Dell Precision 410 dual CPU server with a Promise ATA/66 controller, 512 MB RAM,
Windows 2000 SP4. There are two hard drives on the primary controller of the
Promise, and a CD-RW and DVD-ROM on the secondary. The motherboard IDE
controllers are disabled because there's a SCSI card installed - I can't change
that, the BIOS setup is such that either I have to lose the SCSI card (used for
an external drive) or else the motherboard IDE controllers are disabled.

The BIOS finds everything on boot up, and according to the device manager the
CD-RW and DVD-ROM are present and functioning correctly. They don't appear in
the Computer Management | Disk Management display, though, I can only see the
two hard drives there, and (not surprisingly) the CD and DVD are inaccessible
from within Windows.

The drives *are* connected correctly - I've tried uninstalling them from the
device manager, and when the PC is booted again, some part of the startup is
identifying the drives correctly, i.e. the model number etc. is being retrieved
from somewhere. When the Promise displays the devices connected to it, all four
drives appear in the listing.

Everything was OK yesterday, I used the two drives to copy a CD, no problems
whatever, and there has been no software or hardware either added to or removed
from the PC since then.

I've tried reinstalling the drivers for the CD and DVD too - no change.

Anyone got any ideas on how to fix the problem?


Thanks,

Brian.

Brian - on a holiday not many people may be around, so I'll post
this fairly vague note in hopes it helps - I recall several posts
a few years ago about W2k and the Promise controller. There's a
chance that an updated BIOS and/or driverset from their website
might help. Both are there, but dated 2000 and 2001. Still...

Also, a tech support call might help.

Here's hoping some better-informed guru will post a specific solution
ASAP. Good luck, and happy new year :-)

Brian Meadows wrote:
> Dell Precision 410 dual CPU server with a Promise ATA/66 controller, 512 MB RAM,
> Windows 2000 SP4. There are two hard drives on the primary controller of the
> Promise, and a CD-RW and DVD-ROM on the secondary. The motherboard IDE
> controllers are disabled because there's a SCSI card installed - I can't change
> that, the BIOS setup is such that either I have to lose the SCSI card (used for
> an external drive) or else the motherboard IDE controllers are disabled.
>
> The BIOS finds everything on boot up, and according to the device manager the
> CD-RW and DVD-ROM are present and functioning correctly. They don't appear in
> the Computer Management | Disk Management display, though, I can only see the
> two hard drives there, and (not surprisingly) the CD and DVD are inaccessible
> from within Windows.
>
> The drives *are* connected correctly - I've tried uninstalling them from the
> device manager, and when the PC is booted again, some part of the startup is
> identifying the drives correctly, i.e. the model number etc. is being retrieved
> from somewhere. When the Promise displays the devices connected to it, all four
> drives appear in the listing.
>
> Everything was OK yesterday, I used the two drives to copy a CD, no problems
> whatever, and there has been no software or hardware either added to or removed
> from the PC since then.
>
> I've tried reinstalling the drivers for the CD and DVD too - no change.
>
> Anyone got any ideas on how to fix the problem?
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Brian.
>

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 14:18:26 -0500, Dan Seur <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Brian - on a holiday not many people may be around, so I'll post
>this fairly vague note in hopes it helps - I recall several posts
>a few years ago about W2k and the Promise controller. There's a
>chance that an updated BIOS and/or driverset from their website
>might help. Both are there, but dated 2000 and 2001. Still...
>

Possible, I guess, although the Promise BIOS is actually finding the drives.
They're also visible in the device manager, and I don't understand how that
could be the case if there was a controller BIOS problem.

>Also, a tech support call might help.
>

I'd refer you to your first sentence ;-)

>Here's hoping some better-informed guru will post a specific solution
>ASAP. Good luck, and happy new year :-)
>

Thanks. Can but hope. I don't think the problem is with the Promise controller,
though, partly for the reason above, but also because the setup has worked just
fine for a couple of years now.


