Using a DELL 2600 PowerEdge as a Desktop PC

I picked up a DELL PowerEdge 2600.

The system has a 3+Ghz CPU, 4gb of ram, and four SCSI drives.

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=69

I want to use it to store data and do basic things like play Mp3s and DVDs, as well as connect my scanner to it and just use it as an internet pc.

So I’ll need to add an audio card. (And possibly a graphics card if needed). I’d also want to replace the tape back-up unit with a DVD drive. (And put my multi-card reader in the floppy bay if that is possible).

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o= 73

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o =72

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?so rt=3&o=71

I want to clean the system and install Windows XP. Any ideas on the best way to approach this and any hardware recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

As for my first boot attempt I got as far as this screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=70

And then an orange light began blinking on the front of the case.

On the next boot up I made it as for as the password screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3& o=68

But I still get the blinking orange light. (Perhaps I didn’t re-seat all of the drives properly?).

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

wrote:
I picked up a DELL PowerEdge 2600.

The system has a 3+Ghz CPU, 4gb of ram, and four SCSI drives.

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=69

I want to use it to store data and do basic things like play Mp3s and DVDs, as well as connect my scanner to it and just use it as an internet pc.

So I’ll need to add an audio card. (And possibly a graphics card if needed). I’d also want to replace the tape back-up unit with a DVD drive. (And put my multi-card reader in the floppy bay if that is possible).

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o= 73

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o =72

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?so rt=3&o=71

I want to clean the system and install Windows XP. Any ideas on the best way to approach this and any hardware recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

As for my first boot attempt I got as far as this screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=70

And then an orange light began blinking on the front of the case.

On the next boot up I made it as for as the password screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3& o=68

But I still get the blinking orange light. (Perhaps I didn’t re-seat all of the drives properly?).

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

There is at least one "diagnostic" package on this site,
that is "OS independent". You could try that if you're
bored. DELL_32-BIT-DIAGNOSTICS_5114-2_R206154.exe is for
Windows. EL5114A0.bin is for Linux. You use the download
on a working system, to create bootable media. The wording
of the package, doesn't suggest the diagnostic is custom
made for the 2600, but I could be wrong.

http://ftp.dell.com/Pages/Drivers/po...e-xeo2600.html

The video driver listed is ATI RAGE XL. I think that
means the video chip is on the motherboard, and not
a removable card.

The slot mix shows mostly 64 bit 3.3V PCI slots. And
while video cards were made for that, they're not
"gamer cards". I think Matrox used to make cards
suitable for that slot, probably in the $500 region.
And the reason is, the slot is so obscure. So if
you wanted to do a video upgrade, unless I'm missing
a slot, the pickings are going to be relatively
crappy (at least, for video playback acceleration).
There is a 5V 33Mhz 32 bit slot (desktop compatible),
but then that's no better than all the PCI slots you had
on your other hardware. You can get PCI cards for that,
brand new. We've probably discussed the bandwidth limitations
with such solutions. My FX5200 PCI would fit in that
slot. The keying might prevent my video card from fitting
in the 3.3V longer slots.

At least, with a 3GHz processor, you might be able to
do some decoding in software, and have enough horsepower.

So go prepare your "diagnostic CD" and see what it can
diagnose. Try booting with that.

*******

Some specs for the 2600.

https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/~brecht/serv...G/5j718aa0.htm

*******

System service manual. Page 15 shows system board LEDs
and what they mean. Page 8 has front panel LEDs in a
table near the top of the page. The page 8 info is
delightfully devoid of details. The LEDs indicate
a "problem".

ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-produ...nual_en-us.pdf

Paul

On Tuesday, September 17, 2013 8:57:35 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote:
wrote:

I picked up a DELL PowerEdge 2600.



The system has a 3+Ghz CPU, 4gb of ram, and four SCSI drives.



http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=69



I want to use it to store data and do basic things like play Mp3s and DVDs, as well as connect my scanner to it and just use it as an internet pc.



