I'm trying to repurpose an older machine as a home server, using Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials. It previously had Windows Small Business Server 2011 Trial (now expired). When I run the installation (from disk or USB) it goes through the first "Installing Files" phase (two progress bars, one fast then one slow), reboots, I get the Windows logo (the new one) for 2-3 seconds, and then I get a white-on-black text screen with a few lines at the top left for less than a second and it reboots. When it reboots, it just starts over so I have an endless loop.
From the bit I can read when the text screen flashes, I think it's failing to find the "Setup" folder to continue booting. Does that sound familiar to anyone?
Will there be log files from an aborted installation? Where will they be and what are they called?
The machine has an Athlon II 64-bit processor 2.7GHz, 2GB RAM, and 2 hard drives 320MB and 200 MB.