WD360 + Intel 875PBZ + XP Problem

[@drian]

I have installed two Western Digital Raptor 36GB drives on a test machine.
They connected via Serial ATA cables to an Intel 875PBZ motherboard. Intel
RAID is enabled. I have setup a RAID 0 array with 128Kb stripe.

Basically, I go through this sequence:

a) XP boots off the CD drive
b) I press F6 to specify third-party storage drivers
c) XP installs a few files
d) XP asks for the storage drivers, I insert the Intel RAID driver disk
e) I then specify an 8GB drive to install XP on (out of the total of 67GBs
available)
f) XP formats the disk, then installs its files
g) XP then wants to reboot

At this point I'm having the trouble. Once the system reboots, the Intel
RAID information screen shows then the regular BIOS information is shown,
then (without the XP CD in the drive), I get:

"A disc error has occurred
Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to restart"

?! I'm baffled.

If I destroy the array and go into the BIOS then specify the IDE type as
Legacy (instead of Enhanced, then select SATA P0/P1 + PATA Primary (instead
of "Intel RAID enabled"), XP will successfully install fine, on the single
drive of course.

So installing XP with RAID setup, fails to boot. Installing XP on a single
drive, works. This exact same setup worked fine with two Seagate Serial ATA
120GB drives I used to have. So the only difference is the drives, but what
in the drives would stop RAID array from working/booting?

Any ideas?

@drian.

 

[Timothy Drouillard]

Make SURE that the MB BIOS is set to boot from the intel RAID controller.
Otherwise the system (regardless of the OS) will try to boot from the normal
IDE controller, and not finding any drives there, will result in the error
message you are seeing.

 

[@drian]

Make SURE that the MB BIOS is set to boot from the intel RAID controller.
Otherwise the system (regardless of the OS) will try to boot from the normal
IDE controller, and not finding any drives there, will result in the error
message you are seeing.

Yes, the boot sequence is (a) Intel RAID controller and (b) Disabled. I can
select the CD drive and/or the floppy disk to boot from, but I've disabled
the second boot device which eliminates anything else from booting.

I'm completely stumped over this. I can't believe what is a simple
operation is so problematic. The Seagate drives worked fine, but the WD
Raptors don't (in RAID mode). I noticed if I format XP as FAT32, the
message changes, I get "Disk Error" instead.

I called Western Digital, they blamed the M/B maker (Intel). I called
Intel, they didn't have any ideas other than to setup XP on one drive, then
migrate the spare drive with the existing one using IAAR, which I did. Once
I had migrated then tried to boot, I got the same message.

I'm considering buying a PCI RAID controller, which I object to having to
do, considering the Southbridge on the M/B has what is normally a great RAID
controller.

Thanks.

@drian.

 

[.Aba]

I'm not sure this will help you or others as the circumstances are
different. I've been booting off my ata controller pci for quite
awhile with no problems. Installed a SATA pci according to directions
and all sorts of conflicts resulted, even acted as if the main drive
was wiped out. It came down to making a choice of one or the other not
both types of drive operating at the same time on pci controllers. Be
interesting if a SATA built into the MB will react the same, hope not.

 

[@drian]

I'm not sure this will help you or others as the circumstances are
different. I've been booting off my ata controller pci for quite
awhile with no problems. Installed a SATA pci according to directions
and all sorts of conflicts resulted, even acted as if the main drive
was wiped out. It came down to making a choice of one or the other not
both types of drive operating at the same time on pci controllers. Be
interesting if a SATA built into the MB will react the same, hope not.

Interesting thought, although I've *had* two Seagate 120GB SATA drives
running at the same time on this board before. I've seen it, worked with
it, all was fine. Now I'm using different hard drives, WD Raptors and they
(more probably the BIOS on the M/B) will not boot in RAID mode, but will
boot in non-RAID mode. I'm baffled.

@drian.

 

[Eric Gisin]

I RAID mode Intel wrote the Int13 BIOS, and it regular mode Phoenix/Award did.

|
| Interesting thought, although I've *had* two Seagate 120GB SATA drives
| running at the same time on this board before. I've seen it, worked with
| it, all was fine. Now I'm using different hard drives, WD Raptors and they
| (more probably the BIOS on the M/B) will not boot in RAID mode, but will
| boot in non-RAID mode. I'm baffled.
|