# HP Gen8 Microserver error "Embedded media manager failed initialization" - how to get HPQLOCFG

https://blog.cynexia.com/hp-gen8-microserver-error-embedded-media-manager-failed-initialization-how-to-get-hpqlocfg

Author: [Rob Aleck](https://blog.cynexia.com/pages/about) · https://github.com/mnbf9rca · https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertaleck/ · https://family-foqos.app/

Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2026-10-01
Categories: Fix


During the process of installing VMWare on to my Gen8 Microserver, I had trouble writing data to the internal SD card - in fact, I couldn't even see it. Looking in the ILO Event Logs I saw this:

```
Embedded Flash/SD-CARD: Embedded media manager failed initialization.
```

googling this didn't get me much - just forum posts with people complaining about it, but then i found [this ](<http://h20564.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c04996097>)HPE Customer Advisory, which lists out the steps needed to reset the error. Basically:

1. create an XML file with the following content:  
   \<!-- RIBCL Sample Script for HP Lights-Out Products -->   
   \<!--Copyright (c) 2016 Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Development Company,L.P. -->   
     
   \<!-- Description: This is a sample XML script to force format ll -->   
   \<!-- the iLO partitions. -->   
   \<!-- iLO resets automatically for this operation to take effect -->   
     
   \<!-- Warning: This command erases all data on the partition(s) -->   
   \<!-- External providers will need to be re-configured if -->   
   \<!-- partition is formatted -->   
     
   \<!-- Input: VALUE tag: all - format all available partitions -->   
     
   \<!-- NOTE:You will need to replace the USER_LOGIN and PASSWORD values -->   
   \<!-- with values that are appropriate for your environment -->   
     
   \<!-- See "HP Integrated Lights-Out Management Processor Scripting -->   
   \<!-- and Command Line Resource Guide" for more information on -->   
   \<!-- scripting and the syntax of the RIBCL XML -->   
     
   \<!-- Firmware support information for this script: -->   
   \<!-- iLO 4 - Version 2.42 or later. -->   
   \<!-- iLO 3 - None. -->   
   \<!-- iLO 2 - None. -->  
     
   \<RIBCL VERSION="2.0">   
   \<LOGIN USER_LOGIN="Administrator" PASSWORD="">   
   \<RIB_INFO MODE="write">   
   \<FORCE_FORMAT VALUE="all" />   
   \</RIB_INFO>   
   \</LOGIN>   
   \</RIBCL>
2. run that file against the server using HPQLOCFG.exe:  
   hpqlocfg -s \<server IP> -l c:\hpqcfg.log -f c:\Force_Format.xml -v -t user=Administrator,password=\<password>
3. some other steps to [reinstall intelligent provisioning](<https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?swItemId=MTX_c02fd94d9eba4d52a2cc30b34e>), if you use it.

All well and good - but where do you get HPQLOCFG from? If you follow the link in the article, it refuses to install because i don't have the full PSP installed. So how can I apply the change?  
  
Well, in my case, I [installed VMWare](<https://blog.cynexia.com/installing-vmware-migrating-from-unraid-to-napp-it>) to an internal USB stick and then ran the command from there - you could even do this with all of your other existing drives removed so that they don't get erased. You could then restart the process. Problem solved!