Tuesday, May 6, 2014

HP Proliant MicroServer G7 N40L not working with 2012 R2

The HP Proliant MicroServer G7 N40L is a great lightweight server perfect for small business and home use.  However with the release of Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 you may find problems booting the operating system.  After completing the installation, on first boot it will hang on "Getting devices ready" forever.  This is due to the on-board Broadcom NIC which has issues with only Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1

There are a few forum threads on the Internet about this issue including:

http://forum.wegotserved.com/index.php/topic/29031-hp-microserver-n40l-windows-81-installation-problems/

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2179812

HP has released a BIOS firmware update which resolves this issue by updating the firmware to 2013.10.01 (A) (15 Nov 2013).  This firmware update is packaged in "SP64420.exe" and is available for download from the following HP website.

http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/psi/swdDetails/?sp4ts.oid=5336618&spf_p.tpst=swdMain&spf_p.prp_swdMain=wsrp-navigationalState%3Didx%253D%257CswItem%253DMTX_57720d956df94dfcbaa0e28256%257CswEnvOID%253D4064%257CitemLocale%253D%257CswLang%253D%257Cmode%253D%257Caction%253DdriverDocument&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken

Unfortunately to be able to download this package from HP, your server must be under warranty or you must have a special account on the HP website.  I find this ridiculous as it is clearly a bug with the current firmware and if your server is out of warranty this means you can never upgrade the operating system!  What a joke!!

Luckily, I have uploaded this BIOS update to my Google hosting to ensure anyone who finds themselves in the same situation as me is able to get the SP64420.exe and update their BIOS for a HP Proliant MicroServer G7 N40L allowing them to run Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012.  This download is available from the following link:

https://sites.google.com/site/cbblogspotfiles/SP64420.zip
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20 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 17, 2014 at 3:02 PM

    Brilliant! Thank you! I've been searching everywhere for this as HP's site doesn't want to recognise my s/n!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 3, 2014 at 1:53 AM

    Thanks for providing a copy of this.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 11, 2014 at 10:58 AM

    can't believe they make us pay for this. thanks for making it available.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownAugust 4, 2014 at 5:23 AM

    Thank you so much for this info. It worked like a charm!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousAugust 7, 2014 at 12:48 PM

    Thank you for this file!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousAugust 20, 2014 at 2:58 AM

    Thank you for providing a copy. I tried to 'upgrade' my account by adding service pack's, but that wasn't accepted by HP....

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousAugust 22, 2014 at 1:01 AM

    I can´t get this to work, "Command or filename not recognized" and then a C: prompt...

    ReplyDelete
  8. LouieSeptember 2, 2014 at 10:47 PM

    After updating my NIC card stopped working? Had this happen to anyone else?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Clint BoessenSeptember 2, 2014 at 10:56 PM

    The NIC card was fine with me. Is it appearing in device manager for you? Do you have the correct driver?

    ReplyDelete
  10. AllanOctober 15, 2014 at 11:55 PM

    software company dwarka services to help you optimize your process for maximum efficiency. We follow a strategic approach to pinpoint your functional requirements and adopt a methodically-structured model to simplify your operational complexities.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousDecember 13, 2014 at 7:21 AM

    Thanks Man !!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousDecember 15, 2014 at 3:27 PM

    thanks sooo much!! i need this update file urgen! i have this problem since 2 weeks ago. i hope works

    ReplyDelete
  13. UnknownDecember 19, 2014 at 11:30 AM

    Thank you very much for the file!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2015 at 6:42 PM

    Thank you very much...... sharing is caring

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownApril 13, 2016 at 5:04 PM

    I'm getting a virus detected error on the download!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. UnknownJune 7, 2016 at 5:38 AM

    I am getting a virus also.. any other links to the SP?

    ReplyDelete
  17. stomJune 13, 2016 at 10:35 PM

    Looks to be a false positive. Downloaded in a VM and tested, worked.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. stomJune 13, 2016 at 10:50 PM

      The exe is just a self-extracting zip, so I shared the zip, enjoy: https://goo.gl/vUtUdw

      Delete
    2. stomJune 13, 2016 at 10:54 PM

      Also someone else uploaded the original exe here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rj9mezamisxqxdh/SP64420.exe?dl=0

      Delete
  18. S GJune 23, 2016 at 6:35 AM

    thx! update bios solved my win10 network problem (no ethernet cabel connected).

    ReplyDelete

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