Unable to install Windows Server 2008 R1, Windows Vista or Windows 7 on a Dell PowerEdge 2600 – Setup error 0x80070022

System Requirements:

  • Dell PowerEdge 2600
  • Toshiba SD-C2502 DVD-ROM Drive

The Problem:

When you try and install an edition of NT 6 x86 on a Dell PowerEdge 2600 using self-created DVD media (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW) the setup program takes a very long time to start and after around 30 minutes of “Expanding files” sitting on 0% setup fails with the error code 0x80070022.

More Info

The problem isn’t an incompatibility with the systems and NT6, it’s most likely the DVD ROM drive itself. You should of course check to make sure that the DVD-R(W) media that you are using is integral and hasn’t failed to burn properly. If the media works fine on other systems then check to see if the machine has a Toshiba SD-C2502 drive.

If it does then it is probably manufactured in or around August 2002 using firmware 1D13 (dates 03/08/2001) before all of the DVD media specifications were standardised. Dell unhelpfully neglected to supply the firmware update for the drive to support improved media compatibility. As you may have guessed, the media can get you into the setup program, but the slow speed is because of an increased number of forced read errors.

The Fix

The good news is that there is firmware available that may resolve this for you. Although Dell neglected to make it available on their PowerEdge support section, the drive is a plain old IDE drive, one that Dell used on a number of other systems. To be precise:

  • Inspiron 2500
  • Inspiron 2100
  • Inspiron 4100
  • Inspiron 8000
  • Inspiron 8100
  • Inspiron 2600
  • Inspiron 8200
  • Inspiron 2650
  • Inspiron 4150
  • Latitude C500
  • Latitude C510
  • Latitude C540
  • Latitude V710
  • Latitude LS
  • Latitude C400
  • Latitude C600
  • Latitude C610
  • Latitude C800
  • Latitude C810
  • Latitude L400
  • Latitude C640
  • Latitude V740
  • OptiPlex GX150
  • OptiPlex GX240
  • OptiPlex GX260
  • OptiPlex GX260N
  • Dell Precision Mobile WorkStation M50

So if you head to the support pages on Dell for one of those you will find the SD-C2502 firmware update which addresses:

This firmware addresses various readability related issues.

The firmware at shipping is 1D13, this updates it to 1D23 and will hopefully get you installing. If you want to search Dell Support for the file name look for br59016.exe

If that doesn’t fix it, it’s a standard IDE drive, simply grab one from any > 2003 laptop and you should be good to go.