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PXE Boot - DHCP Timeout - works with WDS


  • Hello

    So I found this beautiful piece of software, and I have been trying to get PXE boot to work, with no luck.

    I followed the videos on YT and have been able to both connect a computer and use software deployment etc.

    The main reason, I want to use this software is because it has feedback / check-ins from computers, and this I like very much.

    My small network setup consists of a Router, 8 port switch. a Windows 2019 server and 3 dummy computers.

    Sadly neither have been able to work with PXE boot through TheOpenEM. However when I installed WDS to test with, it worked just fine.

    What am I Doing wrong here?


  • Do you still have WDS active? That can cause problems. WDS uses a proxy which can remain active. Did you set option 66 and 67?


  • @theopenem_admin

    Thanks for replying. I should have been more clear in my explanation surrounding WDS. I only installed it after to check to see if I was being an idiot, because it seemed so easy in your YT vids.

    WDS will be uninstalled on my test setup again and I will recheck the guide options again.


  • Well I decided to remove my windows server installation and redo all of it. It still sadly doesn't work.

    Any suggestions are appreciated.


  • Checking Media Presence.....
    Media Present.....
    Start PXE over IPv4.

    Nothing more happens. Doesn't matter which buttons i press, it just times out and goes back to the boot menu.

    I have tried this on 3 different machines and its the same thing for all of them.


  • What are you using for DHCP? Did you set the correction DHCP options for PXE boot?


  • @theopenem_admin

    Im using an old d-link router for dhcp, with dns set for the windows server with theopenem on it.


  • You need a dhcp server that supports pxe boot. An at home router will not do that. You need an extra piece called a proxy dhcp server. Have you looked at this video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=041BeOI6_cc

    You can ignore the dhcp settings in the video and just focus on the proxy config.