Important Installation Considerations

Note the following important considerations before beginning the Windows Server operating system installation on mass storage connected to your Sun workstation:

• When you install the Windows operating system, any data on the boot drive, including any preinstalled operating system, is overwritten.

• If you are using the on-board Intel® ICH10R AHCI SATA disk controller connected to mass storage, and you want to include your boot drive as part of a RAID configuration, you must first configure your system's SATA configuration setting for RAID using the system BIOS setup utility (accessible by pressing F2 during boot). Then, configure your RAID volumes using the Intel Matrix Storage Manager option ROM utility (accessible by pressing Ctrl-I during workstation boot) before you install the Windows operating system.

• If you have the optional LSI 3041E Host Bus Adapter connected to mass storage, and you want to include your boot drive as part of a RAID configuration, you must configure your RAID volumes using the controller's BIOS configuration utility (accessible by pressing Ctrl-C during workstation boot) before you install the Windows operating system.

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  Note –

  For configurations that require additional hardware, you must install the hardware before you can install the operating system. You might also need to configure the boot device priority in the workstation’s BIOS setup program.

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• Windows XP does not contain the mass storage drivers required for your workstation. The mass storage drivers can be delivered from a floppy disk, USB flash disk or CD/DVD.

• Check for any known issues with your workstation and the version of Windows you are installing by reviewing the appropriate sections in the Sun Ultra 27 Workstation Product Notes.

The installation procedures described in this document guide you through the process of selecting an installation method for the mass storage driver and operating system media.