Question: How to install Windows XP on Dell Poweredge 2950 SAS Raid

Operating Systems Windows XP/2000/Server 2003
1

I will be going to a remote location next week and have to be able to install Windows XP on a Dell PowerEdge 2950 with Perc SAS Raid. I am trying to create an XP bootable CD using WinLite, which appears to work, but when I boot the disk I get a message that "The file percsas.sys could not be found." and I have to restart the machine. I have inserted the text mode drivers in the image and they can be found in D:\I386\NLDRV\005 on the CD, the missing file is there in the format PERCSAS.SY_.

What can I try to get past this issue?

Thanks in advance!

2

@andrewjen :
Welcome to the Win-RAID Forum!

Questions:
1. Have you used a “clean” (= untouched) Windows XP SP3 CD as source, when you integrated the related RAID driver by using nLite? Is there a file named WINNT.SIF within the i386 directory?
2. Are you sure, that the integrated RAID driver supports Windows XP?
3. Does the inserted driver contain a file named TXTSETUP.OEM?
4. Is a file named PERCSAS.SY_ or PERCSAS.SYS present within the root of the i386 directory of your bootable XP CD?

Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)

3

Thank you so much for your prompt response!!

I’m very new at this process of using nLite and integrating RAID drivers so your assistance is a magnificent boon.

1. Source CD was SP1, I did the SP3 slipstream at the same time as I integrated the driver. WINNT.SIF exists in i386 directory.
2. I’m using the Server 2003 version of the driver that I have been lead to believe will work - beyond that I don’t know. Hopefully!!
3. Yes, TXTSETUP.OEM exists.
4. PERCSAS.SY_ exists in i386 directory of the XP CD, yes.

I don’t have access to the actual server, it is at a mine site in Labrador. I’m trying to use the CD on another piece of hardware. Is this part of my problem?

Regards,

Andrew

4

This verifies, that your used XP SP1 source has already been previously processed.
I suspect, that this is the reason for your XP installation failure.

5

So, in order to proceed I’d have to start with an original Windows CD, all bets off otherwise?

6

Yes, a “clean” (= original) image of the OS is a pre-condition for a successful integration of a specific textmode driver.

7

May I hope that the existence of the drivers that I am trying to integrate in the image in the correct folders mean that my process is going in the "correct direction" once I resolve the source CD issue?

Andrew

8

@andrewjen :
Yes, when you are using an original XP image with integrated SP2 or SP3 as source, you are going into the “correct direction”, but I cannot give you any success guarantee, because I do not know, whether your used RAID driver
a) supports Windows XP and
b) supports your current system.

9

I very much appreciate your help.

I’ll update this topic if/when I have further information that may be useful to others.