So I’ll need to add an audio card. (And possibly a graphics card if needed). I’d also want to replace the tape back-up unit with a DVD drive. (And put my multi-card reader in the floppy bay if that is possible).



http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o= 73



http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o =72



http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?so rt=3&o=71



I want to clean the system and install Windows XP. Any ideas on the best way to approach this and any hardware recommendations would be greatly appreciated.



As for my first boot attempt I got as far as this screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=70



And then an orange light began blinking on the front of the case.



On the next boot up I made it as for as the password screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3& o=68



But I still get the blinking orange light. (Perhaps I didn’t re-seat all of the drives properly?).



Thanks.



Darren Harris

Staten Island, New York.



There is at least one "diagnostic" package on this site,

that is "OS independent". You could try that if you're

bored. DELL_32-BIT-DIAGNOSTICS_5114-2_R206154.exe is for

Windows. EL5114A0.bin is for Linux. You use the download

on a working system, to create bootable media. The wording

of the package, doesn't suggest the diagnostic is custom

made for the 2600, but I could be wrong.



http://ftp.dell.com/Pages/Drivers/po...e-xeo2600.html



The video driver listed is ATI RAGE XL. I think that

means the video chip is on the motherboard, and not

a removable card.



The slot mix shows mostly 64 bit 3.3V PCI slots. And

while video cards were made for that, they're not

"gamer cards". I think Matrox used to make cards

suitable for that slot, probably in the $500 region.

And the reason is, the slot is so obscure. So if

you wanted to do a video upgrade, unless I'm missing

a slot, the pickings are going to be relatively

crappy (at least, for video playback acceleration).

There is a 5V 33Mhz 32 bit slot (desktop compatible),

but then that's no better than all the PCI slots you had

on your other hardware. You can get PCI cards for that,

brand new. We've probably discussed the bandwidth limitations

with such solutions. My FX5200 PCI would fit in that

slot. The keying might prevent my video card from fitting

in the 3.3V longer slots.



At least, with a 3GHz processor, you might be able to

do some decoding in software, and have enough horsepower.



So go prepare your "diagnostic CD" and see what it can

diagnose. Try booting with that.



*******



Some specs for the 2600.



https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/~brecht/serv...G/5j718aa0.htm



*******



System service manual. Page 15 shows system board LEDs

and what they mean. Page 8 has front panel LEDs in a

table near the top of the page. The page 8 info is

delightfully devoid of details. The LEDs indicate

a "problem".



ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-produ...nual_en-us.pdf



Paul

I'm still working on installing a PDF viewer on my system so I can take a better look at the manual, but I'm stuck at go since I cannot burn a CD. Nevertheless, since I can make it as far as the password screen I first want to reformat and then install Windows XP and then see if I have any problems.

This picture is a better view of the motherboard, which has only a single Adaptec SCSI card plugged into a PCI slot: http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...psb10f583c.jpg

What I thought looked like a floppy drive says "Compact Disc", but the opening is too small to take standard compact disks so I'm not sure what it is for. ?!?

But I want to replace the tape drive below it with a DVD player:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps04b33705.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...pse4c2947a.jpg

Also, I'm not sure what this is, but this card is located on the side of the cage that contains the four SCSI hard drives: http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...pse60859d4.jpg

There of course are limited options to begin with, but it does have two USB ports at the rear: http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps689bff57.jpg

Is there a PCI card/s I can get that will allow me to run an IDE DVD player and/or a printer and/or IDE hard drives? I'm assuming I can use them along side of the SCSI drives. (An Adaptec SCSI card is the only thing plugged into a PCI slot).

