ASUS P4C800 DELUXE-UAY RAID 0 SATA HDD Detection Problem

[marccunn]

Hello...sorry about the cross-post (I posted this same message a few miutes ago on the Motherboards Forum, before I saw this official P4C800 Deluxe thread).

I am trying to configure a RAID 0 array for my new ASUS P4C800 DELUXE - UAY Motherboard.

I have two (2) new Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9 160GB SATA 6Y160MO hard drives connected to Serial Connectors SATA1 and SATA2, as shown in Paragraph 3. at the top of page 2-23 of the P4C800 User Guide.

The only other devices I have hooked up to the P4C800 now are a new TEAC Floppy drive (which is shown as being detected in the BIOS Setup Utility Main Screen as "Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.]") and a new Plextor PlexWriter CD-R, which I have hooked up as the Secondary IDE Master, and which is shown as being detected in the BIOS Setup Utility Main Screen as "[Plextor CD-R Pre]".

I followed steps 1., 2. and 3. on page 5-28 of the User Guide to create a RAID 0 array using the two (2) Maxtor HDDs.

As indicated in step 4., when I rebooted, the MBFastTrack378 BIOS indicated that the array was functional.

However, step 5. on page 5-28 states:
5. Once the array is created, use the FDISK utility to format
the array as a single hard drive.

The User Guide does NOT give any indication how to get to FDISK !!!!!!!

I cannot find any key to use from within the ASUS FastBuild Utility to get to FDISK, and I do not know how I can stop the boot sequence to get into DOS, to use FDISK. Also, since there is no operating system installed yet on the Maxtors, how exactly can I get into DOS, so I could then get to FDISK ?

I then tried to install the W2000 Advanced Server OS without having first used FDISK. I changed the boot drive sequence to boot from the PlexWriter CD-R. I restarted and booted with the W2000 Advanced Server CD already in the PlexWriter CD-R drive. I thought I could try to use F10 when it got to the Welcome Screen, to get into the Recovery Console, so I could format and partition the Maxtors from there.

However, once Setup had detected my configuration and had loaded all the W2000 drivers, I got a message stating that no hard drives were detected, so Setup could not continue. Also, the computer emitted a continuous high-pitched scream while this message was displayed.

I then changed the boot sequence back to the default settings: Floppy first; array second; and, PlexWriter CD-R third. Thus, the Boot Device Priority Screen of the BIOS Setup Utility indicates the "1st Boot Device" as "[1st Floppy Drive]", the "2nd Boot Device" as "[FT 378 Ary 1]", and the "3rd Boot Device" as "[SM-Plextor CD-R]".

I think that "[FT 378 Ary 1]" must be the RAID 0 array, so the BIOS seems to know that there are two (2) HDDs installed (otherwise, it would not detect the array).

Currently, the Main Screen of the BIOS Setup Utility indicates that both the Primary IDE Master is "[Not Detected]" and the Secondary IDE Master is "[Not Detected]".

The Main Screen does NOT indicate anywhere that there is a RAID 0 array.

The IDE Configuration Screen of the BIOS Setup Utility Main Screen indicates:
Onboard IDE Operate Mode [Enhanced Mode]
Enhanced Mode Support On [S-ATA]
IDE Detect Time Out (Sec.) [35]

Questions:

1. Exactly how can I get to FDISK, so that I can I format and partition the Maxtors as one RAID 0 array (but I thought the BIOS already knows there is one RAID 0 array, so why do I have to do the partitioning through the BIOS, rather than through the Windows 2000 Advanced Server Setup?) ?

2. If I manage to format and partition the Maxtors as one RAID 0 array using FDISK, will the BIOS and Windows 2000 Advanced Server detect that there is a "hard drive" or hard drives installed, so the W2000 Advanced Server Setup will then continue ?

Please respond with advice as soon as possible.

Thank you very much.