Brian.

Brian - still fishing, harrumpf - :-) - perhaps some associated
software that was executing has been corrupted/lost? so various
reinstalls may help? Interesting that the config worked for a time.
then doesn't...some change occurred...still vague I know...anything
at all changed in the system, other apps, etc...pls post solution if
any for us dummies...

Brian Meadows wrote:

> On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 14:18:26 -0500, Dan Seur <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>
>>Brian - on a holiday not many people may be around, so I'll post
>>this fairly vague note in hopes it helps - I recall several posts
>>a few years ago about W2k and the Promise controller. There's a
>>chance that an updated BIOS and/or driverset from their website
>>might help. Both are there, but dated 2000 and 2001. Still...
>>
>
>
> Possible, I guess, although the Promise BIOS is actually finding the drives.
> They're also visible in the device manager, and I don't understand how that
> could be the case if there was a controller BIOS problem.
>
>
>>Also, a tech support call might help.
>>
>
>
> I'd refer you to your first sentence ;-)
>
>
>>Here's hoping some better-informed guru will post a specific solution
>>ASAP. Good luck, and happy new year :-)
>>
>
>
> Thanks. Can but hope. I don't think the problem is with the Promise controller,
> though, partly for the reason above, but also because the setup has worked just
> fine for a couple of years now.
>
>
> Brian.
>

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 20:53:56 -0500, Dan Seur <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Brian - still fishing, harrumpf - :-)

I appreciate the efforts....

> - perhaps some associated
>software that was executing has been corrupted/lost? so various
>reinstalls may help?

Umm. If I were to do that, I think the first reinstall would be Windows itself,
and that's a LOT of work on this PC. It's not just my CD-writing software that's
having a problem, Windows Explorer can't find the drives, the logical disk
manager can't find the drives... Nothing on a higher level than the device
manager can see them (that I've found so far).

>Interesting that the config worked for a time.

Yes. Something has obviously changed. I just have no idea what, which is why I'm
hoping someone might recognise the symptoms. I really do *NOT* want to have to
do a full reinstall if I can possibly avoid it. Windows itself is trivial, it's
the other stuff I have on here that will take the time - particularly the
various versions of Delphi, I've yet to get the installed components to survive
an OS reinstallation, and reinstalling those is a day's work on its own.

>then doesn't...some change occurred...still vague I know...anything
>at all changed in the system, other apps, etc...

I have tried to think of something that's changed - but since the drives were
last successfully used, on New Year's Eve, I've used the PC for nothing except
to collect e-mail and look at a couple of news sites (the BBC and a couple of
British national daily papers, unlikely to have been responsible, or at least a
hell of a lot of people will be seeing the same symptoms if they were). I use
Agent for e-mail as well as news, so there's nothing nasty sneaked in through
something like Outhouse Excess, Agent does *nothing* without I explicitly tell
it to.

>pls post solution if
>any for us dummies...
>

If/when I find it, I will....


Brian.

Brian Meadows schrieb:
> Dell Precision 410 dual CPU server with a Promise ATA/66 controller, 512 MB RAM,
> Windows 2000 SP4. There are two hard drives on the primary controller of the
> Promise, and a CD-RW and DVD-ROM on the secondary. The motherboard IDE
> controllers are disabled because there's a SCSI card installed - I can't change
> that, the BIOS setup is such that either I have to lose the SCSI card (used for
> an external drive) or else the motherboard IDE controllers are disabled.
>
> The BIOS finds everything on boot up, and according to the device manager the
> CD-RW and DVD-ROM are present and functioning correctly. They don't appear in
> the Computer Management | Disk Management display, though, I can only see the
> two hard drives there, and (not surprisingly) the CD and DVD are inaccessible
> from within Windows.
>
> The drives *are* connected correctly - I've tried uninstalling them from the
> device manager, and when the PC is booted again, some part of the startup is
> identifying the drives correctly, i.e. the model number etc. is being retrieved
> from somewhere. When the Promise displays the devices connected to it, all four
> drives appear in the listing.
>
> Everything was OK yesterday, I used the two drives to copy a CD, no problems
> whatever, and there has been no software or hardware either added to or removed
> from the PC since then.
>
> I've tried reinstalling the drivers for the CD and DVD too - no change.

