Anyone with KT7 (KT7A) RAID, and an add-in Promise Controller

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I've spent the better part of a week learning about and trying to solve problems with my KT7A RAID. Issues with not having more than three PCI devices. Not having USB function correctly. etc. etc.

I'm thinking of an add-in Promise ATA 100 RAID card (the expensive one), and just cutting the HPT 370 right off the thing through the BIOS, pretending it wasn't even there.

Has anyone else done this? Regardless of weather or not I solve the problems other ways, would this be a viable alternative. Would the add in card give good RAID performance, USB's functioning, and as many PCI cards as I can fit?

I'm tired of messing with it, I want an easy out. Would this do it?

I hope this is in the right forum, it's where I've gotten the most help in the past trying to fix the above mentioned problems.

 

[Zapple]

I am fully sympathetic to you and your situation because I see myself heading in that direction when I start to configure my system this weekend. I will use three PCI's and the ISA for my netwrok card. I was wondering if you have updated the Highpoint Contoller or if you have tried speaking with the lame people in california at Abit. Another idea would be to use an OLDER bios than the one you are currently running. I don't know when you bought this mobo but some people I have spoken with that have not had a problem, are using the older bios and have not updated it, FYI.
Here's the number if you want it 510-623-0500. Good luck and keep me posted or you can email me at Zapple@optonline.net
Zapple

 

[mitaiwan82]

no sorry

 

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Apparently 3 PCI's and an ISA is OK. That has been done before and it does solve it. Still can't go to a fourth PCI, but for some folks, that's no problem. That setup will let you RAID on both Master IDE 3 and as Master IDE 4, for max performance. Good luck on the USB, that's a different story. Again though, for some, no USB = no big deal.

I have the latest official BIOS for botht he board (WW - WZ is beta, and apparently the differences in it don't cover my problem, that, and others on WZ have the same problems. It automatically updates the HPT BIOS, which is 1.0.3b1, what I have = current at Highpoint's site. So, I've ruled that out as a fix for now.

I e-mailed Abit and Highpoint both last week, no reply yet...

Hadn't thought of an older BIOS, I'll check into it.

Seriously, if I can get an affirmative that the Promise PCI card would let me use both all of my PCI's and not kill my USB, I'm all over it. I just want to know if it will do that. I'm tired of monkeying with this thing, trying umpteen fixes for it. Enough is enough. I'm into "alternatives" now.

 

[tracerbullet]

Oh yeah, and "no"? What's that supposed to mean? A little detail would help. I looked at your systems, you don't have this setup.

More info please

 

[Zapple]

When you say USB are you talking about the on board USB's or the additional USB's included? Second is one of your PCI devices a SoundBlaster? I was going to use four PCI's but I decided to use the ISA for the NIC card. Figured it would save me a headache according to the 4 PCI problem you pointed out to me. Second have you seated each PCI seperately then rebooted or have you seated everything at once? There may be an IRQ issue especially if HighPoint is using IRQ 5 and there is another device trying to share it? Just a thought.
Zapple

 

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I'm talking about the on-board USB's. Basically, I load up either of my two games that use my USB joystick (Mechwarrior4 and Crimson Skies), and as soon as I plug the joystick in, the PC freezes up. If I boot with it already attach, well, it doesn't boot. Unplug it and everything is good. I dont' ahve any other USB devices to test out with it though. However, I've been searching for an answer, and it appears to be common.

I have one of the fancy new fangled Phillips sound cards, but I don't think that was an issue. I do all of my testing with just two hard drives (running RAID), 1 CD ROM (primary master IDE1), and a video card, nothing else. That's all that's in there, and I still have this USB thing it appears. It seems that when windows sees anything plugged into USB, it attempts to do something (not sure what - initialize it, use some drivers, I dunno) that makes it lock up.

I don't know if I mentioned anywhere, I'm planning to install Win2k on it tonight. If it takes care of my problems, I might live with it and use it primarily, and 98SE for the rare thing that doesn't work on 2k. I hate that solution though - I still want the RAID setup as master / master. I know I can't in 98 with more than 4 PCI's, I'll wipe it clean and try it in 2k tonight. If it doesn't work there either, I swear I'm done with this thing. I'll try the Promise card out whether I get any feedback on it or not, and cut the HPT controller off through the BIOS.

 

[Zapple]

Hereare some happy Abit pups. Maybe try to ask them a few questions
just a little positive thinking

and
Here you will find misery loves company
Zapple

 

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It appears that the HPT 370 controller is the root of all evils. If you have few PCI devices, and disregard USB, you love it. But they don't coexist.

I'm looking at it as a good overclocking MB, that with the 133 FSB will last me a few setups down the road. Other than that, the HPT 370 doesn't exist for me anymore.

I had it up for a few hopurs this weekend with no drives on it, and everything worked PERFECTLY!

I'm gonna disregard it for a while and hope that a few BIOS revs later I can go back to it, and get some money selling my soon to be purchased Promise card.