Is this "the Maxtor problem" or something else?

[Guest Kaos]

Just got my new system all built, ran memtest for a while so everything's happy, and started to load XP. Boot from CD, partitioned and formatted the drive, copied files to it, went to boot from it, and it refuses to boot. Thought perhaps a BIOS setting, so I go into BIOS, drive doesn't show up. So I'm thinking perhaps I have "the Maxtor problem"... When forcing a detect in the BIOS, it detects just fine. The wierd thing is that without going in and forcing a detect, windows setup was still able to read and write to the drive.

 

Some other things I notice in BIOS: If I go to the SATA slot I've got the drive on, and turn "Extended IDE Drive" from None to Auto, the data that comes up is for 136G, not the 200G that the drive actually is. What setting should that option actually be on?

 

When going to the menu for hard disk boot priority, the drive does not show up, only "bootable add-in cards". Even with the drive now showing up in BIOS after a forced detection.

 

I tried a couple SATA ports, each with the same problem. I also tried it on one of the SilI ports, but windows setup then claims there are no hard drives in the system. Tried hitting f4 for the raid setup, thinking perhaps I need to set it to single drive there, but it won't go into that at all. With no drive on the SilI ports, it at least comes up and says there are no drives there when I hit f4. If the drive is attched, it does at least spit out one line showing that the drive is detected.

 

From reading other threads about the problem, it seems that I have the latest and greatest firmware, BACE1G10. This version seemed to solve most folks' problems. So I'm wondering if it's just something I'm doing wrong or have set wrong?

[lowboy]

The hdd reading 136 sound like you are not using windows SP2 install disk. You may try to load OS with only 1stick of memory in orange slot farthest from cpu.Just because memory passes memtest it does not show how it works with windows.

[Guest Kaos]

The hdd reading 136 sound like you are not using windows SP2 install disk. You may try to load OS with only 1stick of memory in orange slot farthest from cpu.Just because memory passes memtest it does not show how it works with windows.

 

The 136G data was what showed up in bios. When doing the windows install, it correctly identified, partitioned, and formatted the drive. Would memory really be an issue with being unable to boot from a hard drive?

 

And in any case, the drive still ought to show up in the HDD boot priority menu in BIOS if things are working correctly, shouldn't it?

[jtworldwide2]

FYI on the maxtor issue

I saw on another website that maxtor has released a firmware update today to fix the NF4 issue, however you have to email thier support to get it.

[lowboy]

Yes should show up the maxtors have caused all sorts of crazy problems. As posted above I saw where maxtor released new fix today but you have to call maxtor if you email they will just tell you to call. Memory can cause issue when loading boot. But I would go for fix anyway to help rule that out. Heres link to original problems with maxtors:http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=Article...=read&arc_id=59

[koolabear]

Look here-http://maxtor.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/maxtor.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2685&p_created=1136595488&p_sid=OARfZF_h&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX 3Jvd19jbnQ9MSZwX3Byb2RzPTAmcF9jYXRzPSZwX3B2PSZwX2N 2PSZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPWcrap3dlcnMuc2VhcmNoX25sJnBfc GFnZT0xJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9bmZvcmNlNA**&p_li=&p_topview=1

[Guest Kaos]

Saw that one. Applies to SATAII drives. Mine is SATA. (kb article applies to 6V model numbers, mine is a 6L.)

 

All in all, I'm leaning toward just putting this thing on ebay and ordering a WD.

[mhixson]

everything I could find on the maxtor problems were regarding the sata2 drives, but i had problems similar to those you're describing, only with a maxtor IDE drive. picked up a couple WD drives and the problem went away.