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

wrote:
On Tuesday, September 17, 2013 8:57:35 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote:
wrote:

I picked up a DELL PowerEdge 2600.
The system has a 3+Ghz CPU, 4gb of ram, and four SCSI drives.
http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=69
I want to use it to store data and do basic things like play Mp3s and DVDs, as well as connect my scanner to it and just use it as an internet pc.
So I’ll need to add an audio card. (And possibly a graphics card if needed). I’d also want to replace the tape back-up unit with a DVD drive. (And put my multi-card reader in the floppy bay if that is possible).
http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o= 73
http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o =72
http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?so rt=3&o=71
I want to clean the system and install Windows XP. Any ideas on the best way to approach this and any hardware recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
As for my first boot attempt I got as far as this screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=70
And then an orange light began blinking on the front of the case.
On the next boot up I made it as for as the password screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3& o=68
But I still get the blinking orange light. (Perhaps I didn’t re-seat all of the drives properly?).
Thanks.
Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.



I'm still working on installing a PDF viewer on my system so I can
take a better look at the manual, but I'm stuck at go since I cannot
burn a CD. Nevertheless, since I can make it as far as the password
screen I first want to reformat and then install Windows XP and then
see if I have any problems.

This picture is a better view of the motherboard, which has only a
single Adaptec SCSI card plugged into a PCI slot:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...psb10f583c.jpg

What I thought looked like a floppy drive says "Compact Disc", but
the opening is too small to take standard compact disks so I'm not
sure what it is for. ?!?

But I want to replace the tape drive below it with a DVD player:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps04b33705.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...pse4c2947a.jpg

Also, I'm not sure what this is, but this card is located on the side
of the cage that contains the four SCSI hard drives:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...pse60859d4.jpg

There of course are limited options to begin with, but it does have
two USB ports at the rear:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps689bff57.jpg

Is there a PCI card/s I can get that will allow me to run an IDE DVD
player and/or a printer and/or IDE hard drives? I'm assuming I can use
them along side of the SCSI drives. (An Adaptec SCSI card is the only
thing plugged into a PCI slot).

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Another manual you can look at.

http://support.dell.com/support/syst...ve.htm#1101823

*******

The unknown thing is a "SCSI backplane daughtercard" with
a Qlogic controller.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-POWERED...-/251248248005

Apparently, if you look, you'll see SCA bays for SCSI drives
with SCA connectors on them. Could be 80 pin (while your daughtercard
seems to have a 60 pin on it). Sun Microsystems used that sort of thing (SCA 80),
and there was some sort of lever-action, to ease the drive into the bay,
and mate the SCA connector on the drive, with the backplane. The daughtercard,
is for adapting the backplane, to something on the motherboard. Exactly what,
I don't know. Is a SCSI controller involved ? That's probably what is
plugged into your 64/66 slot. Is a RAID controller involved ?
If we knew what the Qlogic chip did, we might get an answer.

Your machine doesn't appear to have IDE or SATA connectors.
I don't see a floppy connector.

To install WinXP, you'll need a driver for the SCSI disk drive.
You press F6 and offer drivers on a floppy diskette (TXTSETUP.oem type).

An alternative, is to slipstream the appropriate driver, into a
new installer CD. You take your original WinXP CD, read it into
this program, add the appropriate driver, burn a new CD, boot
and install with that. Then, no need to press F6, no need for
a floppy drive.

(See "Integrate Drivers" button here...)

http://www.nliteos.com/guide/part1.html

So you'd be looking for a txtsetup.oem flavor driver
for the SCSI card on the motherboard. Something like that.

Even if you get an IDE card, that's still going to need a
driver. If you had a Promise ATA133 card for example, it
would need some sort of driver. This VIA based card would
need a driver as well (pray it is on the included CD).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816132012

I don't think any PCI IDE cards are as convenient as my Jmicron chip,
which doesn't need a driver. You'd still want to look at integrating
a driver into a new installer CD, to avoid the need for the
floppy.

You can get floppy drives with a USB cable on the end, but
I don't know if WinXP recognizes that as A:\ or not. In some
cases, you have to convince the motherboard to disable the
(non-existent) floppy interface on the SuperI/O chip, before
a USB floppy is recognized as A:. (That's what I experienced here.)

The USB floppy, I'm not sure they make controller chips any more
for it, so they can't manufacture any new ones. If your motherboard
doesn't pin out the floppy interface on the SuperI/O, then life is
a bit hard.

