hello i am trying to fix my server. windows server 2019

[ws1960]

hello i am trying to fix my server. windows server 2019 ess. on a supermicro X8ST3-F motherboard. LSI raid 6 and 1. OS look like it crashed badly and i can only boot to Bios or into megariad window and when i click the start it freeze the screen not allowing any thing; i have been able to turn alarm off while i was attempting to inialize and repair raid. window server is installed on ssd's and will not boot without LSI card installed too. one drive failed in raid put replacement in and half way thru it stopped repair.

i have tried boot from jump drive and new ISO with WD server;
can keyboard be an issue i only have a wireless all in one??
why cant i just install new OS without the LSI being in place??

sorry i know i have a mess here i am all self taught and its not wrote well . thank you.

 

[ChatGPT]

Hi ws1960 — you explained it fine, and yes: this is a “mess” in the normal sense of “multiple things could be failing at once.” The safest way forward is to separate (A) “can the machine boot reliably?” from (B) “is the RAID/LSI healthy?”.
Below are direct answers to your two questions first, then a practical step-by-step plan.

---

1) “Can the keyboard be an issue? I only have a wireless all-in-one.”​

Yes. Wireless keyboards/mice can behave badly (or partially work) in BIOS, LSI/MegaRAID pre-boot utilities, and some bootable USB environments—especially on older boards.
Do this first:

• Use a wired USB keyboard (basic, cheap is fine).
• Plug it into a rear USB 2.0 port (not the front panel, not a hub).
• If your wireless has a USB dongle, remove it while testing (to avoid conflicts).

A bad/unsupported input device usually won’t “crash” the server, but it can make the MegaRAID screen seem “frozen” because clicks/keys aren’t being processed correctly.

---

2) “Why can’t I just install a new OS without the LSI being in place?”​

Because your Windows Server was almost certainly installed onto a virtual disk (VD) presented by the LSI RAID controller.
When you remove the LSI card:

• The motherboard no longer “sees” the RAID virtual disk.
• So the existing OS drive effectively disappears, and you’ll get no boot device (or it boots to the wrong thing).

You can install a new OS without the LSI only if:

• You install to a disk connected to the onboard SATA controller (not behind the LSI), or
• You don’t care about accessing the RAID volumes while the LSI is absent.

If your goal is to keep/restore the RAID data volume, you generally need the LSI card working (or an identical replacement controller, depending on model/metadata).

---

What I think is happening (high probability)​

From what you described:

• Rebuild stopped halfway
• MegaRAID utility freezes
• System behavior is inconsistent

That often points to one of these:
1) Another drive is also failing (RAID6 survives 2 failures, but “survives” doesn’t mean “rebuild will finish” if other disks are throwing errors/timeouts)
2) Backplane / SATA/SAS cable / power issue causing a drive to drop out during rebuild
3) LSI RAID controller itself is failing (or its cache module / battery/supercap issue, depending on model)
4) Less commonly: RAM/PSU instability causing lockups under I/O load
Important warning: “Initialize” in RAID tools can wipe metadata / destroy the array. If the data matters, avoid any option that says Initialize / Clear / New configuration.

---

Step-by-step plan (safe, practical)​

Step 0 — Tell me what matters most​

Before you do anything risky: Is the data on the RAID important and do you have a backup?

• If NO backup and data matters: we should prioritize data-safe diagnostics first.
• If data doesn’t matter: we can focus on reinstalling cleanly.

Reply with: “data critical” or “data not critical”.

---

Step 1 — Reduce variables (basic hardware sanity)​

1. Power down, unplug power.
2. Reseat:
   • LSI card (pull and firmly reseat)
   • RAM (at least reseat; ideally test with 1 stick at a time if you have multiple)
3. Check power:
   • Make sure each drive has solid power (no loose splitters)
4. Use wired keyboard on rear USB.

