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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 6:02 pm 
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I happened to grab a sealed NOS ex49x as a replacement for my aging ex48x. It came with a 1tb 7200.12 Seagate drive, I installed the VGA/mouse/keyboard and it boots up no worries. So far no personal data has been added.

My problems started by trying to upgrade the primary drive to a RE4 WD1003FBYX (without advance format). The little 49x won't cooperate with a reset to begin the install of the OS (using the recovery disk). I started by setting my public, private, and domain firewall to disabled and the Lan port at the back has a solid green with a separate blinking amber LED. Ive followed the following steps below to begin the install/recovery process:

1) Start PC (mine is running w7 64bit) in safe-mode with networking enabled, 2) Set PC IP address to 169.37.37.40, 3) Connect PC to server with straight-thru network cable bypassing any hubs and switches in line., 4) Start server Recovery software on PC from "Server Recovery" CD. Reboot Server and go into recovery mode. (Use paper clip to press button on front panel of server within 4 seconds or so of powering it up.)

This is where the problem starts. When the blank formated RE drive (with no partitions) is installed, or even with the factory installed Seagate drive installed), the status light never starts blinking aqua and red. It is always blinking blue. On the Seagate drive, I can watch the OS install on my monitor and when done the blinking blue health light then goes solid blue and the drive light also turns on blue.

With the blank formatted RE4 installed, the light blinks blue, the 49x goes thru bios, but the boot stops becuase there is no OS found. The health light remains blinking blue.

Ive tried pressing the reset button with a paper clip just after boot, pulling the primary drive to force the server into recovery and reinstall the drive after 30 seconds, neither do anything. Health light just says blinking blue, on and off.

Am I doing something wrong here? I just cant seem to get the 49x into recovery mode and the health light to blink purple red so I can begin the install process.

Or is there a way to install the OS on my new drive using a terminal install with the hard drive setup by SATA and the DVD running in a DVD drive? That would sure make things easy.

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Last edited by lioninstreet on Sun Jun 11, 2017 8:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:00 pm 
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The EX49x Series servers can at times be a challenge and although I have done this a few times. Its always been a less than enjoyable experience but once the process does actually start its not all that bad. What I can not remember is if the EX49x will boot into its recovery mod with the system drive missing or if the system drive contains no OS to boot from but I believe it will and if I am wrong I am sure someone will chime in and be kind enough to correct me on that one. I for one never liked pressing that Rest/Recovery Button with a paper clip during the boot process.

There is a guide in the sites WIKI which explains the EX49x Recovery process which I recommend you take a look at below:

http://www.mediasmartserver.net/wiki/in ... _and_EX495

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 8:21 pm 
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Thanks Comp!

This was one of the first guides I read as I was setting up to do this. As I encountered the issue I also found an intriguing post on MSS.net called "A fun - easy - effortless server recovery!! - no paperclip," by bluetdi1. It describes a method of making a bootable usb flash drive to do a recovery on the ex49x using the bottom USB slot. Unfortunately the link to the instructions is dead. I sent him a PM but it wont get out of my outbox. Not to mention it's been a few months since he's logged in.

I also found this from Diehard, "How to create an external bootable USB Server Recovery Thumb Drive for a easier Server Recovery of your EX490/5" but a operating ex47x and disks are required.

What I cant figure out is why the 49x user manual says the health light that is supposed to be aqua white is blue. Even its booted using the preinstalled WHS the light is solid blue after loading and blinking blue before that...

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 7:06 am 
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So sorry you are still having problems with performing a server recovery.
Since you have had this problem with two different servers now, I am guessing the client you are trying to use is one that will not work for some reason (sounds like win10) but some clients will just not work to recover.

That being said, a few of questions:
1) The red drive you are trying to use, it is 1 or 2 tb drive? as the servers can not handle larger then 2tb normally.
2) do you have access to another client? maybe win xp or win 7 to try the recover with?
3) sometimes on a failed recovery the drive will get the partition but fail to load. before trying again I like to pull the drive out, place it in my usb to sata dock on another pc and delete the partition and quick format the drive before trying again.

Again, 3 sets of blue/red/blue/red/blue/red then press and release the button, the light should start blinking aqua and the you can click ok to start the recovery.

Good Luck and let us know how it's going, sometimes it just takes a few tries. and maybe a client or 3 :-(
I keep an old xp laptop setup just to load servers, works every time.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 8:47 am 
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also you should not set the ip when direct connected.
But that would only matter after the server is in recovery.

