Easystore H340 install software cannot find server

I recently had problems with one of the drives in my Easystore H340, and although the replacement is on the way and all the data is backed up, trying to get the server working properly again has been nothing short of a perfect disaster. After a hundred attempts to remove and replace the missing drive, everything on the system was completely destroyed beyond repair forcing me to format all 4 drives in another machine.

I'm now back to square one, and I can't get the software installed again. It was easy the first time but now the software isn't able to find the server from any PC with any connection. I've tried connecting directly via 2 ethernet cables and a simple switch and even then it will not show up.

I can't find any more answers on the web, KB or anywhere else, please help! I'm at my wits end with this thing.

Thanks.

-Fischer

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Fischer

I just also realized the 2nd and 3rd drive bay LEDs are solid red after the server turns on and that may be significant. Thanks in advance for any help.

Fischer

Update-

I used an adapter to connect a graphics card and display, and upon booting I get the following message on the screen after the BIOS initializes:

PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable

PXE-M0F: Exiting PXE ROM.

Operating System not found

Of course there's no operating system but I'm not sure what the deal is with the first message. Although there were serious problems with the database, Windows itself still booted just fine before I formatted the drive. Not sure what else to do.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

crx1977

I have the same problem.

My easystore H340 can't start up after the shutdown.

There are two red lights at bay 2 & 3. I removed all the hd out, and left the OS hd. Then, restarted the server. Two red lights are still on. Can't connect to the network.

Please advise or assist!

Thanks.

Fischer

I did finally fix the problem on mine, but it wasn't a very conventional solution. Getting a display connected was critical for solving the problem on mine, as I never did get the included software working over the network. There is a specific card you can buy to add VGA output to this machine, but I decided to go the cheap route and bought one of these adapter cables to connect a standard video card externally: http://www.amazon.com/Express-Adapter-Extender-Flexible-Extension/dp/B008BZBGPO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394726559&sr=8-1&keywords=pcie+x16+to+x1. It's not pretty as you can't install the card internally with this, but it gets the job done for the sake of getting in there to fix the problem. After connecting, you have to put a jumper on JP3 to get it to actually initialize everything and allow you to get into the BIOS. That's what fixed the errors on got in my last post.

Once this was done, I skipped the Acer software altogether, got a standard OEM copy of Windows Home Server 2011, and installed it using a USB flash drive. WHS 2011 works surprisingly well on this little machine considering the hardware was never intended to run it. Got everything set up like I wanted it before disconnecting the VGA card and it's been working properly through regular remote desktop controls ever since.

Long story short, seeing what's going on was key for me. The cable linked above let me do it for $8 since I had an simple VGA card laying around. Surprisingly, you can actually plug a regular lo-pro video card directly into the unit if dremel the end of the PCIEx4 slot out, but as you can understand there's no way I was going to go down on my server with a rotary saw.

Alternatively, you can buy a premade dongle to add VGA/PS2/Serial I/O on this thread here:

http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3980

Or if you're good with a soldering iron this thread explains how to make a VGA cable that will plug directly into the board:

http://www.happybison.com/reviews/installing-freenas-on-acer-aspire-easystore-h340-6/

Be advised you'll need a compatible OS to install once you get the video hooked up, because as far as I'm aware the copy of Windows Home Server on the Acer disks cannot be installed directly from the CD or via USB (only through network boot, which was broken in both our cases.) I found WHS 2011 worked well and keys were cheap and readily available, though some features I liked were missing. You could always dig up an original copy of WHS, though a lot of people would recommend FreeNAS or Linux for flexibility and reliability (and zero cost of course.)