Then boot and see if:

• POST completes reliably
• LSI controller banner appears normally (no long hangs)

---

Step 2 — Identify exactly what “MegaRAID window” you have​

There are a couple different pre-boot tools (and the key combos differ by controller/firmware).
Please tell me:

• Exact model of the LSI card (example: “MegaRAID 9260-8i”, “9271-8i”, “9361-8i”, etc.)
• At boot, what does it say? (Even a phone photo of the screen is fine)

If you can’t type/click because of the freeze, take a picture of the frozen screen and upload it here.

---

Step 3 — Don’t rebuild yet; first check drive state​

If you can get into the RAID configuration:

• Look for:
  • How many drives are Online
  • Any Foreign config warning
  • Any drives showing Unconfigured Bad, Offline, Failed, Rebuild, Predictive Failure
• If rebuild stopped, note:
  • Which slot/bay is the replacement drive?
  • Any error counters shown in the utility?

If the utility itself freezes consistently: that’s a strong hint the controller is hanging (hardware/firmware) or a device on the bus is locking it up.

---

Step 4 — Quick isolation test (find the “poison” drive/cable/backplane)​

Only do this if data is critical and you’re cautious, but it’s often the fastest way:

1. Power off.
2. Disconnect the data cable from the RAID backplane (or disconnect the SAS cable to the drive cage), leaving the LSI card installed.
3. Boot.

Result interpretation:

• If the machine suddenly stops freezing and the RAID utility becomes responsive → a drive/backplane/cable is likely causing bus lockups.
• If it still freezes even with no drives attached → the LSI card itself (or the PCIe slot/motherboard) is suspect.

(We can refine this further after you tell me your exact cabling layout.)

---

Step 5 — About reinstalling Windows (clean rebuild option)​

If data is not critical, the cleanest approach is usually:

• Leave the LSI installed (if it’s stable enough to POST)
• Boot Windows Server 2019 installer USB
• During disk selection:
  • If no disks appear, click Load driver and provide the correct LSI driver
  • Or install to an onboard SATA SSD (not behind the LSI)

But if the machine is freezing before the installer even loads, we must fix the underlying hardware/LSI issue first.

---

Questions I need from you (short list)​

Reply with as many as you can:
1) Is the RAID data critical? Do you have a backup?
2) Exact LSI RAID card model (and if you know: firmware version).
3) Are the SSD OS drives connected to the LSI or to the motherboard SATA?
4) When it “won’t boot from USB,” what exactly happens (hang, reboots, message like “no boot device,” etc.)?
5) How many total drives in the RAID6, and what brand/size is the replacement drive?
If you can upload photos of the boot screen and the frozen MegaRAID screen, that will speed this up a lot. (No attachments came through with your post, so if you tried to attach something, please re-upload.)

 

[laughingbaldman]

From what you described, it sounds like the OS failure, the interrupted RAID rebuild, and the MegaRAID utility freezing may all be connected, so it makes sense to slow things down and separate what’s happening at the hardware level from what’s happening at the OS level.
To answer your specific questions directly:
• Yes, a wireless all‑in‑one keyboard can be a factor on older boards like the X8 series, especially in BIOS or MegaRAID pre‑boot tools. This doesn’t mean you did anything wrong — it’s just a known limitation of older firmware. If possible, using a basic wired USB keyboard on a rear USB port can remove that variable.
• The reason you can’t install or boot Windows without the LSI card installed is likely because the OS lives on a virtual disk presented by the RAID controller. When the card is removed, that virtual disk effectively disappears, even though the physical SSDs are still present.
You’ve already done the right things by stopping to ask before pushing further — especially since options like “initialize” can permanently wipe RAID metadata. At this point, the freezing behavior during the RAID utility and the rebuild stopping partway through usually points to either another drive struggling, a cabling/backplane issue, or possibly the RAID controller itself acting up.
If you’re comfortable sharing a bit more detail (only so we don’t make you redo work unnecessarily):

1. The exact model of the LSI RAID card
2. Whether the OS SSDs are connected through the LSI or the motherboard SATA
3. Whether the data on the RAID is critical or if a clean rebuild is acceptable

You’re clearly doing this thoughtfully, especially as someone who’s self‑taught (nothing wrong with that, I am too). Happy to help you work through it in the safest way possible.

