SBS 2011 setup program fails while expanding files

Problem was this:  SBS 2011 setup program fails while expanding files

Why I think it does this:  SBS 2011 installation image is huge - so it's bigger than a single layer DVD can hold.  So the SBS2011 DVD is dual layer and it fails when the DVD tries to switch layers.  Even on the latest SBS 2011 certified hardware (in my case an HP Proliant ML330 G6 server - see this link to check current HP certified hardware http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/windows/index.html) I could not get it to read a dual layer DVD

My Solution:

a. Get 2 x USB drives - 10Gb or bigger

b. Download the SBS2011 ISO from here http://www.microsoft.com/sbs/en/us/try-it.aspx as a trial version - you can license it with your bought activation code easily with having to reinstall

c. Download the tool to allow you to unpack an ISO file to a USB drive  http://images2.store.microsoft.com/prod/clustera/framework/w7udt/1.0/en-us/Windows7-USB-DVD-tool.exe

On a 64 bit machine only (won't work on 32 bit)

1. Put USB disk 1 in and run the USB-DVD tool from (b) above to create the expanded DVD image on the USB drive.

2. Put USB disk 2 in.

3. Format USB 2 disk

Format the disk using DISKPART as described below

Run CMD and then:

C:\> diskpart

DISKPART> list disk

     Select the USB device from the list and substitute the disk number below
     when necessary

DISKPART> select disk 1
DISKPART> clean
DISKPART> create partition primary
DISKPART> select partition 1
DISKPART> active
DISKPART> format fs=NTFS

DISKPART> assign
DISKPART> exit

4. Once USB Disk 2 has completed it's format copy the entire contents of USB Disk 1 (the unpacked SBS iso) on to USB disk 2 using Windows Explorer.

5. You now have a bootable USB version of the SBS 2011 DVD. Pop USB disk 2 into the server, reboot - select boot from USB - and you're away.

If you're using HP hardware you need to make sure you get the correct drivers and support for SBS 2011 from their SmartStart CD v8.7 or better (ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib2/software1/cd/p1760479716/v63552/smartstart-8.70-0-x64.zip)