One of the most important steps to take before running Setup on a server is to confirm that your hardware is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family. You can do this by running a pre-installation compatibility check from the Setup CD or by checking the hardware compatibility information available on the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Web site. Also, as part of confirming hardware compatibility, check to see that you have obtained updated hardware device drivers and an updated system BIOS (or for a 64-bit Itanium-based computer, an updated Extensible Firmware Interface).
If you have a mass storage controller (such as a SCSI, RAID, or Fibre Channel adapter) for your hard disk, confirm that it is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family by clicking the appropriate link in Support resources.
If your controller is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family but you are aware that the manufacturer has supplied a separate driver file for use with your operating system, obtain the file (on a floppy disk) before you begin Setup. During the early part of Setup, a line at the bottom of the screen will prompt you to press F6. Further prompts will guide you in supplying the driver file to Setup so that it can gain access to the mass storage controller.
If you are not sure whether you must obtain a separate driver file from the manufacturer of your mass storage controller, you can try running Setup. If the controller is not supported by the driver files on the Setup CD (and therefore requires a driver file supplied by the hardware manufacturer), Setup stops and displays a message that says no disk devices can be found or displays an incomplete list of controllers. After you obtain the necessary driver file, restart Setup, and press F6 when prompted.
Regardless of whether you run a pre-installation compatibility check, Setup checks hardware and software compatibility at the beginning of an upgrade or new installation and displays a report if there are incompatibilities.
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