XP setup cannot detect hard disks

[Carlos F]

Hello,

I keep getting the dreaded "setup did not find any hard disk drives
installed in this computer" error message when i try to install windows xp
pro.

The computer is as follows:

- intel p4
- intel S845WD1h motherboard
- the board has an integrated Promise PDC20267 IDE RAID controller
(FastTrack 100)
- two 80 GB hard drives connected to the RAID controller - configured as a
single mirrored drive
- this computer was configured with Windows 2000 Pro and Windows 2000
Advanced Server. I used fdisk to delete all the partitions.

I originally tried to run the XP install from the CD from Windows 2000
Advanced Server and ran into the "Stop 0x0000007B or
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE" error. I consulted the MSDN article covering this
issue (article # 324103). As per the article I did a virus scan. I found the
machine was rife with viruses - the person that used the machine before had
apparently not been too careful about cleaning the box. In order to save
time and clean the machine of any viruses I fdisked it. I then updated the
BIOS to version 8 from the Intel site and I downloaded the RAID controller
drivers from the Promise site.

I ran the install process again by booting to the CD and hit F6 to specify a
custom RAID controller. I selected the FastTrack 100 driver from the list
the setup displayed. 10 seconds later setup asked what kind of setup to run
(XP install, repair XP install using recovery console etc). I selected to
set up XP now. It then stated that setup did not find any hard disk drives
installed in this computer. I have subsequently tried running the setup in
a 100 different permutations with no change in the end.

I suspect that the controller, hard disks and the cables are ok. I am able
to access and configure the disks via the RAID controller BIOS. The
computer BIOS picks up the mirrored drive and lists it as an available hard
drive. Also, when the machine was running windows 2000 pro (which was right
before i tried installing XP) the mirrored drive was running just fine. I
also checked the controller cables and the jumpers and everything is ok.

Any suggestions? I am about to pull out what is left of my hair.

Carlos

--
Carlos Fernandez
Touzon Technologies, Inc.
Voice - (703) 725-1765
Fax - (703) 997-1093
Email - (e-mail address removed)
www.touzon.com

 

[Uncle Stewie]

You will need to get the driver for your raid controller from the
manufacturer...

When the setup begins... press F6... and it will prompt you for any "Mass
Storage Controller Drivers"... follow the instructions and have the driver
ready on a floppy disk!

 

[Carlos F]

Unfortunately that does not get me to the promised land. I specify the
correct third party RAID controller after hitting F6 - and setup still
cannot recognize the hard disk.

-->> > I ran the install process again by booting to the CD and hit F6 to
specify

a

Carlos

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Error Message About Partition Appears When You Install Windows XP to a Dynamic Volume
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;283421&Product=winxp

How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;310064

Troubleshooting Windows XP Setup
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_setup.htm

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Kelly Theriot]

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| Unfortunately that does not get me to the promised land. I specify the
| correct third party RAID controller after hitting F6 - and setup still
| cannot recognize the hard disk.

 

[Uncle Stewie]

I have had this issue with XP and 2003...

Get another driver... not one that Windows seems to already have... In
Windows 2003 on a Dell Server it recognixed a seemingly accurate driver for
a RAID controller that worked on earlier versions of the same Dell
machine... When I downloaded the driver it said... "Windows already has a
driver that works with this hardware... Are you sure you want to use the
other driver... After saying use the one I tell you to use... everything
worked... very similar issue on Compaq workstation and XP ...

Go figure...

Good Luck!

 

[dmac]

is boot order in bios set to raid controller first? I had that issue on
gigabyte during raid install. after setting boot order it worked.

--


David MacLeod
Etna, Maine USA
P4 2.8 OC to 3.13
1 GB DDR 466
Radeon 9800 Pro 256 MB
2 Seagate 120 RAID 0

 

[Len Segal]

Carlos,

Check the instructions for the Intel mobo! Some will require that you do the
install from the standard IDE controller and ONLY after installation is
complete can you switch the cabling over to the RAID controller.

