This page is intended as an overview of some of the Windows versions which can be successfully installed to an iSCSI Target. Due to time constraints a decision was made to limit tests to installing a small range of available 64-bit Windows source files to an iSCSI Console Target running on a 32-bit Windows 8.1 (Update 3) Host Operating System. Tests were carried out using VirtualBox. Windows Setup (setup.exe) was used to install Windows, with setup.exe executed from a PXE booted 64-bit WinPE version 10.0.14393. Tests were limited to installing Windows and booting to the desktop.
Boot process -
Table displaying whether the Windows version tested supports SAN Boot from an iSCSI Target with Initiator Systems with BIOS or UEFI Frimware -
| Product Name | Build Number | SKU / iso Filename | BIOS | UEFI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 | 6.1.7601.17514 | Windows 7 Ultimate (Service Pack 1) en_windows_7_ultimate_with_sp1_x64_dvd_u_677332.iso |
✔ 1 | ✘ 2 |
| Windows 8 | 6.2.9200.16384 | Windows 8 Pro en_windows_8_x64_dvd_915440.iso |
✔ | ✔ |
| Windows 8.1 | 6.3.9600.16384 | Windows 8.1 Pro en_windows_8_1_x64_dvd_2707217.iso |
✔ | ✔ |
| Windows 8.1 | 6.3.9600.17415 | Windows 8.1 Enterprise (Update 3) en_windows_8.1_enterprise_with_update_x64_dvd_6054382.iso |
✔ | ✔ |
| Windows 10 (1507) | 10.0.10240.16384 | Windows 10 Enterprise 2015 LTSB en-gb_windows_10_enterprise_2015_ltsb_x64_dvd_6848456.iso |
✘ 3 | ✘ 3 |
| Windows 10 (1511) | 10.0.10586.0 | Windows 10 Pro en_windows_10_multiple_editions_version_1511_updated_apr_2016_x64_dvd_8705583.iso |
✘ 3 | ✘ 3 |
| Windows 10 (1607) | 10.0.14393.0 | Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB en_windows_10_enterprise_2016_ltsb_x64_dvd_9059483 |
✔ | ✔ |
| Windows 10 (1703) | 10.0.15063.0 | Windows 10 Pro en_windows_10_multiple_editions_version_1703_updated_march_2017_x64_dvd_10189288.iso |
✔ | ✔ |
| Windows 10 (1709) | 10.0.16299.125 | Windows 10 Pro en_windows_10_multi-edition_vl_version_1709_updated_dec_2017_x64_dvd_100406172.iso |
✔ | ✔ |
| Windows 10 (1803) | 10.0.17134.1 | Windows 10 Pro en_windows_10_consumer_editions_version_1803_updated_march_2018_x64_dvd_12063379.iso |
✔ | ✔ |
| Windows 10 (1809) | 10.0.17763.107 | Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 en_windows_10_enterprise_ltsc_2019_x64_dvd_be3c8ffb.iso |
✔ | ✔ |
| Server 2019 | 10.0.17763.379 | Windows Server 2019 SERVERSTANDARD en_windows_server_2019_updated_march_2019_x64_dvd_2ae967ab.iso |
✔ | ✔ |
| Windows 10 (1903) | 10.0.18362.30 | Windows 10 Pro en_windows_10_consumer_editions_version_1903_x64_dvd_b980e68c.iso |
✘ 4 | ✘ 4 |
1 - Windows 7 (Service Pack 1)
The screenshot below shows an error message displayed when running Windows 7 (Service Pack 1) setup.exe. It is likely that running setup.exe from WinPE 3.* would not have displayed this message (WinPE version 10.0.14393 was used to run setup.exe). This message was displayed during Stage 1 when installing Windows 7 using systems and applies to systems with BIOS and UEFI firmware. The message can be safely ignored.
The following error was displayed after starting Stage 2 of Windows setup and applies to systems with BIOS and UEFI firmware. It was possible to proceed with the installation by pressing F8 and selecting Disable driver signature enforcement.
2 - Windows 7 (Service Pack 1)
When attempting to install Windows 7 (Service Pack 1) using an Initiator system with UEFI firmware, the installation failed at Stage 2. The Starting Windows screen below was displayed, however the installation did not proceed any further.
3 - Windows 10.0.10240 and 10.0.10586
Setup failed at Stage 2 with Inaccessible boot device error. This applies to Initiator Systems with BIOS and UEFI Firmware.
4 - Windows 10.0.18362 (1903)
Setup failed at Stage 2 with the error message below displayed. This applies to Initiator Systems with BIOS and UEFI Firmware.
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Document date - 14th June 2019