Need some fun with your server configuration? Let’s think outside the box!
Need some fun with your server configuration? Let’s think outside the box!
I’m working on a new NAS/game server setup. The machine is a 2009 Mac Pro with the latest Windows Server version. It has two Intel Xeons, likely a GT 220 graphics card (removed from an old Windows XP PC just to get a display), and 16GB of RAM. There are no software issues, but I’m facing a storage problem. I have three blank, freshly formatted drives totaling about 4TB. The SSD on the Windows Server runs fine—system starts normally. However, only one drive boots into Windows, while the other two show a completely blank screen when installed. I’ve searched online but can’t find a solution that matches my configuration. When I open the Mac startup tool, the screen stays blank even with extra drives, and pressing power on one of the black drives doesn’t trigger any action. The oldest drive (5 years old) seems to be the only one working. I’m unsure if age or other factors are causing this. If no one here has a solution, should I direct you to another forum or community? This isn’t critical for me, but I’m limited by budget and resources.
I’m unable to start Windows at all; the display remains dark. The storage devices appear blank despite being cleaned, which is why they show up on another system. I attempted hot-swapping with a Mac, but it didn’t work and the devices didn’t appear. When the machine is powered on with the external drive connected, the screen stays off. It seems the issue might be related to how the power is managed—when the machine boots normally, pressing the power button stops it instantly, while using another drive doesn’t trigger an immediate shutdown. I’m not sure what this means yet.
Consider setting up Linux on the remaining two storage devices to check for boot functionality. If it doesn’t work, it could indicate an issue with those drives. If it succeeds, the problem likely lies with the Windows server. Do you know if these drives were still operational when you purchased them used?