Can an SATA boot drive be moved from Promise to ICHR5 controller?

[Eli]

I've got a PC-DL Deluxe where an SATA boot drive was originally set up
on the Promise controller. Single drive, non-raid. Don't ask why - I
didn't set it up. Windows XP Pro was installed and has been running
fine for about six months. There's also a PATA drive on the standard
primary IDE controller, but that shouldn't have much bearing on the
problem or my question.

Recently the machine has had trouble seeing the SATA boot drive. Can
the drive be moved to the ICHR5 controller (where, IMO, it should have
originally been installed)? If so, what does this entail? Or would
that require a complete OS reinstall?

The PC-DL Deluxe uses the 875P chipset with drive controller
configuration very similar to the P4C800-E Deluxe, so the answer would
no doubt apply to that motherboard as well.

 

[Ben Pope]

I've got a PC-DL Deluxe where an SATA boot drive was originally set up
on the Promise controller. Single drive, non-raid. Don't ask why - I
didn't set it up. Windows XP Pro was installed and has been running
fine for about six months. There's also a PATA drive on the standard
primary IDE controller, but that shouldn't have much bearing on the
problem or my question.

Recently the machine has had trouble seeing the SATA boot drive. Can
the drive be moved to the ICHR5 controller (where, IMO, it should have
originally been installed)? If so, what does this entail? Or would
that require a complete OS reinstall?

The PC-DL Deluxe uses the 875P chipset with drive controller
configuration very similar to the P4C800-E Deluxe, so the answer would
no doubt apply to that motherboard as well.

Yes it can be done. There are no hardware issues here.

The biggest issue is in getting the drive letters to make the same
migration.

Never done it, so I'm not sure how you do that.

My first attempt would be moving the drive, swapping the boot order and
seeing if Windows starts. The worst that'll happen is that you have to swap
them back and start thinking again... the best is that it'll work.

You shouldn't get data corruption, thats for sure.

Ben

 

[Ron Reaugh]

I've got a PC-DL Deluxe where an SATA boot drive was originally set up
on the Promise controller. Single drive, non-raid. Don't ask why - I
didn't set it up. Windows XP Pro was installed and has been running
fine for about six months. There's also a PATA drive on the standard
primary IDE controller, but that shouldn't have much bearing on the
problem or my question.

Recently the machine has had trouble seeing the SATA boot drive. Can
the drive be moved to the ICHR5 controller (where, IMO, it should have
originally been installed)? If so, what does this entail? Or would
that require a complete OS reinstall?

The drive format is compatible between the two controllers. There may be
some XP issues that ARE tractable. Just try it and if trouble research XP
HW change threads sites.

 

[Eli]

Yes it can be done. There are no hardware issues here.

My concern is with Windows. If a Promise driver was loaded (I'm not
certain if it was required during the original XPinstallation, given
that the drive is run in a non-raid configuration) then my thinking is
that Windows will continue to want to load the Promis driver.

Should the boot disk itself be identical in the way it's layed out?
That is, the only difference would be in the controller?

The biggest issue is in getting the drive letters to make the same
migration.

I don't see that as an issue, although I think I follow what you're
thinking. I recently set up a P4C800-E Deluxe with its boot disk
being an SATA (non-raid again) drive on the ICHR5. Then I added a
PATA drive on one of the IDE channels and the BIOS bumped the SATA
drive down in the boot order. Kinda freaked me out when the system
couldn't find an OS. One or two BIOS adjustments straightened it out.

I'm going to just disconnect the PATA drive until I can get the system
booting again.

Never done it, so I'm not sure how you do that.

My first attempt would be moving the drive, swapping the boot order and
seeing if Windows starts. The worst that'll happen is that you have to swap
them back and start thinking again... the best is that it'll work.

You shouldn't get data corruption, thats for sure.

Again, my biggest concern is what Windows is thinking. I'm also
worried it may write to the disk and change the driver used, meaning
that I couldn't go back to the Promise even if I wanted to. If it
works, that's no big deal, but if it doesn't, I'm screwed.

 

[Ron Reaugh]

My concern is with Windows. If a Promise driver was loaded (I'm not
certain if it was required during the original XPinstallation, given
that the drive is run in a non-raid configuration) then my thinking is
that Windows will continue to want to load the Promis driver.

It probably will for the Promise controller. But it'll likely also loaded
the ICH5R drivers and those will now find a HD.

Should the boot disk itself be identical in the way it's layed out?
Yes.

That is, the only difference would be in the controller?

And if XP doesn't like the fact that the boot drive is now on a different
controller then that's fixable with a little research.

I don't see that as an issue, although I think I follow what you're
thinking. I recently set up a P4C800-E Deluxe with its boot disk
being an SATA (non-raid again) drive on the ICHR5. Then I added a
PATA drive on one of the IDE channels and the BIOS bumped the SATA
drive down in the boot order. Kinda freaked me out when the system
couldn't find an OS. One or two BIOS adjustments straightened it out.

I'm going to just disconnect the PATA drive until I can get the system
booting again.


Again, my biggest concern is what Windows is thinking. I'm also
worried it may write to the disk and change the driver used,
Nope.

meaning
that I couldn't go back to the Promise even if I wanted to. If it
works, that's no big deal, but if it doesn't, I'm screwed.

Independent of this issue one should always keep a current backup. They're
great for unscrewing.

 

[Ben Pope]

My concern is with Windows. If a Promise driver was loaded (I'm not
certain if it was required during the original XPinstallation, given
that the drive is run in a non-raid configuration) then my thinking is
that Windows will continue to want to load the Promis driver.

Windows will use the Promise Controller Driver for the Promise Controller.
And the Intel Driver (well, built in one by MS, probably) for the ICH5R.

The drive itself doesn't really have a driver.

Should the boot disk itself be identical in the way it's layed out?
That is, the only difference would be in the controller?

Most certainly. It's only RAID partitions that tend to vary in this
respect.

I don't see that as an issue, although I think I follow what you're
thinking. I recently set up a P4C800-E Deluxe with its boot disk
being an SATA (non-raid again) drive on the ICHR5. Then I added a
PATA drive on one of the IDE channels and the BIOS bumped the SATA
drive down in the boot order. Kinda freaked me out when the system
couldn't find an OS. One or two BIOS adjustments straightened it out.

Yes, indeed. I'm not sure how Windows 2K/XP assign drive letters... Win98
used to do it on boot order, but thats decoupled now, so as long as it does
it by some distinguishing feature of the drive, there should be no problem.

I'm going to just disconnect the PATA drive until I can get the system
booting again.


Again, my biggest concern is what Windows is thinking. I'm also
worried it may write to the disk and change the driver used, meaning
that I couldn't go back to the Promise even if I wanted to. If it
works, that's no big deal, but if it doesn't, I'm screwed.

It'll be fine in that respect, putting the drive on the old controller will
sort it out, if having it on the ICH5R causes any problems. I say you just
try it and see if Windows boots, if not, put it back on the Promise and then
boot up and do some research on how to migrate the drive letter.

Ben