Paul

On Thursday, September 19, 2013 5:56:41 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote:
wrote:

On Tuesday, September 17, 2013 8:57:35 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote:

wrote:



I picked up a DELL PowerEdge 2600.

The system has a 3+Ghz CPU, 4gb of ram, and four SCSI drives.

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=69

I want to use it to store data and do basic things like play Mp3s and DVDs, as well as connect my scanner to it and just use it as an internet pc.

So I’ll need to add an audio card. (And possibly a graphics card if needed). I’d also want to replace the tape back-up unit with a DVD drive.. (And put my multi-card reader in the floppy bay if that is possible).

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o= 73

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o =72

http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?so rt=3&o=71

I want to clean the system and install Windows XP. Any ideas on the best way to approach this and any hardware recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

As for my first boot attempt I got as far as this screen: http://s290..photobucket.com/user/St...ml?sort=3&o=70

And then an orange light began blinking on the front of the case.

On the next boot up I made it as for as the password screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3& o=68

But I still get the blinking orange light. (Perhaps I didn’t re-seat all of the drives properly?).

Thanks.

Darren Harris

Staten Island, New York.







I'm still working on installing a PDF viewer on my system so I can

take a better look at the manual, but I'm stuck at go since I cannot

burn a CD. Nevertheless, since I can make it as far as the password

screen I first want to reformat and then install Windows XP and then

see if I have any problems.



This picture is a better view of the motherboard, which has only a

single Adaptec SCSI card plugged into a PCI slot:



http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...psb10f583c.jpg



What I thought looked like a floppy drive says "Compact Disc", but

the opening is too small to take standard compact disks so I'm not

sure what it is for. ?!?



But I want to replace the tape drive below it with a DVD player:



http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps04b33705.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...pse4c2947a.jpg



Also, I'm not sure what this is, but this card is located on the side

of the cage that contains the four SCSI hard drives:



http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...pse60859d4.jpg



There of course are limited options to begin with, but it does have

two USB ports at the rear:



http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps689bff57.jpg



Is there a PCI card/s I can get that will allow me to run an IDE DVD

player and/or a printer and/or IDE hard drives? I'm assuming I can use

them along side of the SCSI drives. (An Adaptec SCSI card is the only

thing plugged into a PCI slot).



Thanks.



Darren Harris

Staten Island, New York.



Another manual you can look at.



http://support.dell.com/support/syst...ve.htm#1101823



*******



The unknown thing is a "SCSI backplane daughtercard" with

a Qlogic controller.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-POWERED...-/251248248005



Apparently, if you look, you'll see SCA bays for SCSI drives

with SCA connectors on them. Could be 80 pin (while your daughtercard

seems to have a 60 pin on it). Sun Microsystems used that sort of thing (SCA 80),

and there was some sort of lever-action, to ease the drive into the bay,

and mate the SCA connector on the drive, with the backplane. The daughtercard,

is for adapting the backplane, to something on the motherboard. Exactly what,

I don't know. Is a SCSI controller involved ? That's probably what is

plugged into your 64/66 slot. Is a RAID controller involved ?

If we knew what the Qlogic chip did, we might get an answer.



Your machine doesn't appear to have IDE or SATA connectors.

I don't see a floppy connector.



To install WinXP, you'll need a driver for the SCSI disk drive.

You press F6 and offer drivers on a floppy diskette (TXTSETUP.oem type).



An alternative, is to slipstream the appropriate driver, into a

new installer CD. You take your original WinXP CD, read it into

this program, add the appropriate driver, burn a new CD, boot

and install with that. Then, no need to press F6, no need for

a floppy drive.



(See "Integrate Drivers" button here...)



http://www.nliteos.com/guide/part1.html



So you'd be looking for a txtsetup.oem flavor driver

for the SCSI card on the motherboard. Something like that.



Even if you get an IDE card, that's still going to need a

driver. If you had a Promise ATA133 card for example, it

would need some sort of driver. This VIA based card would

need a driver as well (pray it is on the included CD).