What drivers? there is no need for Special drivers in Windows.

Look into the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys and disable the driver entries
for the CD-ROM and DVD (********.sys in the config.sys and MSCDEX.EXE in
the Autoexec.bat) bei set an REM at the beginning of the line. also
please look in the system.ini if there is any entry for an ********.386
File coresponding to your drives and disable them by entering an ";" at
the beginning of the line at last delete all CD and DVD entries in
secure mode.

> Anyone got any ideas on how to fix the problem?
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Brian.
>
Till then,
Jan-Peter

On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 10:23:43 +0100, Jan-Peter Rühmann
<jan-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

<snip>
>
>What drivers?

Go to the device manager, right click on the device, select 'Properties', then
'driver'. Try updating the *Windows* driver, and if a new one can't be found,
you will be given an option to reinstall the current drivers. I wasn't
especially hopeful, but I tried it. No effect (not too surprisingly).

>there is no need for Special drivers in Windows.

I don't think I said anything about a *Special* driver (my emphasis).

>
>Look into the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys

I have neither of them.

>and disable the driver entries
>for the CD-ROM and DVD (********.sys in the config.sys and MSCDEX.EXE in
>the Autoexec.bat) bei set an REM at the beginning of the line. also
>please look in the system.ini if there is any entry for an ********.386
>File coresponding to your drives and disable them by entering an ";" at
>the beginning of the line

There are none. system.ini contains a few lines of font information and a couple
of drivers, neither of which are related to the CD or DVD.

>at last delete all CD and DVD entries in
>secure mode.
>

I assume you mean safe mode. Been there, done that, no change in the problem.

Thanks for the attempt, though. Anyone else want to try?

Brian.

Brian - that's quite a set of system problems to pop up all of a sudden,
absent significant new software installs. I appreciate the difficulties
that attend a complete reinstallation of the system and apps...but
there's always the chance that there's a failing drive. You probably
know that drive manufacturers have downloadable drive diagnostics for
their products? These things are bootable floppy images; quite
independent of the stuff on the disk. If you determine the disk is
failing, you can generally arrange a warranty replacement, and have the
replacement drive shipped to you first, so you have a shot at slaving
the bad drive, installing W2k fresh on the new drive, and possibly
moving valuable files from old to new...then shipping the old drive back
in the handy packaging the replacement arrived in.

In some cases these diagnostic utils can restore the bum drive, for at
least a while...long enough to clone the contents.

Yeah, another shot in the dark!

I'm assuming you've tried the built-in W2k tools, like safe boot and
recovery console.

Brian Meadows wrote:

> On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 20:53:56 -0500, Dan Seur <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>
>>Brian - still fishing, harrumpf - :-)
>
>
> I appreciate the efforts....
>
>
>>- perhaps some associated
>>software that was executing has been corrupted/lost? so various
>>reinstalls may help?
>
>
> Umm. If I were to do that, I think the first reinstall would be Windows itself,
> and that's a LOT of work on this PC. It's not just my CD-writing software that's
> having a problem, Windows Explorer can't find the drives, the logical disk
> manager can't find the drives... Nothing on a higher level than the device
> manager can see them (that I've found so far).
>
>
>>Interesting that the config worked for a time.
>
>
> Yes. Something has obviously changed. I just have no idea what, which is why I'm
> hoping someone might recognise the symptoms. I really do *NOT* want to have to
> do a full reinstall if I can possibly avoid it. Windows itself is trivial, it's
> the other stuff I have on here that will take the time - particularly the
> various versions of Delphi, I've yet to get the installed components to survive
> an OS reinstallation, and reinstalling those is a day's work on its own.
>
>
>>then doesn't...some change occurred...still vague I know...anything
>>at all changed in the system, other apps, etc...
>
>
> I have tried to think of something that's changed - but since the drives were
> last successfully used, on New Year's Eve, I've used the PC for nothing except
> to collect e-mail and look at a couple of news sites (the BBC and a couple of
> British national daily papers, unlikely to have been responsible, or at least a
> hell of a lot of people will be seeing the same symptoms if they were). I use
> Agent for e-mail as well as news, so there's nothing nasty sneaked in through
> something like Outhouse Excess, Agent does *nothing* without I explicitly tell
> it to.
>
>
>>pls post solution if
>>any for us dummies...
>>
>
>
> If/when I find it, I will....
>
>
> Brian.
>