You could try again with the drive removed and reboot and just start pressing the paperclip in the hole multiple times.
It will start flashing red.
Eventually it should flash purple or violet when it is in recovery then push the drive in.
It is very close in color to the aqua
And run the cd.
Also as far as wiping the drive again .That would help if after recover mode while installing the os the cd stops at say step 3 or so.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:03 am 
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Hi Ruben,

Thanks for chiming in.

With all drives out and pressing the reset almost immediately after pressing start, the power and network light stay blue, and the health light does begin flashing what looks to be a bluish white. I'm presuming that's what I should be looking for. Then, after about 5 seconds of the this the health light then begins flashing red only and remains this way.

Note that I have not reinserted the drive yet.

Is this what I should be seeing? And if so should I insert the drive before or after the light begins flashing red?

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:15 am 
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Push the drive in and possibly push the paperclip a few more times.
They can be very very fickle getting into recovery mode.

Sorry I meant " push the drive in just before it goes back to red"

Actually that method is for when there is a os on the drive already so it will not boot from the drive before it goes into recovery mode.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:27 am 
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Ruben Rocha wrote:
Push the drive in and possibly push the paperclip a few more times.
They can be very very fickle getting into recovery mode.

Sorry I meant " push the drive in just before it goes back to red"

Actually that method is for when there is a os on the drive already so it will not boot from the drive before it goes into recovery mode.


OK I understand you to say while the health light is blinking bluish white push the drive in and click to start the recovery on the terminal (this presuming the terminal has the recovery setup open and ready to begin). All before the health light starts blinking red. Yes?

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 10:04 am 
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when you push in the drive it should continue to flash violet forever or until you install the os or reboot.
your cd should be already running, it prompts you to start recovery mode before proceeding to the next step.
Which is formatting the drive and os install.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 11:04 am 
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I'll give it a go and reply.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 2:22 pm 
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Were assuming the drive is good.
That's why I recommended formatting and looking for a partition if it ever made it that far on another pc.

I just re-read the thread, sounds like at some point you have formatted the new red drive, so it should be good to go.
Fingers crossed for you, they can be a pain sometimes.

Good Luck

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 2:57 pm 
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Yes drive is new and was also tested and passed using Seatools. Let's see if the boot loader will get thru the PXE steps.

In the mean time, I'm also starting the process of creating a bootable flash drive (courtesy of bluetdi1 who just generously sent me all the info and data files...). My hope is it will painlessly handle any future recoveries.

Slowly but surely working thru this. And yes, I'll take all the good luck I can get.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 3:46 pm 
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Just fyi,
One method does not work for all, nor does one method work for one all the time.
Getting the server into recovery mode is the first step.(hardest)
Sometimes it just works flawlessly the first try.
Then using the server recovery cd does not always complete and fails in one of the several steps.
Which causes you to start all over again.
No matter what method you use.
The point I am making is if the server does not go into recovery mode first regardless of if you started the recovery cd first or if you even inserted it yet. It will never complete.

Final words, The server must enter recovery mode before you attempt to use the cd.
It will never work until then.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 4:17 pm 
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Got it Ruben. Thanks for taking the time to clearly restate all this.

At least now I know how to hold my tongue right so I can get the server into recovery. ](*,)

I'll have the recovery disk loaded up in the client and waiting when I do it. Hoping that using a W7 64 bit os for the client terminal doesn't muck things up... I suppose I could try it with my W7 32 bit lappy if it starts to fight me.

Otherwise I'm either putting an old XP terminal back together, working on building the flash drive install, or both...

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 4:26 pm 
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Gardian, I happened to notice the reply I made to your advice didn't post. I've edited and reposted it based on today's progress.

I appreciate your global approach to my issues so I'll try to be concise.

Clients: Are all W7. I have a laptop running 32 bit and the remaining are 64 bit. The terminal I started the 49x recovery with is one of the 64 bit units.

Drives: I am not using the WD reds. I am using the Enterprise series RE4 (1tb). It is my understanding this particular model of RE drive is not advance format.

Additional Client Access: I have an old AMD box circa 2006 that I could stick a SATA drive in and install XP on if I had to.

Prep of Primary Drive: I pulled the drive and using an external USB/Sata connector checked the drive in Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Computer Management/Storage/Disk Management. The drive shows a single health partition at 931.51gb with 931.39 in free space. Before attempting the recovery I did a long format on it. Nevertheless, I just did another quick format so we could verify it is clean due to the failed recovery attempt. Should I also mark the partition as active before I install it on the server?

Server Lights: With Ruben's advice the server is now going into reset mode.

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4gb Ram
Rear Casecover Cooling Mod


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