Problem with Promise PCI SATA controller

[Daniel Prince]

I bought a 2 tb SATA hard drive and a Promise FastTrack 376 (tm) PCI
controller card. The card detects the drive but the drive does not
show up in Windows XP's disk manager.

The card came with no printed instructions. I found a text file on
the CD with installation instructions but the files and directories
it mentions do not exist on the little CD that came with the card. I
tried running all the setup.exe files on the CD except for the ones
in the usb2.0 directories. They all said that I did not have the
correct hardware.

I installed all the *.inf files in the XP directories. The card now
shows up in device manager but the drive does not show up in device
manager or in the disk manager.

Does this controller card work with one drive or does it work only
as a raid? Does anyone know which *.inf files I should use?

This is the root directory of the CD:

Volume in drive S is Driver Serial number is 8E74:A98D
Directory of S:\*

9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> Ess
9/16/2009 20:51 <DIR> pdc20319_S150_TX4_Drv_1.00.0.37
9/16/2009 20:50 <DIR> pdc20378
9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> USB2.0 CARD
9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> VT6410 VT6421_Driver_V550B

This is part of what it says in the file WinXP.txt:

10. Select "Have Disk". Browse the RAID mode path {CD-ROM
Drive}:\Drivers\Promise\378RAID\WinXP or IDE mode path {CD-ROM
Drive}:\Drivers\Promise\378ATA\WinXP to the driver and click OK.

The directories and files listed above do NOT exist on the CD.

Does anyone know how I can get this card to work? Is there another
newsgroup or web forum where I can get some help? Thank you in
advance for all replies.

 

[david]

I bought a 2 tb SATA hard drive and a Promise FastTrack 376 (tm) PCI
controller card. The card detects the drive but the drive does not show
up in Windows XP's disk manager.

The card came with no printed instructions. I found a text file on the
CD with installation instructions but the files and directories it
mentions do not exist on the little CD that came with the card. I tried
running all the setup.exe files on the CD except for the ones in the
usb2.0 directories. They all said that I did not have the correct
hardware.

I installed all the *.inf files in the XP directories. The card now
shows up in device manager but the drive does not show up in device
manager or in the disk manager.

Does this controller card work with one drive or does it work only as a
raid? Does anyone know which *.inf files I should use?

This is the root directory of the CD:

Volume in drive S is Driver Serial number is 8E74:A98D
Directory of S:\*

9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> Ess 9/16/2009 20:51 <DIR>
pdc20319_S150_TX4_Drv_1.00.0.37 9/16/2009 20:50 <DIR>
pdc20378 9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> USB2.0 CARD 9/16/2009 20:48
<DIR> VT6410 VT6421_Driver_V550B

This is part of what it says in the file WinXP.txt:

10. Select "Have Disk". Browse the RAID mode path {CD-ROM
Drive}:\Drivers\Promise\378RAID\WinXP or IDE mode path {CD-ROM
Drive}:\Drivers\Promise\378ATA\WinXP to the driver and click OK.

The directories and files listed above do NOT exist on the CD.

Does anyone know how I can get this card to work? Is there another
newsgroup or web forum where I can get some help? Thank you in advance
for all replies.

http://www.promise.com/support/download/download_eng.asp?flag=1&prod=oth

 

[Paul]

I bought a 2 tb SATA hard drive and a Promise FastTrack 376 (tm) PCI
controller card. The card detects the drive but the drive does not
show up in Windows XP's disk manager.

The card came with no printed instructions. I found a text file on
the CD with installation instructions but the files and directories
it mentions do not exist on the little CD that came with the card. I
tried running all the setup.exe files on the CD except for the ones
in the usb2.0 directories. They all said that I did not have the
correct hardware.

I installed all the *.inf files in the XP directories. The card now
shows up in device manager but the drive does not show up in device
manager or in the disk manager.

Does this controller card work with one drive or does it work only
as a raid? Does anyone know which *.inf files I should use?

This is the root directory of the CD:

Volume in drive S is Driver Serial number is 8E74:A98D
Directory of S:\*

9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> Ess
9/16/2009 20:51 <DIR> pdc20319_S150_TX4_Drv_1.00.0.37
9/16/2009 20:50 <DIR> pdc20378
9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> USB2.0 CARD
9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> VT6410 VT6421_Driver_V550B

This is part of what it says in the file WinXP.txt:

10. Select "Have Disk". Browse the RAID mode path {CD-ROM
Drive}:\Drivers\Promise\378RAID\WinXP or IDE mode path {CD-ROM
Drive}:\Drivers\Promise\378ATA\WinXP to the driver and click OK.

The directories and files listed above do NOT exist on the CD.

Does anyone know how I can get this card to work? Is there another
newsgroup or web forum where I can get some help? Thank you in
advance for all replies.

You can get a driver from here.

ftp://ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/asus//misc/ide/pdc20376/

A file like pdc20376_15.zip is a RAID driver, intended for copying
to a floppy. If you were installing WinXP on the drive for example,
you'd press F6 and offer the floppy prepared with the contents of the ZIP.
The txtsetup.oem file, would be at the top level of the floppy.

