Windows XP - Hard Drive Problem

[MrkInPhx]

I'm working on a new server and it is built with all new components
including a CoolerMaster CM Stacker Chassis, Antec 500w Power Supply,
ASUS MB, AMD processor and 1 GB RAM.

There are 2 Pioneer 16x DVD writers, a Floppy drive and a 100 GB hard
drive that is partitioned at 40/60 with the operating system residing
on the 40 GB partition, all plugged into the MB slots. And, I have
added a Maxtor (Promise) SATA 150 card with an IDE connector that has
two Maxtor 160 GB Drives attached as Master/Slave. I have also added a
Maxtor (Promise) Ultra 133 card with two IDE Connectors.

I loaded Windows XP and did the entire, usual configuration and did the
all of the Microsoft updates and everything works!

However, as soon as I add another drive (I’ve tried multiple
different drives) into the system, Windows won't boot. I have tried the
Maxtor Ultra 133 card described above, as well as two different Raid
controllers. I disconnected the power from the DVD's and Floppy (and
most all of the fans) thinking it might be a brown-out or something. I
even connected an additional Power Supply to the drives and got exactly
the same result.

When the additional drives are connected, they do show up in the boot
screens for their respective cards, and then just as it should go to
Windows, it hangs. It doesn't matter which drives are plugged into the
MB, when the additional drive is added, it hangs.

This one has me stumped, and I know it's probably something simple, and
I'm just being an Ejit (Scottish for idiot ïŠ), but is there a Windows
issue/setting that I’m not catching?

Any help is greatly appreciated...

MrkinPhx

 

[ByTor]

I'm working on a new server and it is built with all new components
including a CoolerMaster CM Stacker Chassis, Antec 500w Power Supply,
ASUS MB, AMD processor and 1 GB RAM.

There are 2 Pioneer 16x DVD writers, a Floppy drive and a 100 GB hard
drive that is partitioned at 40/60 with the operating system residing
on the 40 GB partition, all plugged into the MB slots. And, I have
added a Maxtor (Promise) SATA 150 card with an IDE connector that has
two Maxtor 160 GB Drives attached as Master/Slave. I have also added a
Maxtor (Promise) Ultra 133 card with two IDE Connectors.

I loaded Windows XP and did the entire, usual configuration and did the
all of the Microsoft updates and everything works!

However, as soon as I add another drive (I?ve tried multiple
different drives) into the system, Windows won't boot. I have tried the
Maxtor Ultra 133 card described above, as well as two different Raid
controllers. I disconnected the power from the DVD's and Floppy (and
most all of the fans) thinking it might be a brown-out or something. I
even connected an additional Power Supply to the drives and got exactly
the same result.

When the additional drives are connected, they do show up in the boot
screens for their respective cards, and then just as it should go to
Windows, it hangs. It doesn't matter which drives are plugged into the
MB, when the additional drive is added, it hangs.

This one has me stumped, and I know it's probably something simple, and
I'm just being an Ejit (Scottish for idiot ?), but is there a Windows
issue/setting that I?m not catching?

Any help is greatly appreciated...

MrkinPhx

Is your disk order being changed when you add the additional drives?

Controllers can be a funny thing....I have a Siig card that does that
once an additional HD is added to it (I now use it for opticals) and the
OS does not boot, why? Windows natively looks for "Disk0".....
My Siig card(2 IDE) bypasses the MB control of disk assignment and
starts at Disk0-Disk3....The MB primary, OS, drive becomes
Disk4..........

Sometin to think about I guess..........
--
************************************************
The Tobes of Hades, lit by flickering torchlight
The netherworld is gathered in the glare
Prince By-Tor takes the cavern to the north light
The sign of Eth is rising in the air.
By-Tor, knight of darkness,
Centurion of evil, devil's prince.

 

[Manny Borges]

First, this is not a server. Sever class systems don't run XP, they
generally don't have dual DVD burners. You are describing a decent desktop
PC.

The problem likely is that when you are adding the new drive the auto detect
features are causing the arc path in the boot.ini to become invalid.

This is definately sounding like a hardware based issue.

What is the 100 GB drive , SATA or IDE?(my guess is IDE, but you tell me)

Exactly what happens:
No boot?
No POST
Gets to OS selection screen?
Any error message?

--
Manny Borges
MCSE NT4-2003 (+ Security)
MCT, Certified Cheese Master

There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who do understand binary
and those who don't.
I'm working on a new server and it is built with all new components
including a CoolerMaster CM Stacker Chassis, Antec 500w Power Supply,
ASUS MB, AMD processor and 1 GB RAM.

There are 2 Pioneer 16x DVD writers, a Floppy drive and a 100 GB hard
drive that is partitioned at 40/60 with the operating system residing
on the 40 GB partition, all plugged into the MB slots. And, I have
added a Maxtor (Promise) SATA 150 card with an IDE connector that has
two Maxtor 160 GB Drives attached as Master/Slave. I have also added a
Maxtor (Promise) Ultra 133 card with two IDE Connectors.

I loaded Windows XP and did the entire, usual configuration and did the
all of the Microsoft updates and everything works!

However, as soon as I add another drive (I've tried multiple
different drives) into the system, Windows won't boot. I have tried the
Maxtor Ultra 133 card described above, as well as two different Raid
controllers. I disconnected the power from the DVD's and Floppy (and
most all of the fans) thinking it might be a brown-out or something. I
even connected an additional Power Supply to the drives and got exactly
the same result.

When the additional drives are connected, they do show up in the boot
screens for their respective cards, and then just as it should go to
Windows, it hangs. It doesn't matter which drives are plugged into the
MB, when the additional drive is added, it hangs.

This one has me stumped, and I know it's probably something simple, and
I'm just being an Ejit (Scottish for idiot ?), but is there a Windows
issue/setting that I'm not catching?

Any help is greatly appreciated...

MrkinPhx

 

[MrkInPhx]

Thanks for the quick response.

Okay, it's not a server. I'm to cheap to buy server software for the
house...

I don't believe the disk number is changing, and I have specified only
that drive as a boot drive.

The 100 GB drive is an IDE, and this happens right after I get the bios
prompt for the second drive controller card. The screen goes blank
right before I should see the Windows XP logo.

Thanks,

MrkInPhx

 

[Jim Lewandowski]

Does the "verbose" boot/shutdown registry change help (i.e. if you can boot safe to MAKE
the registry change)?

JL

 

[Mike Fields]

Thanks for the quick response.

Okay, it's not a server. I'm to cheap to buy server software for the
house...

I don't believe the disk number is changing, and I have specified only
that drive as a boot drive.

The 100 GB drive is an IDE, and this happens right after I get the
bios
prompt for the second drive controller card. The screen goes blank
right before I should see the Windows XP logo.

Thanks,

MrkInPhx

Are you using the correct IDE cable (usually the 80 conductor one)
and are the drives configured correctly Master/Slave or Cable Select?
If cable select, the drive on the end connector is master and the
drive in the middle is the slave if I remember correctly.

mikey