PCI RAID controller?

[@drian]

Can anyone recommend a reliable, quick and feature-packed PCI RAID
controller for use with a pair of WD Raptor (WD360GD) drives? I cannot get
my Raptors to boot to Windows XP using a RAID 0 array with the ICH5-R on an
Intel 875PBZ motherboard.

Considering it refuses to boot the O.S., I've resorted to trying a PCI RAID
card instead. Using the M/B RAID controller, I get the message "A Disk
Error has Occurred, Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to Restart". I've tried the XP
recovery console FIXBOOT & FIXMBR, all to no avail.

Thank you.

@drian.

 

[Jim Adams]

http://www.3ware.com/3ware_home.htm

Lots of features. My model 7000-2 has worked flawlessly for me using raid 0.

 

[LVTravel]

If your OS is on the hard drive that is in the raid system, did you set up
the appropriate configuration for the drives (normally Ctrl + A on
bootup)before you attempted to install the OS. During the OS installation
did you install the Raid drivers by hitting F6 during the setup process when
it told you to do so.

Failure at any point is normally caused by a configuration error or driver
error and not hardware problems.

 

[@drian]

If your OS is on the hard drive that is in the raid system, did you set up
the appropriate configuration for the drives (normally Ctrl + A on
bootup)before you attempted to install the OS. During the OS installation
did you install the Raid drivers by hitting F6 during the setup process when
it told you to do so.

Did all that. Look at my post in "alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt".

Failure at any point is normally caused by a configuration error or driver
error and not hardware problems.

In this case, I am suspecting hardware as having the problem. I've worked
through every configuration but can't get XP to boot from a RAID 0 array.
If I destroy the array, it works fine. As soon as that array is created, XP
will not boot.

@drian.

 

[LVTravel]

How do you have your hard drives configured? Are they on seperate channels
and set as Master/Single on each or do you have them on one channel with
them set as Master with slave present and Slave. I am not sure about the
Raptor drives but every WD drive I have seen within the last 4 years needs a
different jumper configuration when you are running a single drive on a
channel than if you are using a Master/Slave configuration.

 

[@drian]

How do you have your hard drives configured? Are they on seperate channels
and set as Master/Single on each or do you have them on one channel with
them set as Master with slave present and Slave. I am not sure about the
Raptor drives but every WD drive I have seen within the last 4 years needs a
different jumper configuration when you are running a single drive on a
channel than if you are using a Master/Slave configuration.

They are Serial ATA drives. Each drive is connected to each seperate port
on the motherboard via a Serial ATA cable. The Master/Slave thing doesn't
apply here.

Thanks for the idea though.

@drian.

 

[Pete Baker]

@drian

First thoughts would be...

Check updates for mainboard BIOS.

Then check the order of set-up...

First set up the array...

then install XP.

Alternatively check that you can successfully install and boot on the
individual drives. It may be a hard drive problem.

My apologies if that seems a bit basic but
Hope that helps
Pete

 

[@drian]

First thoughts would be...

Check updates for mainboard BIOS.

Then check the order of set-up...

First set up the array...

then install XP.

OK, I did check for BIOS updates, I have the latest, P16. The order of the
setup is "Intel RaptorRAID" (the name I gave the array), then "Plextor
Premium" as the CD burner. I had to setup the array prior to setting the
boot order. Then I installed XP after that.

Alternatively check that you can successfully install and boot on the
individual drives.

XP will install on a single drive configuration, but not in RAID. Yes, that
works fine.

It may be a hard drive problem.

Well, I ran the Western Digital diagnostics and the drives check out as
fine, no problems.

My apologies if that seems a bit basic but
Hope that helps

Any ideas are useful and worth trying.

Thanks.

@drian.

 

[Pete Baker]

@drian

OK... how about the BIOS configuration?

In BIOS Advanced menu... Drive Configuration...

ATA/IDE Configuration option to "Enhanced"

and SoftRAID option "Enabled"


Additionally according to the manual for your mainboard... there is a Intel
Application Accelerator 3.0 RAID Edition supplied with your mainboard.
(see page 42 of the manual bz_English.pdf for details)

For this option you should install XP on 1 SATA drive first... using the
supplied RAID driver on a floppy disk.. then install the Intel Application
Accelerator... then upgrade to the RAID 0 configuration (Pages 42-43 in
manual).

Basically, you need to press F6 when prompted during XP install setup phase
and introduce the necessary driver via a floppy disk. I was under the
impression that the ICHR5 did not require this but it may be an option for
the enhancements of the Application Accelerator. Should be worth trying.

Hope that makes sense and helps
Pete

 

[@drian]

@drian

OK... how about the BIOS configuration?

In BIOS Advanced menu... Drive Configuration...

ATA/IDE Configuration option to "Enhanced"

and SoftRAID option "Enabled"

I don't have "SoftRAID" in my BIOS, I have "Intel RAID(tm) Technology",
which is set to Enabled. The ATA/IDE Configuration option is set to
Enhanced, just like you put down.

Additionally according to the manual for your mainboard... there is a Intel
Application Accelerator 3.0 RAID Edition supplied with your mainboard.
(see page 42 of the manual bz_English.pdf for details)

Yes, they are now up to 3.5, which includes RAID 1 (mirroring).

For this option you should install XP on 1 SATA drive first... using the
supplied RAID driver on a floppy disk.. then install the Intel Application
Accelerator... then upgrade to the RAID 0 configuration (Pages 42-43 in
manual).

I tried that. When I migrate, all appears fine. Then when I reboot, I get
the "A Disk Read Error Occurred" message. It seems as soon as I create an
array, it fails to boot.

Basically, you need to press F6 when prompted during XP install setup phase
and introduce the necessary driver via a floppy disk. I was under the
impression that the ICHR5 did not require this but it may be an option for
the enhancements of the Application Accelerator. Should be worth trying.

Yes, I press F6 all the time and insert the floppy disk, so XP can see the
array and copy its install files on there.

Just for laughs (I'm not laughing at this point), I bought an Adaptec 1210SA
SATA RAID controller, a PCI card. It works perfectly in RAID 0! Which
could mean my HDDs are incompatible with the Intel RAID controller?

@drian.