RAID + single

[Guest Ron]

Please - I have searched alot, but I haven't found this particular scenario.

I did a fresh XP32(Pro) install yesterday with just the pair of Raptors. I used the 1.0.0.8 SATARAID drivers with F6. No problems.

 

Then I connected a single Seagate80 SATA to the board. It shows in the SilBIOS at boot, but not in WIndows.

 

However, if I hot plug it I can then "install" it thru ControlPAnel and it will work fine until reboot, then it's gone again.

 

I have tried every BIOS setting combination I can think of. Also tried a diff cable. I know it's something simple, but I can't figure it out.

 

What am I missing, please?

Ron

[kitfit1]

Hi Ron, this might seem like a silly question but have you formated your seagate? Because untill you do it won't show up in My Computer.

[Guest Ron]

I've been using it for quite awhile, and it has data on it. Further, every so often (over the last 36 hours) I've been able to get it installed...and it works like a dream! I can read, write, copy, delete etc. as if nothing was wrong. Until I reboot. Then it's gone again.

 

Just now I uninstalled the controller and rebooted and re-installed the RAID drivers. The machine boots fine and fast, but there's no sign of the third drive. However it does appear in the Sil BIOS. It is in the lower section, labelled as an "invalid RAID drive" which I expected since it is not part of a RAID. And it shows up in the properties of the controller [in Windows] too.

 

And I tried a third cable. My next step will be to uninstall the controller, and install the NON-RAID drivers...and I will also set the main BIOS to "SATA" instead of its current setting of "SATARAID".

 

(Unless I hear something from here first!)

[Guest Ron]

OK - I uninstalled the controller, and re-booted. During reboot I set the BIOS to run on SATA instead of SATARAID...and although it then showed as "SataLink" at the Sil BIOS splash screen...it wouldn't get past the ECSD update. (So I didn't get a chance to load non-RAID drivers with non-RAID boot option, because I couldn't get into windows.)

 

So I re-re-booted and set it back to SATARAID, and away it went okay. When it was done booting, of course it discovered the controller...so I instructed it to load non-RAID drivers (which it happily did) then naturally I had to reboot. It re-booted alright (main BIOS set to SATARAID, non-RAID drivers loaded) but still no sign of the third drive.

 

Then I instructed it to update the controller drivers, and when I pointed it to the RAID drivers, XP told me that those drivers were not a better match than the ones I had.

 

 

So I re-downloaded the 1.0.0.8 RAID drivers again from S.I.. I uninstalled the controller, re-booted, and pointed Windows at the fresh copy of RAID drivers. I also swapped a fourth interface cable into place...and a rescan in Disk Managaement revealed the drive!!!!

 

 

So it's there right now. However I fully expect that it will vanish again when I reboot.

 

Oh - btw - the SilBIOS version is 5.0.35 if that means anything. And I am not going to start tinkering with [main] BIOS mods. I have a right to expect that it'll work if I can just discover the right combination of settings!

[Guest Ron]

Sure enough. While it was still there, I used Disk Management to delete/re-create the partition, and format the drive. Then after re-booting it was gone again. And re-scanning does nothing.

 

Long ago I went thru a similar issue; I had only a single SATA Raptor for booting, and I had this same Seagate as a second/stand-alone. It refused to appear in Windows unless I hot-plugged it [at which time it would pop right up]. Then gone again on reboot.

 

Eventually it turned out to be a driver problem; I seem to recall that I had RAID drivers loaded when I didn't actually have a RAID. Ultimately I got it to work, and it has been perfect for months & months. Then last week the single Raptor -- which was in fact a knock-off -- died. So I picked up a pair of genuine ones, and here we are. :mad:

[kitfit1]

I don't think it should show up as an "invalid raid drive". Mine dose'nt and never has. This might be a long shot, but has you seagate ever been part of a raid setup before?

[Guest Ron]

...I used Disk Management to delete/re-create the partition, and format the drive. :mad:

 

No it wasn't; it's always been a stand-alone. Even if it had once been, this ^^ would have dealt with any traces of array-related data.

 

Thanks, though - it's nice that somebody is pondering this annoyance!

[Guest Ron]

Same again.

 

I pulled the interface cable off the mobo (pos. #4) and put it on pos. #3. Disk Management/Re-scan all disks...presto. There it is. Formatted it again, ran Scandisk, and checked DevMgr for yellow flags (nope) Re-booted...gone.

 

Then, just for a lark, I downloaded & installed the SATARAID5 stuff. Not surprisingly it said there were no '5' controllers present. (So I removed it)

 

C'mon, guys! One of you knows what the problem is! Tell me the secret! I'll be yur friend...! :dog:

[Guest Ron]

Well, I hot-plugged it onto a different port, and it has re-appeared. So I decided to run chkdsk on it's butt. I opened a c/p, and typed the command with /v/x switches. The disk is empty, so it blasted thru the first four stages in a heartbeat. But it stalled on the final stage...and after several minutes I gave up and decided to throw it a curve;

 

I elected to try a non-quick format. And boy! it is taking an eternity! Considering it's a SATA drive, and comparitively small at 80GB, it should have taken about 5 minutes, tops. But it has been running for almost an hour and it's only at 91%.

 

Is this a revelation for anyone?

[kitfit1]

If your doing it from Windows disc managment it's no surprise to me, it allways was slow. I use Partition Magic myself, very fast and lots more options.

[Guest Ron]

Yes well...

 

The format finished without incident, but there's still no sign of the drive.

 

There must be a driver/controller issue. Is it possible that -- since the controller is configured and driver-ed as a RAID -- it is therefore not capable of recognizing a NON-RAID drive? Perhaps that's the whole thing; it can't wear two hats at the same time(?)

 

Hard to believe, but it would explain things.

[kitfit1]

It can and does wear two hats at the same time. I've only got the raid driver installed and it see's my raid array and my 250gig Caviar no probs, as it does with loads of other peeps on the forum. Is there any chance that a jumper could of dropped of the drive?