If you're installing the card in a system which is already running,
then you'd click on the INF file, like fasttx2k.INF . Using right mouse,
one of the menu items should be "Install". That will execute the instructions
inside the fasttx2k.INF, such as setting up a service and so on.

ServiceBinary = %12%\fasttx2k.sys

The 376pam3218.zip file, is for after an installation. It is the
Promise Array Management software, for managing any RAID arrays
you set up.

On some RAID controllers, you can connect a single disk, not
set up any kind of RAID on it, and it will be used as a standalone
disk. If that doesn't work, you can try the disk as "JBOD" or
a single striped disk, or the like.

There are some controllers, which are quite insistent that they're
RAID only. On those, they won't detect the disks, until at least
two disks are connected.

You'll just have to experiment and figure it out for yourself.
That is what Promise expects of its customers, and why it provides
crappy drivers with no uninstall options and the like.

Paul

 

[Flasherly]

I bought a 2 tb SATA hard drive and a Promise FastTrack 376 (tm) PCI
controller card. The card detects the drive but the drive does not
show up in Windows XP's disk manager.

The card came with no printed instructions. I found a text file on
the CD with installation instructions but the files and directories
it mentions do not exist on the little CD that came with the card. I
tried running all the setup.exe files on the CD except for the ones
in the usb2.0 directories. They all said that I did not have the
correct hardware.

I installed all the *.inf files in the XP directories. The card now
shows up in device manager but the drive does not show up in device
manager or in the disk manager.

Does this controller card work with one drive or does it work only
as a raid? Does anyone know which *.inf files I should use?

This is the root directory of the CD:

Volume in drive S is Driver Serial number is 8E74:A98D
Directory of S:\*

9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> Ess
9/16/2009 20:51 <DIR> pdc20319_S150_TX4_Drv_1.00.0.37
9/16/2009 20:50 <DIR> pdc20378
9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> USB2.0 CARD
9/16/2009 20:48 <DIR> VT6410 VT6421_Driver_V550B

This is part of what it says in the file WinXP.txt:

10. Select "Have Disk". Browse the RAID mode path {CD-ROM
Drive}:\Drivers\Promise\378RAID\WinXP or IDE mode path {CD-ROM
Drive}:\Drivers\Promise\378ATA\WinXP to the driver and click OK.

The directories and files listed above do NOT exist on the CD.

Does anyone know how I can get this card to work? Is there another
newsgroup or web forum where I can get some help? Thank you in
advance for all replies.

They're a pain, no doubt. I've two controllers - a Promise PATA that
was free with a HD I bought. The other is SYBA. I wouldn't spend a
nickel on Promise these days -- way, way overpriced has been my
experience. A SYBA, oth, I'd expect for $10 or less.

I know all about getting hairy with controllers. My MB also has three
sets of HD controllers, besides regular (old-style PATA) IDE ports;-
part of once upon a time real deals on a *Deluxe* ASUS package with
*5* PCI slots. That's four sets of controllers in the BIOS. Very
weird. Add the two PCI controllers and it goes beyond weird. Some of
the MB's controllers are also related to chipsets SYBA uses on the
aftermarket add-on SYBA PCI controllers.

Drivers provided. They're often generically bundled for an entire
product line. *You* have to find the differences and make the right
selections. Reading what you provided -- there's a directory with a
378 that corresponds to the instructions mention of 378 ... get my
drift? Pay close attention to the exact model# silkscreened on that
board, and sometimes the integrated chipsets. Also, Google is your
friend. There's often discussions in various tech forms that'll turn
up all kinds of interesting information from related searches off that
model number. The reverse also holds true: being forewarned, next time
might consider searching down thoroughly to review a product *before*
you buy it.

Once you've mastered the drivers, copy the drivers, the right ones
only you need, to a directory for the next time. Make a text file in
that directory and make notes about what you did and what happens.

Where you don't want to go, is what happens to those drivers when XP
gets "confused" ... say just about anything changed in the way of
hardware configuration (swapping in/out new cards or gear - notably
HDs and associated controller configs).

Worst case -- when I usually get things going back to normal -- is
taking out everything drive related. Putting them back in -- one by
one -- configuring XP until each one is again recognized. Less a
controller thingy than very XP oriented. Hard to explain exactly what
I'm doing when doing it -- the black arts. Oh...I've got 3 DVDs and 3
HDs, down from 4 and 4, I used to run;- nor are these cards I'm using
supportive and don't come spec'd for DVDs, though I stick DVDs on 'em
to see what happens and do it anyway. Welcome to building, btw.

 

[Daniel Prince]

On some RAID controllers, you can connect a single disk, not
set up any kind of RAID on it, and it will be used as a standalone
disk. If that doesn't work, you can try the disk as "JBOD" or
a single striped disk, or the like.

There are some controllers, which are quite insistent that they're
RAID only. On those, they won't detect the disks, until at least
two disks are connected.

