IBM server boot problem with USB hard drive
Question:
The setup:
- I’ve got an IBM xSeries 206 server running Windows 2003.
- We’re going to be running backups to external USB-connected hard drives.
- I also want to schedule this server to reboot once per week.
The problem:
When the server reboots, it always tries to boot to the USB-attached drive, and gives an ‘operating system not found’ message. The only way to allow the server to boot if the external drive is attached is to physcially turn off the drive.
Changing the BIOS boot order has no affect. The drives in the 206 are SCSI-attached.
IBM’s response:
They told me we’re pretty much out of luck. If you have a USB device attached, this supersedes all BIOS boot order settings. And because we’re not using IBM-approved hardware (these external drives are Maxtor), we can’t even claim a legitimate problem, even though IBM external USB drives will behave in exactly the same way. If we really want to pursue this, we’d need to purchase and test with IBM USB drives. I was able to duplicate the problem with an IBM flash drive, but apparently that didn’t count for some reason.
Answer:
The xSeries 206 server has a few USB options in BIOS:
1) Legacy USB Support
2) USB Device
3) USB 2.0 Device
DISABLE option #1. Then the server will boot. Something is a little wonked in the IBM firmware, I think: It’ll look for USB boot devices only if Legacy USB Support is on.
fidel:
i have a pendrive which is new and caonnoy use because when inserted into my
3 January 2008, 4:21 ampc it always says insert a disk in the drive
abkaiser:
If you want your PC to boot to a flash drive, your PC needs to be able to support that operation. Older PCs mayhave trouble doing this. To configure your PC for booting to a flash drive, enter the BIOS and check for “Boot order”. There should be an option for “USB drive”. Make sure this is listed before the hard drive in the boot order.
If your PC doesn’t support this option, then you may not be able to boot to a USB drive.