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I'm trying to install Windows Server 2012 to a HP ProLiant 140 DL G3. I've attached two Toshiba SSD drives with 256GB capacity each. I've enabled RAID in the BIOS and, using the built-in Disk Manager (pressing F8 during Boot), created a new RAID 1 array (using QuickInit - the drives are brand new).

However, when rebooting, the drives don't show up in the BIOS. Windows Setup doesn't find the drives either. I've downloaded the RAID drivers for Windows Server 2008 from here, but is there even a point installing them (which would be another issue, as 2012 isn't supported) if the drives don't even show up in the BIOS?

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NopeNopeNope

The HP ProLiant DL140 G3 went End-of-Life in 2008.

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Depending on the model, hot-plug versus non-hot-plug, you either have a basic Intel or LSI (fake)RAID or a software RAID option. You can continue with the drivers for Windows 2008 x64 (the server predates 2008R2) and see what happens. But everything points to this be an incompatible and toxic combination of OS, components and server.

Also note: Connecting modern SSDs to that backplane is also fraught because it likely only supports 1.5Gbps SATA link speeds... So your SSD performance will be capped to 187.5 megabytes/second, even if it's a 3Gbps or 6Gbps device.

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  • Thank you. I've removed the RAID array and see the drives listed (both in Windows setup and the BIOS). So it does seem like everything is compatible - or is it just the RAID setup that's messed up?
    – doque
    Feb 9, 2015 at 15:46
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In the setup screen where it shows the available partitions, there's a button at the bottom that lets you add a driver, from there you should be able to add the driver for the controller that will allow the RAID volume to show up.

Couple of things to keep in mind:

Server 2012 is x64 only, and will only accept signed x64 drivers, and it may or may not accept the 2008 x64 or 2008R2 drivers even if they are signed. (This article https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj134246(v=ws.11).aspx lists the requirements for 2012, and it does show how to disable driver signing enforcement, which may be an option to get your setup to work, although it is not recommended)

You might give Server 2008 x64 or 2008R2 a shot, although since it went EOL in 2008 there may not be 2008R2 drivers for it. You might get lucky and be able to get the drivers for the RAID controller directly from Intel or LSI that will work with 2008R2 or 2012.

A third option is just to disable the RAID controller and use the disks as standard volumes, maybe replace one of the SSDs with a 1 or 2 TB hybrid drive, install Windows and other software on the SSD, use the spinning disk for data storage. As was already stated, due to the slow SATA link speeds supported on this system, you might not notice much of a speed increase with the SSDs, and a hybrid (or just a fast spinning disk) would give you more storage for your money.

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