This one will detect the disk. If it is the only disk, it does not
offer any options to make any type of RAID or JBOD. The single
drive will NOT show up in Device Manager or Disk Management.

When I connected the 2 tb SATA hard drive and an old 120 gig IDE
drive to it, it allowed me to make a mirrored RAID which showed up
in Device Manager and Disk Management as a 120 gig drive . If I did
not make a RAID with the two drives, neither one showed up in Device
Manager or Disk Management.

I think this is an incredibly stupid way to design a controller
card. Could it be cheaper to make the card RAID only?

 

[Paul]

This one will detect the disk. If it is the only disk, it does not
offer any options to make any type of RAID or JBOD. The single
drive will NOT show up in Device Manager or Disk Management.

When I connected the 2 tb SATA hard drive and an old 120 gig IDE
drive to it, it allowed me to make a mirrored RAID which showed up
in Device Manager and Disk Management as a 120 gig drive . If I did
not make a RAID with the two drives, neither one showed up in Device
Manager or Disk Management.

I think this is an incredibly stupid way to design a controller
card. Could it be cheaper to make the card RAID only?

Cards like that are "soft RAID". As far as I know, there isn't a lot
of hardware in the chip, dedicated to RAID functions. It is a basic
disk controller, where firmware and OS software, define the functions.
They certainly have had their share of weird design features, such
as the chip with an IDE connector, that only supported one hard
drive.

On controller cards like the ones based on SIL3112 or SIL3114,
the configuration is controlled by the firmware that is loaded.
You could load "IDE" firmware or "RAID" firmware. People who own
cards like that, spend their first hour with the card, flashing
it to the alternate personality.

On Promise chips used on motherboards, some have dual BIOS
modules (i.e. the firmware as such, supports IDE or RAID,
as selected by a BIOS setting). My P4C800-E Deluxe motherboard
had a PDC20378 on it, which could be set to IDE or RAID. And
I tested both modes and had success running one disk or running
RAID.

Do you have a web link, to the product page of what you've bought ?

Paul

 

[Daniel Prince]

Cards like that are "soft RAID". As far as I know, there isn't a lot
of hardware in the chip, dedicated to RAID functions. It is a basic
disk controller, where firmware and OS software, define the functions.
They certainly have had their share of weird design features, such
as the chip with an IDE connector, that only supported one hard
drive.

On controller cards like the ones based on SIL3112 or SIL3114,
the configuration is controlled by the firmware that is loaded.
You could load "IDE" firmware or "RAID" firmware. People who own
cards like that, spend their first hour with the card, flashing
it to the alternate personality.

On Promise chips used on motherboards, some have dual BIOS
modules (i.e. the firmware as such, supports IDE or RAID,
as selected by a BIOS setting). My P4C800-E Deluxe motherboard
had a PDC20378 on it, which could be set to IDE or RAID. And
I tested both modes and had success running one disk or running
RAID.

Do you have a web link, to the product page of what you've bought ?

Paul

 

[Paul]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390175172663&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI

Weird picture. In the sense that it probably isn't a card
manufactured by Promise. Some of the Promise chips are
made by Marvell, but Marvell would make them specifically
for Promise. The printing in the first picture, doesn't look
like a Promise chip.

http://www.sibusa.com/eBay/sibusa/gp/UKG12.jpg

http://www.plasma-online.de/index.h...de/english/identify/serial/cards/promise.html

http://www.plasma-online.de/bilder/identify/chips/promise/pdc20376.gif

Maybe the Promise logo is missing from your chip ?

Of the two pictures above, which picture resembles the chip on your board ?
Does it look like the one in UKG12.jpg or pdc20376.gif ?

I presume your card has three SATA connectors, of which a pair of connectors
are using the same interconnect (so only one of the two connectors
can be used at a time). If I was using the SATA on that card,
I'd probably be testing the internal connector, furthest from the
faceplate, as it would appear that connector is "by itself", and
doesn't share wiring. The other two connectors probably share
wires, which isn't a good idea.

Since there is no firmware soldered to the card, I'd have to
guess there is firmware stored inside the chip itself. I think
my Ultra133 Promise card does that, and doesn't have a separate
BIOS/firmware chip. The BIOS would normally be needed for booting,
and for supporting a BIOS screen for preparing RAID volumes and
the like.

If you're in Device Manager, you go to that controller and do
"Properties", then look at the "Details" tab, is there an
entry like "Device Instance ID" with something like

PCI\VEN_105A&DEV_3376

I think 3376 corresponds to the PDC20376 chip.

http://pciids.sourceforge.net/pci.ids

105a Promise Technology, Inc.
3376 PDC20376 (FastTrak 376)
1043 809e A7V8X motherboard

And that entry suggests, that the Asus A7V8X motherboard
has one. Maybe there is a driver on the Asus site for the
chip, under that motherboard code ?

Section 5.4 here:

ftp://ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/asus/mb/socka/kt400/a7v8x/e1119_a7v8x.pdf

Maybe you could "Delete array" and make a stripe out of one disk ?

Paul