Maxtor/Promise Ultra ATA 133 Controller

[yawny]

Hey all,

Does anyone have a BIOS back up for the Maxtor branded card?? I
mistakenly flashed my Maxtor card with the Promise bios and forgot to
back up the Maxtor version. I tried to find one on Maxtor's site but
they just list the driver. Promise lists previous drivers and
bios's...why doesn't Maxtor?? Very frustrating.

Please post here if possible. The file is only 16k. If not, let me
know and I can supply my e-mail. Any help would be appreciated!!

 

[kony]

Hey all,

Does anyone have a BIOS back up for the Maxtor branded card?? I
mistakenly flashed my Maxtor card with the Promise bios and forgot to
back up the Maxtor version. I tried to find one on Maxtor's site but
they just list the driver. Promise lists previous drivers and
bios's...why doesn't Maxtor?? Very frustrating.

Please post here if possible. The file is only 16k. If not, let me
know and I can supply my e-mail. Any help would be appreciated!!

Card doesn't work now?

You should not need a Maxtor bios, it is a promise chipset based
card. What are you going to gain going back to the Maxtor
branded bios, since it's going to be same as one of the Promise
versions but with the maxtor brand-name substituted?

 

[yawny]

Card doesn't work now?

You should not need a Maxtor bios, it is a promise chipset based
card. What are you going to gain going back to the Maxtor
branded bios, since it's going to be same as one of the Promise
versions but with the maxtor brand-name substituted?

Yes, the card works but I'm having a problem with my mouse and sound
events stuttering. I thought going back to the original Maxtor bios
and drivers might solve the problem.

I was able to contact a member of another forum and had the bios
e-mailed to me. I flashed the card but it didn't help my problem
though. I anyone else has this problem and can offer
suggestions I'm all ears. Thanks again.

 

[kony]

Yes, the card works but I'm having a problem with my mouse and sound
events stuttering. I thought going back to the original Maxtor bios
and drivers might solve the problem.

IIRC, Maxtor used unmodified working-code in their bios, it was
same as one of the Promise bios versions. In other words, just
try a different Promise version. On the other hand, it might be
that your card now has higher performance, that sound or other
motherboard settings were sub-optimal and now this is
surfacing... not really an IDE card problem. If it's a Via
(KT400 or older) board you might try newest Via 4in1 driver and
the Via RAID performance patch (Google search should find it).

I was able to contact a member of another forum and had the bios
e-mailed to me. I flashed the card but it didn't help my problem
though. I anyone else has this problem and can offer
suggestions I'm all ears. Thanks again.

What other system hardware/software/bios has changed?

If the onboard (or card) sound isn't very good, some people just
buy a sound card. You might research issues specific to your
motherboard or motherboard chipset, and see if a motherboard bios
update addresses anything seemingly related. Also try newer
sound card driver. More specfics of system might help.

 

[John]

Yes, the card works but I'm having a problem with my mouse and sound
events stuttering. I thought going back to the original Maxtor bios
and drivers might solve the problem.

I was able to contact a member of another forum and had the bios
e-mailed to me. I flashed the card but it didn't help my problem
though. I anyone else has this problem and can offer
suggestions I'm all ears. Thanks again.

Thats funny - my Maxtor Promise also caused horrendous stuttering on
my Asus a7n8x deluxe. I tried it in every slot and took everything
out. It didnt cause mouse problems though. I had to end up taking it
out and using my SATA controller instead with adaptors.

Not sure if there is a solution or if its just hogging the bus. Or if
another card would help.

 

[yawny]

IIRC, Maxtor used unmodified working-code in their bios, it was
same as one of the Promise bios versions. In other words, just
try a different Promise version.

See below...

On the other hand, it might be
that your card now has higher performance, that sound or other
motherboard settings were sub-optimal and now this is
surfacing... not really an IDE card problem. If it's a Via
(KT400 or older) board you might try newest Via 4in1 driver and
the Via RAID performance patch (Google search should find it).


What other system hardware/software/bios has changed?

If the onboard (or card) sound isn't very good, some people just
buy a sound card. You might research issues specific to your
motherboard or motherboard chipset, and see if a motherboard bios
update addresses anything seemingly related. Also try newer
sound card driver. More specfics of system might help.

System Specs:
Windows XP Pro SP1a
MSI MS-6337 815E Pro
Intel PIII 1GHz @ 133fsb
2x 256MB Crucial PC133 CAS2
Maxtor 200GB 8MB Cache on Ultra 133 Card (PCI slot 1)
Primary Master: Maxtor 20GB ATA66
Primary Slave: n/a
Secondary Master: Lite-On LDW-451S DVD-RW
Secondary Slave: Lite-On LTD-163D DVD-ROM
Creative SB Live! (PCI slot 4)

I think I found the problem...the Maxtor driver has a Cache Flush
feature in the driver properties that the Promise driver does not
have. With this feature enabled I get the stuttering problem. With it
disabled...no stuttering.

I've gone back to the latest Promise bios and drivers and all is good.
Don't know what's up with the Maxtor drivers, but it seems to run
better with the Promise versions. Thanks again for your help.