3 replies to this topic

[manekineko]

The system drive in my HP Mediasmart Windows Home Server died. I ordered a new drive, and put it in.

Following the instructions from the manual, I popped the Server Recovery Disc in my Windows 7 PC until it got to the part where it was supposed to install the connector, and the program just closed itself.

The home server is now sitting there with all lights purple doing nothing.

I've tried the following to get a connector installed:

• HP Software Installation Disc: This is the initial way I installed the connector back in the day when my PC ran Vista. Now that I'm on Windows 7, it just dies with the complaint, "You can not install HP MediaSmart Server on this version of Windows."
  
• Downloaded from Microsoft: I downloaded the connector software from Microsoft and tried to run it. It died complaining, "The files were not downloaded from your home server. Your Windows Home Server software may be out of date. Upgrade your home server to the current version and then install the Windows Home Server Connector on this computer. If you recently ran Server Recovery, install the Connector using the CD you received with your home server. Then, upgrade your home server to the most recent Windows Home Server version." I don't know how to update to the latest Power Pack without being able to access the console.
  
• Tried navigating in Internet Explorer to http://hpserver:55000, where people report being able to download the connector. For some reason it fails on my computer with, "Server Error in '/' Application. The resource cannot be found."
  
• Tried navigating in Network Places to HPSERVER. It pops up asking for a user name and password, and doesn't let me in.
  
• Looked on HP's site for any sort of updated software for the Mediasmart EX line. There is none.

Please tell me that there is some way for me to restore my home server to working condition in the modern era where I don't have any computers older than Windows 7.

[manekineko]

In case anyone else ever happens across this post in the same situation, I have bad news. I ended up borrowing an ancient XP laptop and used that to initiate the server recovery, which obviously worked fine.

I'm not sure there's any other way to restore a server with a bad system disk.

[FIRSTLIONHEART]

Sounds like you might have missed a step when you did the Server Recovery or Server Re-Installation. There are a few basic principles you MUST DO before you attempt either. I have only Windows 7 Ultimate 32-Bit and 64-Bit PC's on my network. I have reinstalled the Server MANY times.

I have an EX 475 MediaSmart W/ 4 Seagate 1 TB drives inside, and multiple types of large external drives for a total of just short of 12 TB controlled by the server. It my assumption you have read the document "whs_connect_tshoot" and your firewall is set to accommodate all the required ports listed there. Do yourself a favor and copy your Server Recovery Disk to your hard drive and put shortcuts on your Desktop to the two following files where ever they end up. WHSCONNECTORINSTALL.EXE and WHSRecovery.exe. File the CD where you can find it if the hard drive goes away. When you run the files either do Run As Administrator Or Right Click the icons and Click the Run As Administrator box in Properties and it will automatically do Run As Administrator when you double-click the files. Trust me, you'll get to know the routine of Server Installation and Recovery Very Well during your ownership period however long that is.

BEFORE you attempt a Recovery or Re-Installation you MUST Uninstall: HP MediaSmart Server AND Windows Home Server Connector in Add/Remove Programs. If you hadn't done this before you tried to run your recovery/re-installation from your Windows 7 machine that explains why it failed on the W7 machine and succeeded on the XP machine. The XP machine did NOT have a copy of HP MediaSmart Server AND Windows Home Server Connector already installed. . .

IF your recovery/re-installation FAILS be sure you have a copy of the Windows Home Server Toolkit installed. Running the Toolkit in advanced mode can be done by pasting: C:\Program Files\Windows Home Server\Toolkit\ConnectorTroubleShooter.exe -a to your RUN Line and hitting enter. It will help you diagnose just where your connector installation failed. IF you see that your network resolves ALL the parameters in the ConnectorTroubleshooter you can Re-run the Connector Installation from ConnectorTroubleshooter

There are MANY other exotic Tricks to getting a server up and running again. Working with HP's Server Group in New York we've done things that aren't written down anywhere. There are many ways to skin this cat. . .

Good Luck

[sina]

I'm having the exact same problem. I have to say that I tried to follow the steps, but the removal of the "HP MedaiSmart Server" would fail every time I tried (yet another reason that I needed recovery!) So I tried to skip that step, and now I see the solid purple lights with the recovery console that closes itself.
I figured it's probably a compatibility issue, so I am right now trying it on an "ancient XP machine" (fortunately my wife has one). Let's see if my problem will be solved. I didn't find this post before I already had initiated the second recovery from XP, so in case it wasn't successful, I'll try following the steps FIRSTLIONHEART has posted. I'll update this post with my findings...

Wish me luck!