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816132012



I don't think any PCI IDE cards are as convenient as my Jmicron chip,

which doesn't need a driver. You'd still want to look at integrating

a driver into a new installer CD, to avoid the need for the

floppy.



You can get floppy drives with a USB cable on the end, but

I don't know if WinXP recognizes that as A:\ or not. In some

cases, you have to convince the motherboard to disable the

(non-existent) floppy interface on the SuperI/O chip, before

a USB floppy is recognized as A:. (That's what I experienced here.)



The USB floppy, I'm not sure they make controller chips any more

for it, so they can't manufacture any new ones. If your motherboard

doesn't pin out the floppy interface on the SuperI/O, then life is

a bit hard.



Paul

I'm confused about everything above.

I just want to *erase* Windows 2000 Server.

I can't burn CDs.

I can get as far as the password screen.(I don't have the password). So I'd have to find out how to reformat the drive/s on boot-up.

But I of course would need to be able to install my DVD/CD player so I can install Windows XP.

I'm wondering if there is a PCI card available that will allow me to run an IDE hard drive. But I already have four SCSI drives in the case, so I assume they would run if the drivers weren't already installed. So if I find a way to reformat them I'd need new drivers because Windows XP doesn't support SCSI, correct?

There is an Adaptec SCSI card plugged into a PCI slot and a cable witch runs from it to the DAT72 Tape drive: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...33705.jpg.html

Right above that tape drive is what *looks* like a floppy, but if you look at it carefully it says "Compact Disc". CDs of course will not fit into it, so I assume that it is really a floppy drive. (?). Nevertheless, I don't need a floppy drive.

You can see the rear connections of the Tape drive and the "Compact Disc" drives he http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...2947a.jpg.html

The only SCSI capability I need are for the SCSI hard drives already in the case and working.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

wrote:
On Thursday, September 19, 2013 5:56:41 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote:
wrote:

On Tuesday, September 17, 2013 8:57:35 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote:
wrote:
I picked up a DELL PowerEdge 2600.
The system has a 3+Ghz CPU, 4gb of ram, and four SCSI drives.
http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=69
I want to use it to store data and do basic things like play Mp3s and DVDs, as well as connect my scanner to it and just use it as an internet pc.
So I’ll need to add an audio card. (And possibly a graphics card if needed). I’d also want to replace the tape back-up unit with a DVD drive. (And put my multi-card reader in the floppy bay if that is possible).
http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o= 73
http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3&o =72
http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?so rt=3&o=71
I want to clean the system and install Windows XP. Any ideas on the best way to approach this and any hardware recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
As for my first boot attempt I got as far as this screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...ml?sort=3&o=70
And then an orange light began blinking on the front of the case.
On the next boot up I made it as for as the password screen: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...?sort=3& o=68
But I still get the blinking orange light. (Perhaps I didn’t re-seat all of the drives properly?).
Thanks.
Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
I'm still working on installing a PDF viewer on my system so I can
take a better look at the manual, but I'm stuck at go since I cannot
burn a CD. Nevertheless, since I can make it as far as the password
screen I first want to reformat and then install Windows XP and then
see if I have any problems.
This picture is a better view of the motherboard, which has only a
single Adaptec SCSI card plugged into a PCI slot:


http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...psb10f583c.jpg


What I thought looked like a floppy drive says "Compact Disc", but
the opening is too small to take standard compact disks so I'm not
sure what it is for. ?!?
But I want to replace the tape drive below it with a DVD player:


http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps04b33705.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...pse4c2947a.jpg
Also, I'm not sure what this is, but this card is located on the side
of the cage that contains the four SCSI hard drives:


http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...pse60859d4.jpg


There of course are limited options to begin with, but it does have
two USB ports at the rear:


http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps689bff57.jpg
Is there a PCI card/s I can get that will allow me to run an IDE DVD
player and/or a printer and/or IDE hard drives? I'm assuming I can use
them along side of the SCSI drives. (An Adaptec SCSI card is the only
thing plugged into a PCI slot).
Thanks.
Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.


