Windows Issues

The following issues apply to a Sun Ultra 27 Workstation running Windows:

Windows Vista-Related Issues

• Windows Vista Boot Halts With a Black Screen

• Windows Vista/2008 Blue Screen After Installing SATA RAID Driver Using Tools and Drivers DVD

• Incompatibility Between Intel QuickPath Architecture I/O hub and Windows Vista.

Windows XP-Related Issuses

• Blue Screen Error on Windows XP With LSI SAS HBA and AHCI Setting

• RAID Driver is Required for Installing Windows XP on a SATA Configuration Set to RAID Mode

• XP Reburn Does Not Include Audio and Video Drivers

• AHCI Mode Not Supported on Windows XP

Windows—Related General Issues

• Blank Screen during Windows Installation

• Install the Windows Intel Matrix Manager on RAID-Configured Systems Only

Windows Vista Boot Halts With a Black Screen

During boot-up a Windows Vista system might halt resulting in a black screen and a failure to boot. Rebooting the workstation might resolve the issue.

This issue is under investigation

Windows Vista/2008 Blue Screen After Installing SATA RAID Driver Using Tools and Drivers DVD

On SATA RAID systems, a blue screen might appear after you install the SATA RAID driver/manager from the Tools and Drivers DVD.

Workaround

Enter the BIOS and change from ACHI to RAID mode if the system is configured as SATA RAID.

Incompatibility Between Intel QuickPath Architecture I/O hub and Windows Vista.

An incompatibility issue might exist between the Intel QuickPath architecture I/O hub and the Windows Vista OS.

Workaround

• Click Start —> Control Panel —> Problem Reports and Solutions —> Clear Solution and Problem History

• Use Intel Matrix Storage Manager v8.8.0 or greater.

Blue Screen Error on Windows XP With LSI SAS HBA and AHCI Setting

When the BIOS is set to AHCI on a Windows XP system with an LSI SAS HBA controller card, a blue screen error might occur. To resolve this issue, load the LSI SAS driver before the Windows XP installation process.

Load the LSI SAS Driver

1. Access the BIOS Setup Utility (see To Access the BIOS Setup Utility in Sun Ultra 27 Workstation Service Manual).

2. Use the left or right arrow keys to navigate to the Advanced menu.

3. Use the down arrow key to highlight Integrated Device and press Enter.

4. Highlight the option to Configure Slot 0–3 and press Enter.

   An Options pop-up window appears.

5. Highlight IDE and press Enter.

6. Press F10 to save and exit.

7. Reboot using the Windows XP installation media and follow the prompts.

8. When Press F6 if you need to install a third-party SCSI or RAID driver... appears at the bottom of the Windows Setup screen, press F6 and follow the instructions to install the LSI driver.

9. After installing the LSI SAS driver, continue with the Windows XP installation.

RAID Driver is Required for Installing Windows XP on a SATA Configuration Set to RAID Mode

When the BIOS is set to RAID mode, the RAID driver must be installed before you install the OS.

To Install the RAID Driver

1. Copy the RAID driver from the Tools and Drivers DVD to a USB floppy drive.

2. Connect the USB floppy drive to a USB port on the workstation.

   The USB floppy drive must be connected directly to a USB port on the workstation. Do not connect to a USB hub.

3. Reboot the workstation and access the BIOS Setup Utility (see To Access the BIOS Setup Utility in Sun Ultra 27 Workstation Service Manual).

4. Use the Boot menu in the BIOS Setup Utility to verify that the USB floppy drive is seen by the workstation.

5. Press the Esc key to exit the BIOS Setup Utility and reboot the workstation using the Windows XP installation media.

6. When Press F6 if you need to install a third-party SCSI or RAID driver... appears at the bottom of the Windows Setup screen, press F6 and follow the instructions to install the RAID driver from the USB floppy drive.

7. Press S to specify an additional device.

   A list appears.

8. Select the Intel ICH10R RAID SATA controller from the list and proceed with the installation.

XP Reburn Does Not Include Audio and Video Drivers

Due to the limited size of the XP reburn CD, you must install audio and video drivers from the Tools and Drivers DVD.

AHCI Mode Not Supported on Windows XP

Only IDE mode of RAID mode of SATA Configurations is supported when installing Windows XP.

Blank Screen during Windows Installation

During a Windows installation, you might encounter a blank screen if there is a Linux partition present on the hard drive.

Workaround

1. If there is a Linux partition on the hard drive, run the wipedisk utility to erase the primary boot partition before you install Windows.

   The wipedisk utility is available on the Tools and Drivers DVD by accessing the Erase Primary Boot Hard Disk (option 5).

2. Install Windows.

Install the Windows Intel Matrix Manager on RAID-Configured Systems Only

Installing the Intel Matrix Manager Software from the Tools and Drivers DVD on non-RAID systems might cause a blue screen crash.

Workaround

Do not install the Intel Matrix Manager on non-RAID systems. If you have the Intel Matrix Manager installed on a non-RAID system, boot the workstation using safemode and uninstall the Intel Matrix Manager software.