This was specifically the case with my MSI mobo with built-in Promise RAID
controller.

 

[Carlos F]

Carey,

Thanks for the links. I will review this info now - I just hope something
sticks!

Carlos

 

[Carlos F]

Originally this computer only had the two hard drives connected to the RAID
device (configured as a single mirrored drive). The hard disk available
from the RAID device was listed as the first hard disk to boot from. The
computers BIOS listed it as "FT Array X". XP setup would not recognize it.

Carlos

 

[Carlos F]

Since I kept slamming my head against this driver wall I decided to connect
a small 4 gig IDE drive to the IDE controller. The idea was to install XP
onto this device and then test a variety of RAID controller drivers until I
found the right one. I would get a much faster response (and a bit more
detail) from XP than I from the XP setup.

After trying a variety of drivers from Promise and some I found on the net,
I was finally able to get XP to utilize the RAID controller. I found a set
of drivers that worked via google -
http://65.68.55.12/inetpub/ftproot/driver_update_promise_133.htm (
FastTrack133 RAID ). I am normally not in the habit of just trolling for
drivers via google but this has been a bit frustrating. Intel and Promise
do not have drivers for a PDC20267 controller and neither company has
responded to my support queries. The only way I could get XP to accept the
driver was to manually select it. Afterward I was able to format the drive,
copy files etc.

Since I thought that I had found the holy grail of my driver quest I wanted
to reinstall the OS using the FastTrack133 RAID driver as the boot drive (XP
barely fits on the 4 gig IDE hard drive). When I went to use the drivers
during the new XP install (when prompted to install third party RAID
drivers) I inserted the floppy and waited for the magic to happen. The OS
only listed the NT and win 2000 drivers. Upon further review i discovered
that the XP driver selection was commented out in the Txtsetup.oem file:

[scsi]
;FastTrak133_xp = "WinXP Promise SBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak
;FastTrak133_xp2 = "WinXP Promise MBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak
;FastTrak133_nt5 = "Win2000 Promise SBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak
FastTrak133_nt52 = "Win2000 Promise MBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak
;FastTrak133_nt4 = "WinNT Promise SBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak
FastTrak133_nt42 = "WinNT Promise MBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak

At this point I was not quite sure what to do - I am a software development
person by trade . . . and editing driver files is really outside my comfort
zone. I read up on driver files at MSDN and made a few minor edits to the
Txtsetup.oem file. They were all located in the [scsi] section:

[scsi]
FastTrak133_xp = "WinXP Promise SBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak
FastTrak133_xp2 = "2-WinXP Promise MBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak
;FastTrak133_nt5 = "Win2000 Promise SBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak
FastTrak133_nt52 = "Win2000 Promise MBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak
;FastTrak133_nt4 = "WinNT Promise SBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak
FastTrak133_nt42 = "WinNT Promise MBFastTrak133 Lite (tm) Controller",
FastTrak


This would at least list the two variants of the FastTrack driver in the XP
setup. As you might have expected neither one worked - the only drive that
the XP setup would recognize is the 4 gig IDE drive.

Carlos

 

[Carlos F]

Excellent suggestion!

Just to make sure I understand your:

- Disconnect one of the mirrored drives from the RAID controller and move it
to the IDE controller.
- Install XP onto this drive.
- Disconnect that drive from the IDE controller and move it to the RAID
controller.
- Rebuild the mirror using the RAID BIOS (making sure I copy the new XP boot
drive onto the blank drive)
- Reboot and pray.

Carlos

 

[Carlos F]

Well it looks like the IDE controller will not work with XP. The folks at
intel tell me that I am on my own with that OS.

So I either use windows 2000 or I simply run the hard disks as standard IDE
devices.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Carlos

 

[Carlos F]

Len,

When i reconnected the hard disk to the raid controller windows XP blue
screens and then the machine reboots. I think the IDE RAID controller does
not support XP.

Carlos