Server 2008 VM install Blue Screen in esx4

[drosi]

I am having troubles getting a version of MS Server 2008 to install in ESX 4 as VM. I am running a Dell Power Edge with 16Gb Ram, 1TB datastore, 2 Quad Core intel Xeons running ESX 4. I am using ESX in a lab training facility, not a standard server environment. I have copies of Vista, Server 2003, Linux 9 running or set to run when needed.

I have used the standard VM templates for Server 2008 with all defaults including having thin provisioning selected and not selected. So the VM has 40Gb hard drive, 1Gb Ram, 1 Processor, and standard template disk controller. I have tried the x86 and x64 versions of server 2008 using several different copies of install media on appropriately matching VM template and have the same issue every time.

When I boot VM to install server 2008, install starts fine through initial boot to first install screen. When I click "Install Now" screen and files copy, it gets some where towards the end of this phase and before install phase when I get a blue screen saying Windows has stopped install to prevent hardware problems... etc

I have turned on virtual mode in PowerEdge bios.

Can anyone direct me to a discussion thread that has already addressed this issue or give any suggestions to help diagnose problem.

Thanks for your thoughts. David R

[AntonVZhbankov]

Check your server hardware health, run memory test first.

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MCSA, MCTS, VCP, VMware vExpert '2009

http://blog.vadmin.ru

[drosi]

Finally got bootable utility media from Dell and ran tests on hardware. No issues appear to be present for motherboard, memory, etc. Ran full test set 3 times.

I am working on update install that has just come out to see if there is some hardware specific issue that these would fix for PE2900.

[drosi]

I finally figured out what was wrong with my issue of not being able to install server 08 in esx as virtual machine. Found solution in Vmware communities, a few people were having same issue and one person figured it out this sept. Needed to update bios and bmc to current version. I was running 1.6 and current bios is 2.3 or so. Once I did this it completely solved issue and server vm installed first time.