We have encountered a problem while setting up a new server here at work, and i would appreciate some help from you guys.

Its a Dell PowerEdge server. We are attempting to install Windows Server 2003 standard edition on it. However, when we boot the OS, it gets stuck at the "Setup is starting windows".

We setup a RAID configuration (RAID 5), and at first we thought the RAID config was the problem (and so did dell). While trying to troubleshoot the problem with Dell, they thought it was a hardware problem and sent us a new RAID Controller. Changed the controller, and nothing.

Next we tried giving the OS the Raid Controller driver when setup was downloading the drivers (through a bootable USB). It asked for the driver, we provided it, but it is still getting stuck at the starting windows screen (with no HD activity).

Have you guys seen an issue like this before? Dell told us that its a problem the server has with Windows Server 2003 problem, that does not occur with Windows Server 2008. Which to me it sounds like BS, because its like we're getting cornered into buying server 2008 which is not what we want to do.

We have used this OS media before and have never had an issue with it. At the sametime we can't remember whether this OS we are using has SP2 on it by default because me and this other guy remember always having to download it after the OS is done installing. So that could very well be the problem.

Question:

1.Do you know if it is possible to add service pack 2 to the OS disk?
2. If our OS media does not have service pack 2, and that is what the server needs, would we get some type of error indicating as such, or would it just hang like that?


When i get home I'm going to install windows server 2003 from this media we are using here to check whether or not it has SP2. But until i get home and get to do that, i thought maybe you guys would have some thoughts, specially some of you that have dealt with servers extensively.

Thanks!

I'm going to try adding SP2 to our OS media and see if that does it.

I also downloaded The Bootable CD and will try that as well.

No, can't get in safe mode because there's no OS installed at the moment. It boots up and allows me to get to any of the configuration tools that are available, including booting from CD, or USB, BIOS config, etc...
 
It only hangs after it loads the drivers from the Windows CD, while on the Setup is starting windows.

I believe SPs include previous ones, so I don't think so. I'm not 100% on that. I just know whenever I install an RTM version, all I have to install the latest SP, and not all of them in sequence.