Nvraid stuck at detecting array, no raid for me =[

[hagi607]

I have seen this problem all over the net and have not been able to find a solution to my problem. I have an ECS KN1 Lite (not extreme) motherboard and I am trying to get 4 hitachi 7k80 drives up in a raid 0 array. :frown:

After enabling raid in the bios and the sata channels that are to be on the array, my system no longer responds. I can't even enter the bios by hitting delete. On system booting right after the bios post it now is stuck on the infamous "detecting array" screen. It just sits there with a blinking cursor forever (I waited hours). F10 on my PS2 keyboard does not start the raid setup program like it should. :brokenheart: I never see it asking me to hit f10 on bootup either. The only way to get any input back into my system is to unplug ALL the drives (I tried it one by one) or to reset the bios so the raid feature gets disabled.

I low level formatting all 4 hitachi drives and it did not help. :| I am wondering now, do i need to put partitions on these drives or should they work in the brand new state they are in?

I also tried disabling EVERYTHING in the bios but it didn't help. I even put just a pata ide hard drive on my primary master channel in the raid array and this even hangs the system at the detecting array screen. I noticed though when I have this pata drive on the array when I hit the power button the computer shuts down, without it with just sata drives, the computer is locked up and i have to hit the reset button or hold the powerbutton down in order to shut it down. Basically I have tried everything I can think of. Anyone have ideas or can point me to some documents that can help me out.

 

[Jiggz]

You need to check the mobo manual and see also if there is a new bios. Also disconnect all PATA first and then start with 2 sata hdd raid first just to see if it will work. If it still does not work, there is obviously a bug in the bios. Always check make sure the hdd are detected in the bios. Without being detected in the bios, they will not be detected in the raid either. In a raid, the hdd don't need to be partitioned or formatted yet. You're supposed to partition and format after you set up the raid.

 

[hagi607]

Thank you very much for the reply.

I read the manual and it has no information other than the one place in the bios to enable raid.

I have the latest bios after flashing the mobo when I first got it too. Maybe the new bios is the problem, I'm thinking now. I'll try and flash back to the older bios if nothing else works.

I contacted ECS support and all they told me was "We tested the KN1 SLI Lite with 4 drives in raid 0 and it worked." Thanks a lot. LOL I will email tech support and ask if they tested this with the latest bios and check to see if there is an issue with nvraid.

Also, my drives are detected in the bios and in all the hitachi tools which i used to test the drives.

I have tried disabling the pata channels in the bios and booting to just one, two, three, and four sata drives in the array but it still hangs at "detecting array". Even just a pata drive on the array acts the same. I will manually take out the cables and see if that fixes it and leave all channels enabled on the bios.

I'm running out of ideas. SATA Spread Spectrum, IDE Block mode, etc... maybe one of these are causing a problem.

 

[Jiggz]

You might want to reflash to the old bios first to see if the new bios is the culprit. But looking at the mobo manual it looks like that mobo has like 3 different type of raids. So I would recommend disabling all raids except for the SATA Raid. And also start with just two identical hdd first until it detects the hdd. Then add the 2nd set of hdd after it detects the first set.

 

[hagi607]

VERY GOOD NEWS!

I tried just as you said (again). I even tried with new cables. Same old thing, detecting array. So as my last resort, I flashed to an older bios and it worked perfectly the first try! And whats even cooler than that I have a Raid 5 option in nvraid setup! (the manual and online says the mobo only support raid 0, 1, and 1+0) I put my 4 drives in a raid 5 array and i am installing win xp pro as we speak. I hope this forum helps others in the future. I am going to re-email ECS and say my earlier hunch was correct and they need a non buggy bios update. Thanks for you help jiggz.

 

[hagi607]

lol... ok i installed winxp and from the very first boot and onward i get a bsod as soon as the windows xp splash screen comes up. It displays information but reboots before I can read anything. Looking up the problem online now. Maybe it doesnt have raid 5 support after all??? Raid is quite a pain. I'm no newb to hardware either.

 

[Jiggz]

OK, you need to post your system so I can take a look what could be causing it. It could be PSU related or it could be as simple as a bios setting. Check the bios settings and make sure it is set at its most conservative or stable setting. Start slow and tweak it slowly until it tweaks no more.

 

[hagi607]

antec he 500 watt Sli certified modular psu (known to have a problem with asus mobos, but I have ECS)
amd 3800+ x2
ECS kn1 sli lite mobo
2x1gb g.skill memory (i can get the exact number later if you want)
evga geforce 6600 gt
4x hitach 7k80 hds (right now in raid 0)
one cheapo dvd-rw drive

I have overclocked this thing real hard in the past, but right now it is as default settings. I will try and disable as much as i can in the bios and see if it works then. I will even underclock the cpu by dropping the multiplier, you never know.

One thing im kind of worried about is when i boot my computer sometimes it doesnt come on, just the fans turn. When it comes up after a few cold boots it says checksum error defaults loaded. I am worried this will delete my raid array once i get it up! Will it or can i just go into the bios and enable the raid setting again real quick? I think it might be an antec related issue as this is the second antec he 500 I used because the other one was shooting lighting bolts. It also did that from time to time. I put a 300 watt enermax on there and that thing did it once at first then never again.

Anyway, lets not worry about that right now.

 

[hagi607]

Sorry it's the antec neo he 500 psu.

I tried what i said above, disabled everything in the bios and even put the cpu speed down to an 8x multplier from a default 10. Same thing, bsod right away. I think its a driver issue. I tried using the floppy disket nvidia recommended here for my latest xp installation: http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvid...X3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PW52cmFpZCBuZm9yY2UgNA**&p_li=&p_topview=1
It didn't work, bsod like my first floppy i made off the latest 6.70 nv drivers.

Tech support said i should use the floppy drivers they provided on the installation cd that came with the motherboard. I seem to have misplaced that though, I can't find it anywhere. Hopefully i left it at home before coming to school in san diego. Luckily i am headed home tonight and I can look for the cd at home. Its spring break, at least thats one positive thing going for me. =]

 

[Jiggz]

Power could be the problem but don't jump out yet. It cannot be a driver since after installing XP, no drivers are installed yet except for the generic drivers that comes with XP. So you can try removing one of the ram stick and also leave the case open to make sure it is not an overheating problem. If the problem persists, you might want to try another fresh install again. Make sure you format the raid before you do so. With 4 hdd raid I would think you had partitioned the raid so that about 80-120GB is your primary partition of OS drive. And the rest for storage. IMHO.

 

[JEDIYoda]

I have never partitioned my raid drives and they work just fine!!

 

[RebateMonger]

n.m.

 

[hagi607]

Great News! It's working like a champ! I got the drivers off the cd (I did have it in my house in san jose) and it worked with no probs. On my first boot the splash screen came up then disappeared all quick, i was devestated as I thought it got the BSOD and was restarting, but the reason it went away so fast was because windows was already loaded after like 3 seconds. I was impressed. Thanks for you help guy.

 

[ivan1945]

Did I understand it well that you could overcome the problem by installing the BIOS again which was attached originally to your motherboard on the CD?
(I face the same problem as you after having updated my BIOS to version F10 on a motherboard of VIDIA GA-K8NF-9...)

 

[hagi607]

Yes, i flashed to an older bios, but it was off the one from their website. They only have two listed i got the oldest of the two since the latest one would not work.