1 it flows better... hopefully that's all it will need... somehow doubt it but meh.

Author:  cakalapati [ Fri May 09, 2008 8:52 pm ]
Post subject: 

I recently built a few serial cables and got a successful WinDbg connection. WinDbg is useful for doing kernel development, in case anyone wants to write/debug their own (or an existing) driver. I had to enable the serial port in the BIOS and setup my boot.ini file to start Windows Server 2003 in a debug mode.

If you feel uncomfortable following the instructions to build your own cable, but want a cable for development purposes (or whatever), you can buy a pre-tested VGA/PS2/Serial cable from me. This will allow you to see all the BIOS settings as well as do kernel driver development.

I started a thread to answer any questions people may have:
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1290

Attachments:
GI0F2292 (Medium).JPG
GI0F2292 (Medium).JPG [ 40.83 KiB | Viewed 30415 times ]
GI0F2293 (Medium).JPG
GI0F2293 (Medium).JPG [ 62.03 KiB | Viewed 30400 times ]

Author:  knappoleon_2000 [ Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Im Mr. Johnny Come lately

Hey guys...i have a question:

Can you access and use WHS with this and not just the BIOS?


LIKE A DUMB ___ I DISABLED MY LAN CONNECTION ON MY HP MEDIASMART. I was enabling/disabling a bunch of pc's on the network and I (this is so surreal) disabled the server. STUPID!

Help! How do I fix this? Would this cable work? Would the SyncMaster 940UX work? How do I fix this?

Author:  yakuza [ Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:37 pm ]
Post subject: 

Yes, this cable would work, or else you could do a Server Recovery. After the Server Recovery you'd have to reinstall your addins and recreate your users....

Author:  knappoleon_2000 [ Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:07 pm ]
Post subject: 

cool. so i hook up a usb mouse and a vga monitor to this cable and I can go back into the server and re-enable the lan connection? I thought it only lets you see the BIOS.

anyone selling these yet?

Author:  yakuza [ Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:08 pm ]
Post subject: 

Nope, it's a direct video connection to the server, so you'll be all set.

There's a member selling them in the Marketplace forum. 8)

Author:  ngfletcher [ Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's this mobo header for?

I recently managed to disable my network connection, similar to knappoleon. I disabled mine on purpose, though, before realizing the implications. There is an easier way to fix the problem than going through the trouble to make a VGA cable. It's as simple as connecting a usb keyboard to your server, logging on as the administrator, navigating to the network connections folder and enabling the network connection... all while not being able to see anything actually happening. A friend of mine helped me do just that, by walking me through the menus while he looked at them on his WHS. He posted the instructions on his blog, and they should work for anyone that hasn't tinkered with the start menu too much. Check it out here: http://nmwhit06.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.html

Good luck!

Author:  ymboc [ Tue Dec 02, 2008 6:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's this mobo header for?

Thanks for the reference... however, you've probably discovered we have a thread on that recovery method here: Dear God... What Have I Done (Disable Local Area Conn)

RhetoricalOffTopicQ: Does blogspot/blogger have the capability for footnote references?

Page 7 of 17 All times are UTC - 7 hours [ DST ]
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/