Can't boot on Sil0680 Controller with 2 CD/DVD drives connected!

I have a UDMA controller with the Sil0680 chipset. I'm having a strange boot problem with it.

I have 2 identical UDMA hard drives on the primary cable, one of course being the boot drive. I am trying to connect 2 CDROM drives to the secondary cable.

The problem is if I try to connection BOTH CD drives together. In particular, I'm trying to add a DVD ROM drive and a CD-RW drive. When I connect ONLY the CD-RW drive, the system boots fine to the hard drives. However if I connect the DVD, the system won't boot to the drives.

I've tried using master/slave and cable select on the cables and switching the settings of each but I always wind up with the same thing; if the DVD drive *AND* the CD-RW are connected TOGETHER, I can't boot. The system doesn't recognize the boot device.

Naturally, the raid screen in the bios phase shows all the drives properly initialized on the controller. It's just I can't boot.

I have NO idea why I can't boot here. It makes *NO* sense.

Please help?

 

Hi stelliger

I don't use RAID.

My simplistic view would be that it seems that the optical drives were being set up in RAID configuration and will not work that way. If so, can you disable RAID on the secondary controller?

Next (assuming that the controller is built-in, not a PCI card), in the BIOS settings, on the main configuration screen, it should list the drive controllers. The secondary drives are probably set to "Auto ", this setting may be able to be changed to "CDrom" which should force the BIOS to see them as optical drives.

If it is a PCI card, it may have a flashable firmware BIOS.

IN-DEPTH discussion here:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/printthread.php?t=90930&pp=100
Some of those controllers seem to "dislike" opticals. The 0680 seems to be one of the best though. The setup of the 0680 is discussed about 2/3 down page 1. Post a question in their hardware forum if all else fails.

Go to the Silicon Image website and see if they have FAQs or setup information on your model.

Luck
Matt

 

Hi Matt and thanks for the reply.


<< My simplistic view would be that it seems that the optical drives were being set up in RAID configuration and will not work that way. If so, can you disable RAID on the secondary controller? >>

I don't see that they were but I'll have to get into the setup of the card. Keep in mind that it's ONE card but with primary and secondary cables.

I use the raid controller only because it was the only kind of UMDA controller I could find at the store when I needed one. I didn't buy it for the raid capabilities


<< Next (assuming that the controller is built-in, not a PCI card), in the BIOS settings, on the main configuration screen, it should list the drive controllers. The secondary drives are probably set to "Auto ", this setting may be able to be changed to "CDrom" which should force the BIOS to see them as optical drives. >>

No... it's a PCI card so the BIOS does nothing but view the drives on the card as "SCSI ", whether they're hard drives or CDROMs. It's the controller card itself which decides which will boot.

What I don't understand is why EITHER of the CDROM drives installed will allow the hdds to boot but only when BOTH are installed will it fail. As I said... I thought it might have been cured if I changed the master/slave order or went to cable select... but no.

It's as if when both CD drives are in, it puts priority for booting on them instead of the HDDs


<< If it is a PCI card, it may have a flashable firmware BIOS. >>

I thought of that but I've already flashed it at least once. It seems unlikely this particular problem would be solved in a more recent update... but you never know.


<< Go to the Silicon Image website and see if they have FAQs or setup information on your model. >>

I will try it

 

Sure do hope you can lick it.

Was reading this today:
http://www.pcuser.com.au/pcuser/hs2.nsf/web/9BFCC9DEFC37EE0DCA257036003EBB2B
Since you do not use RAID, why not try the HDDs as masters on each channel and the opticals as slaves. As long as you have 80 lead cables there should be no problem.

Also check for firmware updates for the optical drives. Seems like one is trying to "dominate" and thus both are being lost (although it might also be effected by the "dislike" they mention on the CDfreaks forum).

Maybe one is male the other female

Matt

 

<< why not try the HDDs as masters on each channel and the opticals as slaves. >>

Hmm. Might be an idea. The only problem might be making the physical connections. The only real reason to keep the HDDs on one cable was convenience, really, esp. since reading that article.


<< Also check for firmware updates for the optical drives. Seems like one is trying to "dominate" and thus both are being lost >>

Well... they're not being "lost" in that they both appear on the RAID list as drives.

Also of note: putting a bootable CD in either of the drives doesn't allow for booting from the CD.

BTW... I noticed each of the HDDs appears as a "set" on the RAID list. If I delete this "set" will I lose the drive? Will it damage any data on the drive? I must confess to not knowing much of RAID sets except for mirroring.



<< Maybe one is male the other female >>

LOL!

 

Stelliger, I can't offer much more in the way of suggestions (since I have never had a similar card or run RAID )

This part concerns me:
"RAID list "
Are the drives being set up in RAID configuration? It seems that you only want to run the drives as a standard IDE configuration.

Problem is...if the two "identical" harddrives are being run under some sort of RAID configuration, changing that configuration may "lose" one or both drives.

?...how could I advise you?

Matt

 

Hi... I appreciate all your advice. I understand you can only help so much. I was hoping with enough time this thread would get a response from someone who had a similar problem saying "yes! - I've experienced that and this is what I did"

Anyway - as for "RAID list ", I'm referring to the list of drives during the boot. It lists all the drives which the card recognizes and, indeed, my 2 IDE drives appear as do the 2 opticals. Hence; it's not a recognition problem.

What DOES concern me, however, is that it talks about "set 1" and "set 2 ". Specifically, IDE 0 is "set 1" and IDE 1 is "set 2 ". I don't get it; I never set up any RAID and only 1 drive is in each "set ". I'd try deleting the set but with my luck I'd wind up killing the data on the drive....

I haven't had the chance to hook each IDE and optical to the different channels, yet.... that will require a bit of creative work to get the wires to reach...

 

I have never run raid but I do know this... The idea of raid, especially if striped, is to take two drives and make them appear as one. This can not be done if they are on the same channel. The real advantage of raid is the ability to use both channels at the same time to drastically increase the apparent speed.

I can not guarantee this but the suggestion given in another post on setting the hard drives up as masters on both primary and secondary channels with the opticals set as slaves behind the hard drives may very well be the best solution.

Even if not setting the system up as raid, if I remember from another post, the controler is a PCI card. Even if not actually using raid the card may default to raid type configurations.

Also, if I did remember correctly that the controler is PCI then you may want to try putting the hard drives on the PCI controler and the opticals on the main board IDE channels.

 

Engcon, take note of what Jay was saying (not that I can verify it ). The "sets" may be saying that when you first set up the drives, the RAID drivers were installed...although you MAY NOT be trying to use them.

If a striped RAID setup may be installed, it could be disasterous if you change the configuration.

Before you do much more experimentation, I would backup the data.

Think back how you set up the drives. Read (reread) the setup instructions supplied by the card's manufacturer (check through the files on the setup CD, I have found them buried deep in the folders).

The drive manufacturers utilities may have utilities for backing-up the Boot Sector/MBR of the drives.

Matt