Asus A8n-SLI Windows 2000 Install Problem

[FastEddie]

The nv raid controllers are hotswappable, so they get registered as removables. I don't think you can remove "boot" drives from the task bar though.

You SLI is configured and running if you can see both controllers in device manager, and have the multiple gpu enabled.

Now for the annoyance of XP---you can tweak the bloat through Display Properties to have the look and feel of W2K.

What you have to do now is load some games and have at it. :beer:

 

[GuitarDaddy]

There is one tricky little setting you have to set to get SLI to render properly. On the Geforce tab where you enabled the multiple GPU, go to Quality and Performance, click on advanced. Scroll all the way to the bottom and there is an option labeled SLI rendering mode. It comes set default at single, change it to dual.

 

[FastEddie]

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
There is one tricky little setting you have to set to get SLI to render properly. On the Geforce tab where you enabled the multiple GPU, go to Quality and Performance, click on advanced. Scroll all the way to the bottom and there is an option labeled SLI rendering mode. It comes set default at single, change it to dual.

Nice find! This fixes the issue of the Multiple GPU box not staying checked?

 

[kyoshozx]

For some strange reason I'm getting the same problem but with windows XP.

System is

Asus A8N-SLI deluxe
Athlon 3500+
Radeon x800 pro
Western Digital Raptor 74gig
Sony DVD burner

Any ideas on what it could be. It seems like it might be a compatibility problem with the drive and motherboard. I might just try a regular IDE drive instead.

 

[FastEddie]

Originally posted by: kyoshozx
For some strange reason I'm getting the same problem but with windows XP.

System is

Asus A8N-SLI deluxe
Athlon 3500+
Radeon x800 pro
Western Digital Raptor 74gig
Sony DVD burner

Any ideas on what it could be. It seems like it might be a compatibility problem with the drive and motherboard. I might just try a regular IDE drive instead.

orlenfrost's rig is up and running.

What is the problem with yours. Getting your drives installed in raid0?

 

[imported_tc]

I had the same ctrl-alt-delete message when trying to set up raid0 from scratch on an xp install.

The key was to LOAD BOTH drivers from the nvidia floppy that you make.

The instructions seem to say just the first one... Load both (you need to choose S two times) and it all works fine.

Somebody mentioned this above - so just a reminder!


tc

 

[orlenfrost]

Some Final thoughts on my install problems.

I have seen other posts where the A:Floppy drive is listed as B: This problem was caused, I think, because I had my HDD's plugged into the red SATA RAID controller slots instead of into the black SATA slots. Not sure why that would make a difference, but it prevented me from saving the raid drivers onto a floppy without a drive path error message. Although some of the files did save on to the floppy, when I switched the HDD's to the other port and tried to re-save the raid drivers it asked to overwrite some of the files on the floppy but it also added a bunch more that apparently did not save the first time. So in conclusion, make sure you have your hard drive in the correct slots and that your floppy is working properly.

The problem with the raid disk compounded when I got to the point where windows asks you where to install the operating system. Because I had just loaded a corrupt raid driver from a bad raid disk windows was giving me the option of two individual disks and not the raid. (At the time I did not realize this because windows 2K only recognizes 137 gigs of disk. If it would have been the two 300 gig drives I would have realized that the raid did not take.)

So what was happening because of the bad raid disk, I guess, was that I was loading Windows on to one of the two HDD's and not on to a raid like I should have been. So when windows would re-start to complete the install process the mother board would be running the two drives in a raid and windows did not see it as such, and it would then give me the message "A disk read error has occured...Press ctl+alt+del to restart"

After I had switched the SATA cables to the black connectors and resaved the raid disk I had no problems with the installation. Although, I dont know if that changed my floppy drive to A: or not. What was strange is that when I first got the system up and running I looked at my device manager and I had two floppy drives listed, one of them had a red "x" through it. I did not mess with it at the time, and since then it has disappeared??? No harm no foul.

And that is my story. I hope it helps someone out someday.


Since then I have been happily gaming my brains out. HOWEVER THIS MACHINE IS FREAKIN LOUD!!!! and I have a feeling for the next year I am going to be browsing all the tech sites for the best way to cut the noise. And then once I get it to where I want it, it will be obsolete and it will start all over again. GOD I LOVE TECHNOLOGY! Not sure what is more fun games or building machines.

 

[FastEddie]

Glad to see you have been spending these last few days testing out some games. This box runs real smooth there.

Look for a psu that uses 120mm fans, (quiet fans), and take a look at the Zalman cooler line, giving the 7000B Alu a good view. This build is quieter than my last--loudest item in the case is the video card. Soon to be two.

 

[orlenfrost]

I am all over the Zalman CPU fan, have that one. I do need a new power supply, I have this one:

Vantec 520 watt

But it is ridiculously loud...BUT IT STILL NOT THE LOUDEST THING IN THE CASE.

The two VGA card fans and the Chipset fan are so loud!!!! I am thinking about doing this:

For Chipset

And this:

For Video Cards

Is that nuts?

I will wait and see what other people try

Although I still need a different PSU. Any suggestions? One with the 24 pin is a must, I dont want to burn up my CPU some how.

 

[FastEddie]

Those will be plenty quiet!

PSU---> Athena Power It's what I'm using for this board.