Another manual you can look at.



http://support.dell.com/support/syst...ve.htm#1101823



*******



The unknown thing is a "SCSI backplane daughtercard" with

a Qlogic controller.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-POWERED...-/251248248005



Apparently, if you look, you'll see SCA bays for SCSI drives

with SCA connectors on them. Could be 80 pin (while your daughtercard

seems to have a 60 pin on it). Sun Microsystems used that sort of thing (SCA 80),

and there was some sort of lever-action, to ease the drive into the bay,

and mate the SCA connector on the drive, with the backplane. The daughtercard,

is for adapting the backplane, to something on the motherboard. Exactly what,

I don't know. Is a SCSI controller involved ? That's probably what is

plugged into your 64/66 slot. Is a RAID controller involved ?

If we knew what the Qlogic chip did, we might get an answer.



Your machine doesn't appear to have IDE or SATA connectors.

I don't see a floppy connector.



To install WinXP, you'll need a driver for the SCSI disk drive.

You press F6 and offer drivers on a floppy diskette (TXTSETUP.oem type).



An alternative, is to slipstream the appropriate driver, into a

new installer CD. You take your original WinXP CD, read it into

this program, add the appropriate driver, burn a new CD, boot

and install with that. Then, no need to press F6, no need for

a floppy drive.



(See "Integrate Drivers" button here...)



http://www.nliteos.com/guide/part1.html



So you'd be looking for a txtsetup.oem flavor driver

for the SCSI card on the motherboard. Something like that.



Even if you get an IDE card, that's still going to need a

driver. If you had a Promise ATA133 card for example, it

would need some sort of driver. This VIA based card would

need a driver as well (pray it is on the included CD).



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816132012



I don't think any PCI IDE cards are as convenient as my Jmicron chip,

which doesn't need a driver. You'd still want to look at integrating

a driver into a new installer CD, to avoid the need for the

floppy.



You can get floppy drives with a USB cable on the end, but

I don't know if WinXP recognizes that as A:\ or not. In some

cases, you have to convince the motherboard to disable the

(non-existent) floppy interface on the SuperI/O chip, before

a USB floppy is recognized as A:. (That's what I experienced here.)



The USB floppy, I'm not sure they make controller chips any more

for it, so they can't manufacture any new ones. If your motherboard

doesn't pin out the floppy interface on the SuperI/O, then life is

a bit hard.



Paul

I'm confused about everything above.

I just want to *erase* Windows 2000 Server.

I can't burn CDs.

I can get as far as the password screen.(I don't have the password). So I'd have to find out how to reformat the drive/s on boot-up.

But I of course would need to be able to install my DVD/CD player so I can install Windows XP.

I'm wondering if there is a PCI card available that will allow me to run an IDE hard drive. But I already have four SCSI drives in the case, so I assume they would run if the drivers weren't already installed. So if I find a way to reformat them I'd need new drivers because Windows XP doesn't support SCSI, correct?

There is an Adaptec SCSI card plugged into a PCI slot and a cable witch runs from it to the DAT72 Tape drive: http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...33705.jpg.html

Right above that tape drive is what *looks* like a floppy, but if you look at it carefully it says "Compact Disc". CDs of course will not fit into it, so I assume that it is really a floppy drive. (?). Nevertheless, I don't need a floppy drive.

You can see the rear connections of the Tape drive and the "Compact Disc" drives he http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Sta...2947a.jpg.html

The only SCSI capability I need are for the SCSI hard drives already in the case and working.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Instead of being confused, we could look for another solution :-)

Have you considered resetting the password on Win2K Server ?

Look for a password reset tool. At least, as long as the password
you're looking at, isn't a BIOS password. If you've been in the
BIOS setup screen, it might not be that. If you're seeing the
logjn prompt for Win2K Server, then you need some kind of tool
to reset the password. (Not just change the password, but make
the password blank.)

http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/

*******

A PCI IDE card, has a BIOS chip on it. And that allows the PCI IDE card,
to control an IDE CDROM or DVD drive, and even, allow the booting
of a CD or DVD with the drive. No driver is needed to kick off that
process. Inside the PCI IDE card EEPROM, is Extended INT 0x13 BIOS
code, and it supports reading the hard drive or optical drive.

