Cannot boot Windows server 2003


Recommended Posts

I use to have XP SP1 on my old machine, I thought id put Windows Server 2003 onto it and link it up to my new computer. I wiped the hard drive using Drive Scrubber. Then I inserted the Windows server 2003 SP1 disk into the drive and select boot from CD-ROM in the bios settings. It begins pre-installation and for some weird reason XP SP2 Boot screen appears, after that it goes into the Windows Server set up, command prompt opens and "Factory-PE.exe" runs. Then command prompt remains open and nothing happens. Please not this is a OEM CD :(

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/451954-cannot-boot-windows-server-2003/
Share on other sites

  bobbba said:

Why not just go back to XP?

I dont have clue how to reformat the drive. When it stays on Command Prompt it says:

"X:\I386\system32>factory -winpe"

"X:\I386\system32>"

The reason I wanted Windows Server onto it was just to mess around since I am hoping to get a job in IT later in life. :o

Get through to the partitioning stage of Win 2003 setup cd-rom. Select the partition you want to install to and press d. Follow the instructions until you have got rid of the partition and got "Unallocated Space". Select the large amount of allocated space and press enter, then choose NTFS Quick. hopefully it will then work

  simsie said:

Get through to the partitioning stage of Win 2003 setup cd-rom. Select the partition you want to install to and press d. Follow the instructions until you have got rid of the partition and got "Unallocated Space". Select the large amount of allocated space and press enter, then choose NTFS Quick. hopefully it will then work

The installation doesnt get that far. Here is the order and what happens:

1. Bios boots

2. Press any key to boot from CD-ROM

3. Pre-installation of Windows environment

4. XP Boot screen

5. Command prompt opens

6. "X:\I386\system32>factory -winpe" automatically runs

6. Factory -winpe finishes and command prompt remains open

7. "X:\I386\system32>" stays on the command prompt

That is all what happens.

where did you get this CD? Is it some kind of trial CD? Are you sure there is not another CD in your machine in another CD/DVD drive?

I can tell you this - No 2k3 server CD from MS boots with "Factory -winpe" anything..

Either your not booting what you think your booting.. ie some other CD or some kind of recovery partition on the hard drive.. Or that is not a CD from MS.

  Viper101 said:

The installation doesnt get that far. Here is the order and what happens:

1. Bios boots

2. Press any key to boot from CD-ROM

3. Pre-installation of Windows environment

4. XP Boot screen

5. Command prompt opens

6. "X:\I386\system32>factory -winpe" automatically runs

6. Factory -winpe finishes and command prompt remains open

7. "X:\I386\system32>" stays on the command prompt

That is all what happens.

it sounds like you have an OEM version of Windows 2003.

OEM companies add stuff to the Windows CDs to better fit their needs and their customers needs.

sounds like this OEM CD that you have is using other parameters and scripts that the OEM company has put in place. These scripts and parameters are designed for specific hardware. If you are not using the original OEM computer/server with this OEM CD, then it will most likely fail.

At my organization, I have created an "OEM" windows xp dvd that is designed to work only with our hardware.

OEM Companies (like Dell, IBM, etc), use their own OEM CDs (even for Windows 2003 server) that work with certain hardware configurations. The CDs look official but are designed only for their computer systems.

hope this isnt too confusing.

  metalguy90 said:

it sounds like you have an OEM version of Windows 2003.

OEM companies add stuff to the Windows CDs to better fit their needs and their customers needs.

sounds like this OEM CD that you have is using other parameters and scripts that the OEM company has put in place. These scripts and parameters are designed for specific hardware. If you are not using the original OEM computer/server with this OEM CD, then it will most likely fail.

At my organization, I have created an "OEM" windows xp dvd that is designed to work only with our hardware.

OEM Companies (like Dell, IBM, etc), use their own OEM CDs (even for Windows 2003 server) that work with certain hardware configurations. The CDs look official but are designed only for their computer systems.

hope this isnt too confusing.

Thanks for making it a lot clearer. It is a OEM disk. Came in a seal Microsoft box with security seals.

It worked fine on VMWare. Ive digged out an old 98 recovery disk and restored the Boot record and partition table. Im going try to format the hard drive and see if that makes any different.

