I've been learning what I can about starting a server for the first time. Have decided to try unRAID and finally had a few minutes to tinker around. Dug out an old corporate desktop I got from a buddy a few years back:

HP Compaq dc5800 Microtower
Intel Core 2 Duo E 8400 3.0GHz
4GB RAM
2 HDDs I had lying around (disconnected original boot drive so I could always revert back to the company's Windows if needed to)

I setup a flashdrive with a bootable version of unRAID and then plugged it in. Enabled boot from USB in BIOS and set it to be the first thing to boot from. Not sure what other settings in BIOS I'd be missing. Begins reading the flashdrive on bootup, says "OK for the first 3 items and then gives me this error and stays stalled on this.

I have tried two different USB drives: a MicroCenter 32GB and an 8GB PNY. I have formatted them FAT32 multiple times and even manually installed unRAID on one of them instead of running the USB creator. Continue to get the same error.

Looks like I'm already in over my head. This wasn't going to be my permanent server, I just wanted to play around and learn it before spending money on anything. Appreciate any help on this!

UPDATE: Unfortunately not a positive update. I have tried a 3rd USB drive as well and I get the same results. MEMTest comes up good. I have tried installing the latest release as well as the previous release. I have tried using the previous release on all 3 USB drives I have. I have tried Booting to OS, Booting to OS GUI and Booting to OS GUI Safe Mode using all 3 USB drives I have. I continue to get the same error.

All I set out to do is tinker with unRAID as a trial for my first server but this is becoming quite disheartening.

 

SOLVED: After messing around with some BIOS settings and getting nowhere I tried my PC and the USB stick worked. Knowing that it must be the "server" PC andnot the USB drives or the way the USB drives were being created; I decided to look into BIOS updates for the server PC. After flashing the BIOS UNRAID loaded. The updated BIOS jumped from 2008 to 2015 lol. So... yeah, that was it. Thanks everyone!

 

 

Edited October 2, 20187 yr by TBoneStaek
SOLVED

Are you getting to the boot menu? Have you tried memtest? 

1 hour ago, trurl said:

Are you getting to the boot menu? Have you tried memtest? 

Yes:

bzimage ok
bzroot ok

Able to select headless OS or GUI or safe modes or MEMTEST.

Just ran MEMTEST and it passed.

Any other ideas?

have you tried the limetech usb creator?

Also worth trying a different release, i.e. try v6.5.3 if you tried only v6.6.

10 minutes ago, ijuarez said:

have you tried the limetech usb creator?

Is that different than the one unRAID USB Creator?

13 minutes ago, TBoneStaek said:

Is that different than the one unRAID USB Creator?

Same. Limetech is the Unraid company.

4 minutes ago, trurl said:

Same. Limetech is the Unraid company.

Ok, yeah I've tried both the USB Creator and manually creating it. Gonna try the next suggestion of the previous release.

On 9/26/2018 at 12:54 PM, johnnie.black said:

Also worth trying a different release, i.e. try v6.5.3 if you tried only v6.6.

Seems to be pretty much the same error.

If you can try the flash drive on a different computer, just to make sure it's not a problem with the flash drive or how it was prepared, if it does boot there's likely some hardware incompatibility with Unraid and your server.

13 minutes ago, johnnie.black said:

If you can try the flash drive on a different computer, just to make sure it's not a problem with the flash drive or how it was prepared, if it does boot there's likely some hardware incompatibility with Unraid and your server.

The only other thing I could think of was something in the BIOS. I suppose I can shut my main PC down and try booting with these sticks as long as I don't proceed with anything else; shouldn't cause any problems right? Hehe

5 minutes ago, TBoneStaek said:

I suppose I can shut my main PC down and try booting with these sticks as long as I don't proceed with anything else; shouldn't cause any problems right?

You can, as long as you don't assign any disks and start an array it won't touch your data.

13 minutes ago, johnnie.black said:

You can, as long as you don't assign any disks and start an array it won't touch your data.

Cool, I'll try that later this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Currently ripping a disc. If the USB does in fact work, I'll try flashing the BIOS on the server PC to see if that fixes it. Will get back later!

On 9/28/2018 at 10:27 AM, johnnie.black said:

You can, as long as you don't assign any disks and start an array it won't touch your data.

See update in OP. Thanks for all your help!