The other level of operation, is when an OS is actually running. The OS
has its own drivers. The only OS I know of, that continues to use the
BIOS driver, is DOS. Other OSes make you install a (higher performance)
driver for the hardware in the box. That's where that floppy diskette
based F6 driver comes in.

So your PCI IDE card works right away. It allows a CD to be booted.
That's how you'd install WinXP, or run a password cracker or resetter,
or a copy of a Linux LiveCD OS.

As for what's SCSI and what isn't, they make both SCSI optical
drives and SCSI tape drives. I suspect the entire box is SCSI.
The SCA 80 bays are SCSI. I see a 2x3 configuration on the front.
Could be two SCSI bus segments, of three slots each.

Your front view, I see a CD tray at the top. The rectangular button
opens the CD tray. It's a low profile drive (laptop drive),
which means the CD pushed down onto an expansion hub.
Below it, is a... floppy drive. Below that, is a tape drive.
[My best guesses looking at the pictures.]

http://imageshack.us/a/img18/5067/1sid.jpg

You're not driving a desktop here - this is a server.
We aren't in Kansas any more, Toto. We're somewhere
else. You don't buy a box like this, without a little
planning ahead of time. The only thing that's surprised me
so far, is your box boots to a password prompt. Many other
Ebay buyers, get stuck with a non-working box that needs a
lot of effort to even see a password prompt. (That's because
the seller parts the thing out, and removes a critical element,
or even, sells the OS separately.) I think you're doing damn
good so far.

Paul

wrote:

I'm stuck at go since I cannot burn a CD.

That is a project you should work on first.

You should have a stack of re-writable media,
and a burner. As you can get yourself out of
a lot of binds with burner in hand. Like the
password reset disc. Re-writable media is
more expensive, but you can use it more than
once (quick erase, followed by burn).

And for a basic burning software, you can
use Imgburn. Just remember to turn off the
audio prompt feature, as the first time it'll
blow your eardrums out :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imgburn

Paul

On Thursday, September 19, 2013 11:51:57 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote:
wrote:



I'm stuck at go since I cannot burn a CD.



That is a project you should work on first.



You should have a stack of re-writable media,

and a burner. As you can get yourself out of

a lot of binds with burner in hand. Like the

password reset disc. Re-writable media is

more expensive, but you can use it more than

once (quick erase, followed by burn).



And for a basic burning software, you can

use Imgburn. Just remember to turn off the

audio prompt feature, as the first time it'll

blow your eardrums out :-)



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imgburn



Paul

I actually have two stacks of writable disks.

My burners haven't/can't been used because of problems with my "present working" systems. The final acting s though it is ready to die, which is why I'm trying to get this server working fast. (I think NERO came with my DVD drives).

Ok, that is a CD player over a floppy drive. I didn't know. I had never seen a low profile CD player before.

I hadn't though about resetting the password on the server because I didn't think I could use the system for basic stuff like surfing the internet and playing MP3s/DVDs using Windows Server 2000.

How is this for an IDE PCI card?: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/sys/4002182680.html

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

wrote:
On Thursday, September 19, 2013 11:51:57 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote:
wrote:



I'm stuck at go since I cannot burn a CD.


That is a project you should work on first.



You should have a stack of re-writable media,

and a burner. As you can get yourself out of

a lot of binds with burner in hand. Like the

password reset disc. Re-writable media is

more expensive, but you can use it more than

once (quick erase, followed by burn).



And for a basic burning software, you can

use Imgburn. Just remember to turn off the

audio prompt feature, as the first time it'll

blow your eardrums out :-)



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imgburn



Paul

I actually have two stacks of writable disks.

My burners haven't/can't been used because of problems with my "present working" systems. The final acting s though it is ready to die, which is why I'm trying to get this server working fast. (I think NERO came with my DVD drives).

