Intel Confidential

March 22, 2005

Creating DOS-bootable USB Flash Memory Device

This information provides instructions for creating a DOS-bootable USB flash memory device using the Intel Server Platform SR6850HW4 or SR4850HW4. This process depends on the BIOS and EFI correctly detecting both a USB floppy disk drive and the USB flash memory device.

CAUTION

This process formats the media and deletes all content from the USB Flash Memory device. This process also requires you to detach hard disk drives from the server before beginning. Before beginning, backup data on all devices attached to the server and test the backup.

NOTE

Devices from some manufacturers may not be compatible with this system. For a link to a list of tested hardware, see the Intel® Server Platform SR6850HW4 Tested Hardware and Operating System List.

Before Beginning

To create a DOS-bootable USB flash memory device on the Server Platform, you need the following:

  • Server Platform SR6850HW4 or SR4850HW4
  • USB floppy disk drive
  • USB flash memory device
  • Bootable DOS floppy disk that contains the files FDISK.EXE and FORMAT.COM

Verify the following:

  • Attach the USB flash memory device to a different computer to ensure it can be detected
  • Attach the USB floppy disk drive to a different computer to ensure it can be detected
  • Make sure the floppy disk drive can boot to the bootable floppy disk that contains the FDISK.EXE and FORMAT.COM files
  • Make sure the FDISK.EXE and FORMAT.COM files will successfully partition and format a hard disk drive.

CAUTION

This process formats the USB flash memory device and deletes all content from the drive.

Remove all media from the Server Platform:

  • Disconnect/remove all hard disk drives
  • Make sure the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive does not contain a disk

Create the DOS-bootable USB Flash Memory Device

  1. Power off the server.
  2. Attach the USB floppy disk drive to a USB connector on the server.
  3. Attach the USB flash memory device to a USB connector on the server.
  4. Power on the server.
  5. When you see the following screen, press any key to enter the System Option Menu.

  1. You will see the System Options Menu shown below.

  1. Use the down arrow key to select “Boot Manager”. Press <Enter>.
  2. Review the Boot Option Menu for the list of boot devices.
    In the example below, both the USB floppy disk drive and the USB flash memory device are detected. These are the TEAC* FD-05PUB 1026 and the IOMEGA* Mini128MB+IOM2B52.00.
    If the devices are not detected, see “Troubleshooting a USB Flash Memory Device”.
  1. Insert the bootable floppy disk into the USB floppy disk drive.
  2. Using the arrow key select the USB floppy drive. Press <Enter>. The system will boot to the floppy disk.
  3. After DOS is booted, type FDISK and complete the following operations:
  4. Delete existing partitions
  5. Create a new partition
  6. Make sure the partition is active
  7. Reboot
  8. After the system rebooted to the floppy disk, type FORMAT C: /S/U to format the created partition
  9. Reboot the server.
  10. Enter the System Options Menu, as you did in step 5.
  11. Select the “Boot Manager”. Press <Enter>.
  12. Select the USB flash memory drive as the boot device. The system boots to DOS on the USB memory device.

Troubleshooting a USB Flash Memory Device

Problems detecting the USB flash memory device:

  1. Check to see if the USB flash memory device is displayed in the Boot Maintenance Manager.
  2. Make sure the USB Flash memory device is correctly inserted into the USB connector and reset the server. Do not remove the USB Flash Memory while the system reboots and check the boot Manager again.
  1. Create a small FAT partition (less than 64MB) on a system that is running the Windows* XP operating system.
  2. Format the partition as FAT.
  3. Reinstall the USB flash memory device into a USB port on the Server Platform SR6850HW4 or SR4850HW4. Boot the Server Platform to the DOS disk in the USB floppy drive.
  4. Use DOS FDISK to delete all of the partition and create a small partition for DOS – make sure the partition created is set to “active”.
  5. Power cycle the server.
  6. Remove all other bootable media from the server.

Problems booting to the USB flash device that has a partition and is formatted correctly:

  1. Run FDISK /MBR
  2. Make sure the partition is active.
  3. Make sure the partition has been correctly formatted as a bootable partition.
  4. Use the Boot Manager to select the boot device.

NOTE

The USB flash memory device will only be present in the Boot Manager only while it is plugged in. Once the USB flash device is removed and the system is rebooted the USB flash memory device will no longer be seen in the Boot Manager.

The system boots to EFI when trying to boot to a USB floppy disk drive or to the USB flash memory device:

This is typically an indication that no key was pressed when prompted to enter the System Option Menu or that the first boot device is EFI.

  1. At the EFI Shell command prompt type EXIT to return to the System Option Menu.
  2. Select “Boot Manager”
  3. Select the correct boot device.

The server has a SCSI hard disk drive and a USB flash memory device installed:

The SCSI hard disk drive is the set as the first “Legacy HardDisk Drive” in the Legacy Hard disk Drive Order. The order can be changed as follows:

NOTE

Make sure you document the boot order before it is changed, also, ensure you have a backup of any data. Once you have completed the tasks with the USB Flash memory device. Reset the boot order back to the original configuration.

  1. Plug in the USB Flash Memory device connected to a USB port on the Intel Server Platform SR6850HW4 or SR4850HW4.
  2. Boot the server.
  3. When you see the following screen, press any key to enter the System Option Menu.
  1. You will see the System Options Menu shown below.
  1. Use the down arrow key to select “Boot Maintenance Manager”. Press <Enter>.
  1. The Boot Maintenance Manager menu is displayed.

  1. Select “Boot Options”. Press <enter>

  1. Use the down arrow key to “Select Legacy Hard Drive Order”. Press <enter>.
  2. Use the down arrow key to select "HardDisk Drive #00". Press <enter>.
  3. Select the USB Flash device. Press <enter>
  4. Select "Apply Changes". Press <enter>
  5. Press <ESC> until the "Boot Maintenance Manager" Menu is displayed.
  6. Select "Reset System". Press <enter>.
  7. Once the system has rebooted access the "System Option Menu".
  8. Select "Boot Manager" and verify the USB Flash memory device is shown as a selectable boot device.

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