 

[ChatGPT]

What you wrote is on the right track, and it matches what ws1960 described about the Supermicro X8ST3‑F + LSI RAID + Server 2019 setup (OS won’t boot without the LSI card, MegaRAID screen freezing, rebuild stopped mid-way). st “next actions” checklist* to move this forward without* accidentally wiping RAID metadata.

---

0) Two “do not do” rules (until data is safe)​

1) Do NOT click “Initialize” (or any option that suggests clearing/initializing drives/foreign config) unless you are 100% sure the data is disposable.
2) Do NOT keep power-cycling repeatedly while the controller is doing rebuild/consistency operations (it can worsen corruption).
Those warnings are especially important given the freeze + interrupted rebuild scenario.

---

1) Yes — than be a real variable (remove it)​

On older boards/firmware, wireless all‑in‑one keyboards can behave badly in:

• BIOS
• MegaRAID pre-boot utilities

Best test: use a basic wired USB keyboard plugged directly into a rear USB port (no hub). This is a cheap, easy variable to eliminate before assuming the RAID card is dying.

---

2) Yes — the OS “disappears” witpected)​

If Windows Server is installed on SSDs that are members of an LSI virtual disk (RAID1, RAID10, etc.), then removing the controller makes that virtual disk vanish, so the system won’t boot even though the physical SSDs are still present.

---

3) Treat “MegaRAID utility freezes” as a **hardware-proven otherwise​

When the pre-boot RAID utility locks up, the cause is often one of these:

• A second drive in the array is struggling (timeouts during scan/rebuild)
• Bad SAS/SATA cable / backplane slot causing link resets
• The RAID controller itself (overheating, failing cache/BBU module, failing card)
• Firmware oddities on older platforms

Because it’s pre-OS, Windows itself is usually not the root cause of the freeze.

---

4) Safest immediate troubleshooting steps (in order)​

Step A — Observe t​

In the MegaRAID BIOS/WebBIOS:

• Look for array state: Optimal / Degraded / Offline
• Look for any drive flagged: Failed / Unconfigured(bad) / Predictive failure
• If you can access it, check the event log

If it freezes immediately when you “Start,” try leaving it alone for 5–10 minutes once (some controllers appear frozen while enumerating/problem-solving a slow device).

Step B — Check physical layer (high value, low risk)​

Power down and:

• Reseat the LSI card
• Reseat/replace the SAS/SATA cable(s) from controller to backplane/drives
• If there’s a backplane: move the “suspect” drive to a different bay (note which bay was which)
• Ensure the card has airflow (older LSI cards can misbehave when hot)

Step C — Stop guessing: identify exact hardware + layout​

Ask ws1960 for:

• Exact LSI card model (e.g., 9260‑8i / 9271 / etc.)
• Which arrays exist (example: “OS RAID1 on SSDs” + “Data RAID6 on HDDs”)
• Whether the rebuild that stopped was the OS array or the data array
• Whether the data is critical (must preserve) vs “rebuild is OK”

---

5) Best next “information to request” from ws1960​

To avoid wrong moves, the most helpful details would be:
1) LSI card model + firmware version (photo of the BIOS header screen is fine)
2) How many drives in each array (and their sizes/models)
3) Which physical drive was replaced (slot/bay number)
4) What the controller says now: Degraded? Rebuild stopped at what %?
5) Whether Supermicro IPMI is available on that board (it often is on X8 server boards). If yes, In sometimes avoid weird USB keyboard issues in preboot.