Ok, that is a CD player over a floppy drive. I didn't know. I had never seen a low profile CD player before.

I hadn't though about resetting the password on the server because I didn't think I could use the system for basic stuff like surfing the internet and playing MP3s/DVDs using Windows Server 2000.

How is this for an IDE PCI card?: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/sys/4002182680.html

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Does your Craigslist thing work with ATAPI (optical drives) ?

With RAID controllers, you want a JBOD mode of operation
for running individual hard drives. In a few cases, products
only support RAID, so there would be a two disk minimum. The
product in question is quite old, and would be fun finding
documentation for it.

At one time, Maxtor did a promotion, where they included
an IDE controller card, inside the box their disk drives came
in. I got one of these. The Ultra133 ones, as far as I know,
do ATAPI OK. These can either be sold as Promise Ultra133,
or sport the word "Maxtor" on the front, if they were
from the batch of Maxtor promotional cards.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maxtor-Ultra...item1c339f4a51

Promise stopped making those cards probably five years ago,
and yet Ebay is still offering "new" ones from China. Things
that make you go "hmmm".

Paul

Paul wrote:
wrote:


I actually have two stacks of writable disks.

My burners haven't/can't been used because of problems with my
"present working" systems. The final acting s though it is ready to
die, which is why I'm trying to get this server working fast. (I think
NERO came with my DVD drives).

Ok, that is a CD player over a floppy drive. I didn't know. I had
never seen a low profile CD player before.

I hadn't though about resetting the password on the server because I
didn't think I could use the system for basic stuff like surfing the
internet and playing MP3s/DVDs using Windows Server 2000.

How is this for an IDE PCI card?:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/sys/4002182680.html

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Does your Craigslist thing work with ATAPI (optical drives) ?

With RAID controllers, you want a JBOD mode of operation
for running individual hard drives. In a few cases, products
only support RAID, so there would be a two disk minimum. The
product in question is quite old, and would be fun finding
documentation for it.

At one time, Maxtor did a promotion, where they included
an IDE controller card, inside the box their disk drives came
in. I got one of these. The Ultra133 ones, as far as I know,
do ATAPI OK. These can either be sold as Promise Ultra133,
or sport the word "Maxtor" on the front, if they were
from the batch of Maxtor promotional cards.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maxtor-Ultra...item1c339f4a51


Promise stopped making those cards probably five years ago,
and yet Ebay is still offering "new" ones from China. Things
that make you go "hmmm".

Paul


Also, I just noticed in the picture of that card, the dude broke
the corner off one of the connectors. Priceless :-) Makes you
wonder whether the pins are bent or not...

Also, when you look at those cards, they're dual keyed on voltage.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Promise-Ultr...item27c3e71e8d

Both the 5V and 3.3V slots are present. It's just possible
the card will work in your 64/66 slots. If you do that,
you'd want some info on whether your machine has more
than one bus segment, then make sure the SCSI controller
card and that card, are on different segments. I don't know
if you're allowed to mix 32 and 64 bit cards on the same
segment.

The bus segments are detailed here.

http://en.community.dell.com/support...t/7648445.aspx

"The PowerEdge 2600 has 7 PCI slots total

two 64-bit/133MHz PCI-X
four 64-bit/100MHz PCI-X
one 32-bit/33Mhz PCI

The two 64-bit/133Mhz PCI-X slots run on dedicated bus segments
improving bandwidth dramatically."

You'd want the SCSI card in one of the 64-bit/133 slots.
Then you could stick the 3.3V Promise, into one of the 64-bit/100 slots,
and it would run 32-bit/66Mhz (twice what it does when in a desktop).

You're not likely to find a lot of cards to match the electrical
characteristics of the Promise, so the other three slots on the
four slot segment are likely to remain empty.

There were a few products made, with virtually "anything goes"
capability (some Adaptec cards). For most others, there
are a whole bunch of rules to follow. And at this late date,
digging up good info on PCI wouldn't be all that easy.

Paul