Installing Windows 2000 using promise fasttrak100 raid card

[KK]

How do you accomplish this feat. I have tried everything I can think of to install windows 2000 onto 2 hard drive striped. I went into the fasttrak utility and created my 2 disk striped array. I fdisked this array, and then tried to install windows 2000 pressing F6 in the beginning to load the array drivers, loaded the drivers, and it continued loading a few other thing and then came back eventually and said there was no mass media devices present. I then went ahead and thought maybe I gotta format it, so I did. It still came back saying no mass media device found, I say bullst1t, but what I say doesn't matter to it. I don't remember having this much difficulty installing windows before on this fasttrak card. What the heck could I be forgeting.

KK

 

[mikecel79]

I've never seen this before, especially after loading the array drivers. Have you tried not fdisking the drives? You don't need to do that because Win2k will do it for you. Have you checked Promise's site yet?

 

[KK]

I'm not sure if I tried doing that or not. I can try that and see if that works. I thought the manual said to fdisk it before installation but looking at the book again I cannot see anywhere I may have got that impression. My mind must have been playing tricks on me.

Thanks
KK

 

[KK]

No luck still, I tried doing it by deleting the partition and starting over. It still won't recognize this array at all. What else can I try. This is getting old very fast.

KK

 

[KK]

anyone??

 

[LiLithTecH]

Try setting up the OS with the onboard IDE.

Then, boot into the OS and install the drivers for the FastTrak controller. Shutdown.

Finally, plug the drives into the FastTrak controller.

More than likely Win2k is having problems Identifying your hardware setup (HAL).

I know this will work. I've had to do it far to many times.

 

[Abzstrak]

I've never had a problem with the fasttracks and have used quite a few... first, make sure your fasttrack bios is not only up to date but matches the driver revision. If you use the newest promise drivers they WILL NOT find the array unless you upgrade its firmware...

Pressing F6 is correct and getting the drivers loaded.... you have no need to fdisk or formnat anything before the install....

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: LiLithTecH
Try setting up the OS with the onboard IDE.

Then, boot into the OS and install the drivers for the FastTrak controller. Shutdown.

Finally, plug the drives into the FastTrak controller.

More than likely Win2k is having problems Identifying your hardware setup (HAL).

I know this will work. I've had to do it far to many times.

Huh? you lost me there. You say detatch one of the drives, from the fasttrak, hook it to the onboard ide, load the os, install the drivers for the fasttrak, shut it down, move the drive back to the fasttrak card and then bring it back up. How will that work stripping the disks? I doubt I could bring it back up.

I'll have to check the firmware bios, I think its 1.2 or 1.3, and I'm using the drivers supplied on the promise website. I think there was a different version of firmware than what I have.


KK

 

[KK]

Okay, I finally got around to working on this POS again. Updated the Fasttrak bios and used the newest drivers, this still didn't correct the problem. I have tried everything, any other ideas?

Help
KK

 

[LiLithTecH]

Hook one of your drives to the onboard IDE controller.

Install the OS.

Install the FastTrak drivers before hooking the drives to the controller.

Finally, connect the drives to the controller.

It works doing it this way. Done it this way many times.

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: LiLithTecH
Hook one of your drives to the onboard IDE controller.

Install the OS.

Install the FastTrak drivers before hooking the drives to the controller.

Finally, connect the drives to the controller.

It works doing it this way. Done it this way many times.

I'll give that a try. How exactly does that work, though. You hook the one drive to the onboard controller, then load the OS and drivers just onto that 1 drive. after the drivers are installed hook the drives up to the Fasttrak card. Now won't the fasttrak not recognize the data on the drives because since we're stripping the two drives it will be looking at both drives combined. One bit on 1 drive the next bit on the next drive. If all the bits are on one drive, will it even recognize the OS on the one drive?

Thanks,
KK

 

[LiLithTecH]

When you boot the first time after reconnecting to the controller
it will resync the drives. As long as you do not Break the Stripe it
will be fine.