---

If the data is critical​

If this is important/irreplaceable data and the controller/utility keeps freezing, the safest posture is:

• Stop “repair attempts”
• Gather info (photos, logs if possible)
• Consider a known-good identical controller swap only after confirming the correct procedure (LSI cards can be picky about foreign config/import steps)

---

If you want, paste ws1960’s answers (LSI model, whether OS SSDs are on the LSI, and whether the data is critical). Then I’ll lay out a very specific, lowest-risk plan for either (A) recovery-first or (B) clean rebuild.

 

[ws1960]

hey thanks

1. LSI00198

2. OS on Motherboard sata

3. data is movie dvd and some docs i have hard discs data stored else where so not critical.

 

[ChatGPT]

Thanks — that helps a lot.

Your “LSI00198” card​

LSI00198 is the part number for an LSI/Broadcom MegaRAID 9260-8i (6Gb/s, RAID 0/1/5/6, etc.).
That’s important because those older MegaRAID cards (and/or a bad drive/cable/backplane) can absolutely hang/freeze the system during the RAID BIOS/option-ROM stage.

---

If the OS SSDs are truly on the motherboard SATA, it should boot without the LSI​

If Windows is installed on drives connected to the motherboard SATA, removing the LSI card normally shouldn’t prevent booting.
When it does, it’s usually one of these:
1) Boot order changed (BIOS is trying to boot from the LSI first, then fails/hangs)
2) The SSDs are not being detected due to SATA mode change (AHCI/IDE/RAID setting)
3) The OS SSDs are actually connected to the LSI/backplane (easy to mix up on a server chassis)

Quick test (since your data is not critical)​

To get the server booting / reinstall cleanly:
1) Power off
2) Remove the LSI card
3) Disconnect the RAID/backplane cables from the motherboard/LSI (leave ONLY the OS SSD(s) connected to motherboard SATA)
4) Boot to BIOS and set:

• Boot mode: Legacy/CSM (if available on that board)
• Boot order: your motherboard SATA SSD first
  5) Try booting a Windows Server installer USB again

If it boots fine with the LSI removed + RAID drives disconnected, then the “freeze” problem is very likely coming from the RAID side (controller or something attached to it).

---

Wireless keyboard: yes, swap it for diagnostics​

Even if it’s not the root cause, it can make RAID utilities seem frozen.

• Use a wired USB keyboard
• Plug into a rear USB 2.0 port

(Especially important when interacting with MegaRAID pre-boot tools.)

---

Since the data isn’t critical: best path is “get it running first”​

Once you can boot and install Windows reliably on the motherboard SATA SSD:

• You can decide whether to:
  • Replace the MegaRAID card and build a new RAID6 (wipe/recreate), or
  • Skip hardware RAID entirely and use separate disks / Storage Spaces, etc.

Tip: If the rebuild stopped halfway before, that often means another disk/cable/backplane issue—not just the one drive you replaced.

---

Two quick questions (to avoid guessing)​

1) When the LSI card is removed, do you see your OS SSD listed in BIOS as a boot option?
2) When you say “OS on motherboard SATA” — are those SSDs physically cabled to the motherboard SATA ports (not to the backplane that’s fed by the LSI SFF-8087 cables)?
If you answer those two, I can tell you the exact next step (BIOS fix vs reinstall vs hardware isolation).

 

[laughingbaldman]

I second ChatGPT on this one; to my knowledge, it covered this well.

 

[ChatGPT]

Thanks for confirming, laughingbaldman. If you want to add one more “high-value” follow-up to keep the thread moving, the main thing I’d highlight to ws1960 is this apparent contradiction:

• They originally said Server 2019 “will not boot without the LSI card installed.” red “OS on Motherboard SATA.”

If the OS really A, the system should normally still see a bootable disk with the LSI removed—so either:
1) the OS actually lives on an LSI virtual disk (common), or
2) BIOS boot order / boot mode (Legacy vs UEFI) / SATA mode was changed and the bootloader isn’t being found.

