Problem with setting up RAID

[Skeen]

I snagged a couple 80 gig HDs and wanted to use the sata raid on the board in my sig. The BIOS detects everything fine. When I try to install winxp it says that installation must stop because there aren't any HDs present (my 120GB HD was disconnected).

At the beginning of installation, I've hit F6 to load up, alternately, both nvidia RAID drivers, the nvidia RAID drivers and the SI 3114 RAID drivers, or just the SI 3114 RAID drivers. Winxp never detects any drives. I try to disconnect one of the sata dives and windows sees it (either one, doesn't matter).

I've done a bit of reading on this but there was no mention of my board specifically so there were some differences. It seems that I can try to repair this problem with editing some driver setting and then slipstreaming it all onto a new XP disc. Unfortunately my laptop doesn't have a burner. Also this solution seemed aimed at fixing a problem in which two drives are detected instead on just one array. As I said Winxp can't see any drives.

There also seems to be a way to repair the problem by installing Winxp on one drive and then using the nvRAIDtool to build the array from the desktop, but I found the directions a bit vague. If anyone knows this method, maybe you could explain it to me.

Any other suggestions are also welcome. I'll keep trying a few more things and try back later.

Thanks

 

[CGR]

Before you build the array from the desktop I would go to your boards site and download the latest drivers. Put them on a floppy and try selecting them from the floppy after hitting F6

 

[g14novak]

You have to make a raid floppy for the windows xp installation to detect the raid.

As CGR said, go to the site, download the drivers for the OS your trying to install and press F6 at the beginning of the installation.

 

[Skeen]

You have to make a raid floppy for the windows xp installation to detect the raid.

As CGR said, go to the site, download the drivers for the OS your trying to install and press F6 at the beginning of the installation.

At the beginning of installation, I've hit F6 to load up, alternately, both nvidia RAID drivers, the nvidia RAID drivers and the SI 3114 RAID drivers, or just the SI 3114 RAID drivers. Winxp never detects any drives. I try to disconnect one of the sata dives and windows sees it (either one, doesn't matter).

I've tried the drivers on the floppy that came with the board, the drivers from Biostar's website and the latest from nvidia's site.

 

[CGR]

The only time I have seen the XP installation not seeing the logical drive is when the drivers were not loaded. If you are loading the correct drivers and XP still isnt seeing it then I dont know what to suggest.

Maybe try breaking the raid and re-configuring it.

 

[Scott9027]

Are the drives the same model?

 

[g14novak]

The drives don't have to be the same model, I ran a RAID0 for about 2 months with a 160gb WD and a 120gb Seagate.

 

[UglyChild]

You have latest BIOS for your mobo?

 

[Skeen]

Thanks for the replies. I think my floppy drive was going wonky or something. I hadn't used it for several years and I dug it out of a drawer.

After breaking the array and starting over I was finally able to get Windows to see the array, but then it would later say it couldn't copy nvraid.sys. So I finally got fed up and made an xp disc with the raid drivers built in using nlite. It went off without a hitch.

Thanks again.