Cheers

  Viper101 said:

Thanks for making it a lot clearer. It is a OEM disk. Came in a seal Microsoft box with security seals.

that sounds odd?

most OEMs CDs dont have much Microsoft branding on it, but their own.

ie. Dell would make the OEM CD look like a Dell CD.

the last company i worked for bought Dell servers and all their disks were blue & white.

the company i work for now uses IBM servers, and their disks are white & black; even though both OEM CDs are Microsoft Windows 2003 server, they both looked like IBM or Dell CDs

hmmm reading your post after mine reminded me of a problem i once had installing server 2003 on a client machine. If the 2003 is booting ok but its not loading the files or appears to be stuck it indicates a hardware problem. In my case i solved it by replacing the cd drive and the PATA cable but it also could be due to faulty ram. Download microsoft memory tester from another pc and save it to floppy and run the floppy disk. If the ram is fine then more than likely its the cd drive or the hard drive. You just have to elimante each component until you find the problem. :) also as mentioned already it could be because its an oem cd. Try downloading the 120 day trial from Microsoft and burn it to a cd and see if that installs.

  andy2004 said:

hmmm reading your post after mine reminded me of a problem i once had installing server 2003 on a client machine. If the 2003 is booting ok but its not loading the files or appears to be stuck it indicates a hardware problem. In my case i solved it by replacing the cd drive and the PATA cable but it also could be due to faulty ram. Download microsoft memory tester from another pc and save it to floppy and run the floppy disk. If the ram is fine then more than likely its the cd drive or the hard drive. You just have to elimante each component until you find the problem. :) also as mentioned already it could be because its an oem cd. Try downloading the 120 day trial from Microsoft and burn it to a cd and see if that installs.

I downloaded the trial version of Windows Server 2003. I burned it onto a CD-ROM, inserted it into the CD-ROM drive and error messege occured "Invalid System Disk". I dont think that RAM is damaged as XP was working fine before. The only thing I can think of is the Hard drive. I think im going buy a 80GB hard drive, to see if that will work. Il let you know how it goes.

Cheers

  Viper101 said:

I brought a new 80GB Hard drive, fitted it and tried installing Server 2003, however still no luck. This is just one big headache! :blink:

Yeah cuz installing a OS is just so hard.. How does a CD not booting point you to a hard drive issue? The CDrom could boot without a Hard Drive in the system..

When you say you burned the trial download to a CD? I'm guessing you have a CD with trial2003.iso on it - and can not figure out why id doesn't boot ;)

If you can not figure out how to burn a ISO.. have them send you a trial..

  • 2 weeks later...

:cool:

He's not using a real Microsoft WIN 2003 disk. I've installed many OS's and W2K3 never acts like that...

I've heard of some of these "so-called good deal" disks and most simply do not work...

Recommend he get his money back...if he can!

Ozz~ :alien:

