Black screen on installation

[dragonorb13]

Current system: Ibm Eserver X336. Twin dual core 3.0 ghz processors, 8x 1gb ram installed, 1 146gb and 1 36gb hard disk installed. 2x PCI-x riser cards, one low profile one regular. Bios v1.5.

Attempting to install: PNY Nvidia GeForce 8499 GS, 512mb 64-bit PCI card (that's PCI, not PCI-e anything.)

Physical installation goes as well as is expected, given that it's a pain in the rear to install anything onto a riser card. No exceptional force is required to latch the riser card back into place, so there's no flexing of the card or anything like that.
The issue comes when I attempt to actually boot with the installed card. The on board video is as expected... generic and crappy, but it works for installing stuff. When attempting to boot the system with the new card installed there is zero output and no POST results, either visual from the LEDs or an auditory beep. The lack of output applies to both the new card and the on board vid output.
Possible issue to eliminate: Riser card, and thus the slot the riser, goes into work fine as a different card (old Audigy II sound card) as in it and operated perfectly.
Possible solutions to eliminate: Not buying a new computer system. Not buying a PCI-e riser to replace the PCI-x.
Can't find any documentation anywhere about putting a video card into the thing, so chances are it's a bad card, but I was hoping someone might be able to answer this question: is there a configuration modification I have to make, either in the cmos or via a board jumper? If not, is there anything else I can do that might resolve the issue?

Thanks in advance,
~Zarius

 

[frank1002us]

Current system: Ibm Eserver X336. Twin dual core 3.0 ghz processors, 8x 1gb ram installed, 1 146gb and 1 36gb hard disk installed. 2x PCI-x riser cards, one low profile one regular. Bios v1.5.

Attempting to install: PNY Nvidia GeForce 8499 GS, 512mb 64-bit PCI card (that's PCI, not PCI-e anything.)

Physical installation goes as well as is expected, given that it's a pain in the rear to install anything onto a riser card. No exceptional force is required to latch the riser card back into place, so there's no flexing of the card or anything like that.
The issue comes when I attempt to actually boot with the installed card. The on board video is as expected... generic and crappy, but it works for installing stuff. When attempting to boot the system with the new card installed there is zero output and no POST results, either visual from the LEDs or an auditory beep. The lack of output applies to both the new card and the on board vid output.
Possible issue to eliminate: Riser card, and thus the slot the riser, goes into work fine as a different card (old Audigy II sound card) as in it and operated perfectly.
Possible solutions to eliminate: Not buying a new computer system. Not buying a PCI-e riser to replace the PCI-x.
Can't find any documentation anywhere about putting a video card into the thing, so chances are it's a bad card, but I was hoping someone might be able to answer this question: is there a configuration modification I have to make, either in the cmos or via a board jumper? If not, is there anything else I can do that might resolve the issue?

Thanks in advance,
~Zarius

i am trying to do the same thing , with a pny 8400 and having the exact same issue. no power. system does not come on at all. i was wondering if you had any success.

 

[dragonorb13]

Actually, I did... I had to upgrade the bios... had tried before, but did it just for SnGs, and it worked the second time. I still can't do crap, though, because when I put the card in now, it no longer reads the hard drives. And, unfortunately, I can't use an external drive. If you're using the exact same server, your best bet is to get a copy of a Server OS and use the server as an application server, using a secondary computer as your video card.

 

[frank1002us]

hello zarius. thanks for the reply. when you say it does not read hard drives, are you talking about installing windows? have you added the drives for lsi?

also what version is your bios now?

 

[dragonorb13]

Bios is 1.17, and when i say 'does not read the hard drives' i mean that, for some reason unknown to me, it does not register the hard drives as existing. I thought at first that the issue was just an IRQ conflict, but since i have two hard drives for the thing, that can't be it.
I've also tried booting from USB, and i can do an INSTALL, but i can't load an OS from it. Which sucks.

 

[frank1002us]

i had this issue with the hard drives when i wanted to install the windows xp professional. i used the nlite to add the drivers for lsi to the windows xp professional sp3
and then it loaded the xp. and then i upgraded to 7
if this is your problem i can give you the drivers.
can you give me a link to bios 1.17?

 

[dragonorb13]

Nah, it's been a couple months now since I looked the bios up... I got it from IBM's "Legacy" hardware section, though.
For some reason, I can never get nLite to add drivers in right... no idea what I might be doing wrong.

 

[frank1002us]

i will send you the correct driver tomorrow and also you have to have the sp3. so you must add the sp3 if it is not in your install cd. do you have lsi 1030?

 

[frank1002us]

Bios is 1.17, and when i say 'does not read the hard drives' i mean that, for some reason unknown to me, it does not register the hard drives as existing. I thought at first that the issue was just an IRQ conflict, but since i have two hard drives for the thing, that can't be it.
I've also tried booting from USB, and i can do an INSTALL, but i can't load an OS from it. Which sucks.

i can onfind upto 1.15 are you sure you have 336
anyway this is a link to the zip file containing drivers. only use the lsi logic driver.http://rapidshare.com/files/456842075/textmode.zip

 

[dragonorb13]

I know the server is an X336, though I might be mistaken on the bios. the SP3 i can add, but what is lsi?

 

[frank1002us]

i uploaded and included a link where you can download the correct drivers.
one of then is the driver for the LSI controller. When you boot up on the second screen you will see which LSI controller your server uses. This is the controller for your hard drives.Unzip the file and use nlite to add the correct driver. mine was 5i. There is a driver that is good for a lot of them, this most likely is the one you will need. once you uploaded all of them to nlite. it will be easier to recognize.take your time and read their name just select the correct lsi and add this and sp3 then it would see the hard drive. it is not an ibm it is LSI.

 

[frank1002us]

i just wanted to thank you. i almost gave up till you told me yours worked. it finally works now. thx

 

[dragonorb13]

No worries, man... I still can't get mine working, I'm assuming it's a natural ineptitude with nLite... I'm usually too stubborn to give up on something, but after nearly three weeks of trying to get nLite to add in even basic video drivers and what not, I got fed up... only tried three tries wit the file you sent me, but they failed miserably... If you're using the x336 as well, perhaps I could get a copy of your disk off you? I have multiple CD keys and what not, so all I'd need is the actual physical copy.

 

[frank1002us]

how can i send you such a large file?
i just did this again on another 336 and it works like a charm. unrar this folder to your desktop
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B0gdEfi2ywK5ZWVmMWY4MDctODhkZi00Mjk2LTk1MTktNDIxMWE1NDBhMjE0&hl=en&authkey=CNiVsI4I
this is the link for the driver that you need.
start nlite
put cd for xp install
start a new folder for your xp
choose to add both the sp3 and the drivers and make bootable image
add sp3
choose to add multi driver and point to the folder that you created from the zip file
co to inner folders until you can add the driver
continue until you can make the image.
nothing to go wrong here.
write the bootable image in a cd
use serverguide to setup the server for windows 2000 server.
take the serverguide cd out restart the server with the new xp that you just created
boot from cd and let it install
as i said i tried this on a different 336 right now and it worked like a charm.
in this file there is only one driver so you can not make any mistake in choosing the correct one.
if you could not do it then i will upload the whole xp but that is a large file and it will take a long time.

 

[frank1002us]

i have the xp uploaded if you want i will pm you the address