Dave you been in Disk Manager and give them a Letter?

Brian Meadows wrote:

> On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 10:23:43 +0100, Jan-Peter Rühmann
> <jan-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>>What drivers?
>>
>
> Go to the device manager, right click on the device, select 'Properties', then
> 'driver'. Try updating the *Windows* driver, and if a new one can't be found,
> you will be given an option to reinstall the current drivers. I wasn't
> especially hopeful, but I tried it. No effect (not too surprisingly).
>
>
>>there is no need for Special drivers in Windows.
>>
>
> I don't think I said anything about a *Special* driver (my emphasis).
>
>
>>Look into the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys
>>
>
> I have neither of them.
>
>
>>and disable the driver entries
>>for the CD-ROM and DVD (********.sys in the config.sys and MSCDEX.EXE in
>>the Autoexec.bat) bei set an REM at the beginning of the line. also
>>please look in the system.ini if there is any entry for an ********.386
>>File coresponding to your drives and disable them by entering an ";" at
>>the beginning of the line
>>
>
> There are none. system.ini contains a few lines of font information and a couple
> of drivers, neither of which are related to the CD or DVD.
>
>
>>at last delete all CD and DVD entries in
>>secure mode.
>>
>>
>
> I assume you mean safe mode. Been there, done that, no change in the problem.
>
> Thanks for the attempt, though. Anyone else want to try?
>
> Brian.
>
>

On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 19:24:10 -0500, Dan Seur <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Brian - that's quite a set of system problems to pop up all of a sudden,
>absent significant new software installs.

I'm sorry, I don't understand this. There's just one (well, two if you count
them individually) problem at the moment, my CD-RW and DVD-ROM have
'disappeared' from within Windows.

>I appreciate the difficulties
>that attend a complete reinstallation of the system and apps...but
>there's always the chance that there's a failing drive.

I suppose - but there doesn't seem to be any other problem, and I find it hard
to understand why a failing drive would just result in the disappearance of the
CD and DVD, but no other effects (well, not so far, anyway).

>You probably
>know that drive manufacturers have downloadable drive diagnostics for
>their products? These things are bootable floppy images; quite
>independent of the stuff on the disk. If you determine the disk is
>failing, you can generally arrange a warranty replacement, and have the
>replacement drive shipped to you first, so you have a shot at slaving
>the bad drive, installing W2k fresh on the new drive, and possibly
>moving valuable files from old to new...then shipping the old drive back
>in the handy packaging the replacement arrived in.
>
The last hard drive I bought had a one-year warranty - yes, that's buying it
retail, not as part of a system.

>In some cases these diagnostic utils can restore the bum drive, for at
>least a while...long enough to clone the contents.
>

Backups are not a problem. I write database software for a living, I have all my
important stuff backed up in at least two different ways.

>Yeah, another shot in the dark!
>
>I'm assuming you've tried the built-in W2k tools, like safe boot and
>recovery console.
>
Removing the drives in safe mode and rebooting gets me nowhere. I'm not sure
what you're suggesting I'd do from the recovery console.


Brian.