MS Server 2003 Setup

Evening All,

Intel PIII 660; 1/2 gig of RAM; 80 gig WD hard drive; common CD; Award BIOS.
PROBLEM: I have (allegedly) "set up" Windows 2003 server on this hard drive 3 times now. Each time the PC reboots, I get "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER" message, or else, "BOOT FROM ATAPI CD-ROM....NO BOOT DISK PRESENT ". I know I've gone through the entire setup routine 3 times...............does anyone have a clue as to why the PC will not boot to Server 2003 on the hard drive? And, yes, C: is the first boot device, but for some strange reason, the system will not recognize it. Any thoughts will be HIGHLY appreciated.

 

W2K3 setup is largely the same as W2K/XP. So if your familiar with W2K or XP then you really can't do anything wrong as far as a basic setup goes. I'm wondering if you have a major disk error?

Have you deleted the partition(s) and created a new partition, then reformatted. If yes, and you only initially did this, I suggest trying it again.

You're initially booting from the CDROM in BIOS. CDROM (1) Hard drive (2)?

Remove all cards and external devices before the install, exept those required for basic operation such as the Graphics card. I'm also thinking a hardware conflict/incompatibility could be an issue.

An outside chance is a Motherboard or BIOS incompatibility. Check the website for BIOS update and any info regarding W2K3. Unlikely but worth checking.

A few possibilities. Hope it helps?