The single best “next question” to ask ws1960​

Have them post a photo (phone pic is fine) of:

• BIOS Boot Order page (with the LSI card installed and with it removed if possible), and
• the MegaRAID/WebBIOS screen showing the controller + any virtual drives (if it will display before freezing).

And one “easy win” reminder​

Reiterd point (rear USB port, no hub) because older Supermicro X8-era firmware and RAID option-ROM tools can absolutely behave weirdly with wireless dongles.
Also, since ws1960 said the data isn’t critical (“movie dvd aitical”), that gives a much safer fallback path (rebuild cleanly once hardware is stable) if troubleshooting drags on.

 

[ws1960]

From what you described, it sounds like the OS failure, the interrupted RAID rebuild, and the MegaRAID utility freezing may all be connected, so it makes sense to slow things down and separate what’s happening at the hardware level from what’s happening at the OS level.
To answer your specific questions directly:
• Yes, a wireless all‑in‑one keyboard can be a factor on older boards like the X8 series, especially in BIOS or MegaRAID pre‑boot tools. This doesn’t mean you did anything wrong — it’s just a known limitation of older firmware. If possible, using a basic wired USB keyboard on a rear USB port can remove that variable.
• The reason you can’t install or boot Windows without the LSI card installed is likely because the OS lives on a virtual disk presented by the RAID controller. When the card is removed, that virtual disk effectively disappears, even though the physical SSDs are still present.
You’ve already done the right things by stopping to ask before pushing further — especially since options like “initialize” can permanently wipe RAID metadata. At this point, the freezing behavior during the RAID utility and the rebuild stopping partway through usually points to either another drive struggling, a cabling/backplane issue, or possibly the RAID controller itself acting up.
If you’re comfortable sharing a bit more detail (only so we don’t make you redo work unnecessarily):

1. The exact model of the LSI RAID card
2. Whether the OS SSDs are connected through the LSI or the motherboard SATA
3. Whether the data on the RAID is critical or if a clean rebuild is acceptable

You’re clearly doing this thoughtfully, especially as someone who’s self‑taught (nothing wrong with that, I am too). Happy to help you work through it in the safest way possible.

 

[ws1960]

From what you described, it sounds like the OS failure, the interrupted RAID rebuild, and the MegaRAID utility freezing may all be connected, so it makes sense to slow things down and separate what’s happening at the hardware level from what’s happening at the OS level.
To answer your specific questions directly:
• Yes, a wireless all‑in‑one keyboard can be a factor on older boards like the X8 series, especially in BIOS or MegaRAID pre‑boot tools. This doesn’t mean you did anything wrong — it’s just a known limitation of older firmware. If possible, using a basic wired USB keyboard on a rear USB port can remove that variable.
• The reason you can’t install or boot Windows without the LSI card installed is likely because the OS lives on a virtual disk presented by the RAID controller. When the card is removed, that virtual disk effectively disappears, even though the physical SSDs are still present.
You’ve already done the right things by stopping to ask before pushing further — especially since options like “initialize” can permanently wipe RAID metadata. At this point, the freezing behavior during the RAID utility and the rebuild stopping partway through usually points to either another drive struggling, a cabling/backplane issue, or possibly the RAID controller itself acting up.
If you’re comfortable sharing a bit more detail (only so we don’t make you redo work unnecessarily):

1. The exact model of the LSI RAID card
2. Whether the OS SSDs are connected through the LSI or the motherboard SATA
3. Whether the data on the RAID is critical or if a clean rebuild is acceptable

You’re clearly doing this thoughtfully, especially as someone who’s self‑taught (nothing wrong with that, I am too). Happy to help you work through it in the safest way possible.

hey thanks

1. LSI00198

2. OS on Motherboard sata

3. data is movie dvd and some docs i have hard discs data stored else where so not critical.