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Shouldn't using "High Performance" mode prevent c-states from initializing? Maybe AMD hasn't built a proper power plan for their x3d processors like they used to for their ryzen chips.
    • Vivetool also has a GUI. Literally took me three clicks to enable this from there.
    • Microsoft Weekly: OneDrive horror stories, ramblings about Start menu, and more by Taras Buria This week's news recap is here, delivering you a roundup of the most important Microsoft stories, including a bunch of odd stuff and bugs in Windows, OneDrive horror stories, ramblings about the Start menu, a couple of new Windows 11 preview builds, important news from AMD, and a lot more. Quick links: Windows 10 and 11 Windows Insider Program Updates are available Reviews are in Gaming news Windows 11 and Windows 10 Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions. Microsoft released a new out-of-band update to fix boot issues on certain Surface devices. The company announced certain Windows 365 updates, such as VBS and HVCI support (by default) and app provisioning in Windows 365 instead of entire cloud PCs. Microsoft is also removing legacy drivers from Windows Update in a new "strategic move." This is the default Windows 365 wallpaper On the negative side, we have the latest Patch Tuesday updates breaking the DHCP Server in all Windows Server editions. Also, there is some bad news for PC users with Windows Hello cameras: after the April 2025 Patch Tuesday updates, Windows Hello does not work in the dark. The change was quietly introduced to address security issues. Windows Goodbye That is not all, though. As it turned out, solid-state drives from WD could still block your computer from installing Windows 11 version 24H2, which was released in October 2024. Also, Microsoft's Family Safety feature is now blocking Chrome, for some reason. Here is an editorial from Usama Jawad (welcome back) about how, four years after the initial release, Windows 11 still does not offer strong enough reasons to upgrade from the outgoing Windows 10. Also, Usama shared his thoughts about the Start menu and why he had stopped caring about its changes altogether. Speaking of the Start menu, check out our overview of what users wanted from Microsoft and what the company delivered in the redesigned Start menu, which was recently announced. Windows Insider Program Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week: Builds Canary Channel Build 27881 This week's Canary build introduced context menu improvements, new accessibility features, Settings app tweaks, and more. Dev Channel Nothing in the Dev Channel this week Beta Channel Nothing in the Beta Channel this week Release Preview Channel Build 26100.4482 (KB5060829) This build improves File Explorer and search performance, adds some changes to default browser settings, and fixes multiple bugs. Some hidden stuff in the recent Windows 11 preview builds includes a new adaptive battery saver. This feature dynamically adapts battery saver mode according to your workflow, but in its current form, it is not fully operational. Even though Microsoft acknowledged its existence, the adaptive part still needs improvements. Another useful change in the recent builds is the return of a clock in the notification center. This time, however, Microsoft makes it more customizable, and you can toggle it on or off. Also, the company is moving more Control Panel bits to the Settings app and adding a rather unexpected customization feature that will let you select where system indicators (flyouts and sliders) appear on the screen. Microsoft started rolling out a new update for the Snipping Tool app. The latest release lets you save screen recordings as GIFs. Shortly after that, we posted a guide with a bit more detail about the feature. Updates are available This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) from Microsoft and third parties, delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more. Microsoft is working on a Dashboard redesign for PowerToys. Developers published an early look at what is coming to the app in future updates, revealing a better-organized page with quick links, a shortcut overview, and a list of available modules. This week's Office updates are rather mixed. OneDrive, for one, is having problems finding files. Microsoft acknowledged the issue, which affects users on Windows, iOS, Android, and the web. Unfortunately, that is not the only negative story about OneDrive. A new report from a frustrated user revealed a scary tale of Microsoft locking them out of an account full of invaluable content. Outlook also has some issues, this time, with opening emails, and Microsoft 365 will soon disable outdated protocols for file access. Finally, Copilot in Excel received a major update for context awareness, which made the assistant more useful when answering questions about data. This week's browser updates include several releases. Firefox announced a new method for pinning and unpinning tabs. It is now available for testing in the Nightly channel. Microsoft Edge was updated with fixes for two security vulnerabilities (high severity) originating from Chromium. Finally, here is this week's Microsoft 365 Roadmap with an overview of all the new stuff that Microsoft added to the website. Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting: Microsoft 365 security in the spotlight after Washington Post hack. Microsoft expands European sovereign cloud offerings with new data and key controls. Microsoft Defender XDR received TITAN-powered Security Copilot recommendations. Microsoft reportedly plans more layoffs. Watchdog found Microsoft guilty of confusing advertising when it comes to Copilot. Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week: AMD released a new chipset driver for Ryzen processors under version 7.06.02.123, which followed a security update for TPM-Pluton. Nvidia 576.80 WHQL with fixes for the RTX 5090 FE, new game support, and a long list of fixes. You can get some extra performance on certain AMD Ryzen chips with a simple system tweak. Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 received big firmware updates with multiple fixes and improvements. Reviews are in Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week This week, Steven Parker reviewed the TerraMaster D4 SSD, a palm-sized DAS with up to 32TB of storage that you can connect over USB4. This thing is rather impressive, and for a modest price tag, it delivers a tiny footprint, great looks, full RAID support in TOS 6, quick connection, and more. On the gaming side Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more. AMD and Microsoft announced some big news this week. The two companies revealed a new multi-year partnership, which secures AMD as the future maker of chips for Xbox consoles and other hardware. Sarah Bond announced the partnership in a new video on the official Xbox media channels. Turn 10 Studios announced a new Forza Motorsport update. Update 21 brings IndyCar content, Career mode expansion, Featured Tours, new reward cars, and more. It is now available on Xbox and PC via the Microsoft Store and Steam. Minecraft is another Microsoft-owned game that received a big update this week. The long-anticipated graphics overhaul is finally here with directional lighting, volumetric fog, improved shadows, reflections, godrays, and a lot more. In addition, Mojang released Chase the Skies, the latest content drop, which adds happy ghasts, new music disks, a locator bar for players, environmental fog in the overworld, new background music, and all sorts of small gameplay changes. Microsoft announced new games for Game Pass. The latest additions include FBC: Firebreak, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, Start Trucker, Wildfrost, Rematch, Call of Duty: WWII, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and more. As usual, some games are leaving the subscription. Valve released a big update for the Steam overlay. The latest version introduced major upgrades to CPU and VRAM usage, temperatures, and other important metrics that you might want to track when playing games on your gaming rig. Deals and freebies Also, be sure to check out this week's Weekend PC Game Deals article, which features rhythm bundles, fishing festivals, DRM-free summer sales, and more. Other gaming news includes the following: Take-Two confirmed Borderlands 4 will not cost $80 for the base game. The Coalition expanded the Gears of War: Reloaded beta after its rocky start. Ara: History Untold 1.4 update delivered overhauls to AI, map generation, combat, and more. Star Citizen Alpha 4.2 update lands with radiation hazards, dynamic rain, and more. This link will take you to other issues of the Microsoft Weekly series. You can also support Neowin by registering a free member account or subscribing for extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option. Microsoft Weekly image background by steve_a_johnson on Pixabay
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      Johnny Mrkvička earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      viraltui earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      serfegyed earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Dedicated
      firey earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Dedicated
      fettermanj earned a badge
      Dedicated
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      635
    2. 2
      ATLien_0
      230
    3. 3
      Michael Scrip
      218
    4. 4
      Xenon
      149
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      140
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!