Marc

 

[klc314]

If you have a working computer, can you make a boot disk? I would guess you're running NTFS, so hopefully you could make a boot floppy with the NT version of Fdisk. You shouldn't have to do the partitioning through the BIOS, and not remembering exactly how W2K installs, I'm not sure if there's a spot during the install where you hit F6 or something to install the drivers. In XP. it's at the initial screen, and then you have to supply a floppy with the RAID drivers.

 

[marccunn]

Hello, thanks for the response!

Yes, the computer itself works fine. The W2k setup can't seem to detect the two Maxtors, no matter what I do. In the W2k setup, there is indeed a place to hit F6. I have done that, and each time I load all the Promise SATA drivers I got from the ASUS site and the ASUS P4800 CD, from floppies I made using the MAKEDISK.EXE utility.

W2k copies all those drivers, and then I hit ENTER and W2k proceeds with Setup. When I get to the Welcome screen, I hit the option to install W2k, and then immediately I get the message that no hard drives are installed on the computer, despite the fact that during the boot sequence, the BIOS detects the RAID 0 array, and indicates that it is "Functional"!

Can I copy FDISK from the DOS on one of my other computers onto a floppy, and then boot the ASUS computer with that floppy in the drive, so I could get into DOS before the whole boot sequece is completed?

Thanks again.

Marc

 

[marccunn]

Hello All:

Thank you for your support!

The problem is solved!

Sorry I did not post sooner, but we have had some severe thunderstorms this past week, that knocked out my cable internet access. It is now restored.

The advice that the Asus tech support people gave me, specified in the paragraph immediately below, almost worked flawlessly.

From the 378RAID folder on the Asus CD, I made a floppy, by using Send To (not MAKEDISK.EXE). There were only two (2) files and one folder that needed to be copied. The two (2) files are: fasttx2k (this will not show a file extension, but it is a .sys file); and, txtsetup.oem. The one folder is the W2000 folder.

I then changed the boot sequence so the CD drive was first. I inserted the Windows 2000 Pro CD and rebooted. I booted from the CD, and the blue W2k Setup screen appeared. I pressed F6, and setup went on, until a screen message appeared, and giving me the option to install other drivers. I pressed S, and then another message appeared, telling me to put in my floppy with drivers.

I did so, and hit Enter. The two files and a folder were copied to my C: drive, after I hit the option to install the "Promise Fasttrak 378 (tm) Controller".

Here is where there was a slight deviation from what the Asus tech support people had told me (that the floppy made using the procedure above was the only one I needed). Setup continued fine, until all of a sudden, another message popped up, telling me to insert the "Manufacturer's Driver Disk", or something like that, into the floppy drive.

I did not have any such floppy, so I went back to the 378RAID folder on the Asus CD, and took a chance on activating MAKEDISK.EXE function in the folder, to make a whole new floppy. I inserted the new floppy I had just made with MAKEDISK, hit Enter, and Setup completed successfully.

Paragraph 5. on page 5-28 of the Asus P4C800 Deluxe User Manual, should be eliminated, and a new Paragraph 5. should be inserted, outlining the procedure noted above, and emphasizing that all Promise drivers must be entered manually (using only the procedure noted above), using the floppies created as above.

It should be clearly noted that the Promise drivers cannot be installed in any other manner, or they just won't let the OS recognize any HDD they control. I tried to install a new Promise SX4000 controller in another computer, and I did not use Setup to load the drivers (as noted above). I used the Autorun function of the Asus CD to install the drivers, as you would normally install software. The HDDs working off the SX4000 were not recognized until I re-installed the Promise drivers using the procedure I noted above.

I should also state that the second floppy (made with MAKEDISK) was only required on the initial boot up. However, the first floppy (with the two files and a folder) is required each time you use the Setup (for example, to repair a corrupted copy of the W2k Pro OS) noted above. Why the second floppy was never required after the initial boot up I don't know, but it is not important.

The Asus tech support people were excellent, and ever called me back personally after a few days, to make sure that my problem was solved.

Thank you all very much!

Marc