CMOS Clear-Bios settings

Hey Reboot - you out there? - help!

 

Hey mattman: I guess Reboot took the day off.

What I'm trying to accomplish:

Four HDD, 3 Optical

No problem If I boot from PCI IDE/raid card, except for restoring backups.

If crash keeps machine from booting, both mentioned backup programs have the ability to boot from CD and restore "C "

However, when machine is set up to boot from PCI, and in testing boot from prgram's start up CD to restore "C ", neither backup program can "see" "C "

The backup images are stored on drive connected to MOBO. Boot restore program sees backup images, wants to know where to restore. Try to tell it "C ", but says no such drive,no such place and pretty much asks me "what the h*** are you talking about. "

I'm talking about current backups. If I copied CD's to disk, and couldn't boot, how would I access the program?? Besides in both cases, after CDs boot machine and set up the restore program they are out of it, & I can eject start up CD, insert CD's with images on them, same problem, asks where to restore, back to square 1.

When machine is set up to boot from MOBO IDE, PCI boot screen detects drives attached to it, but, they are not available for machine to read/write. They are just not recognized by Windows as being present.

Device manage shows PCI card present, drivers installed, working properly. I boot with "C" attached there, and machine sees/accesses all drives.

I've installed, uninstalled, old drivers, new drivers, plugged, unplugged, reinstalled, changed bios, used ESCD, messed around with boot order on card, on MOBO, So far, two bsd with error message #of 15 or 20 "0 "s and "X "s, one error message on boot screen.: "NTLDR is misssing" when machine refused to boot. (twice this evening when all drives plugged in. I guessed that meant NT Loarder, maybe?

I'm running now with PCI card out of system, booted from MOBO

Been at ll day, making no progress. I sure would like to get it set up so I can use it for a while without working on it and also be prepared for the next disaster.

 

Thanks for setting that out. Didn't know you were working on that many drives .

A lot of food for thought.

Question: Why 3 opticals? (Edit: To answer my own question, probably DVD-RW, CDRW and a CD reader).


Matt

 

1. DVD writer @ 4X & 16X
2. DVD reader
3. CD R-RW @48X

Got 'em, why not use 'em. DVD writer very slow writing CD's., Use DVD reader, save wear & tear on DVD writer.
CD R-RW almost 4 times faster than combo drive.

I think I also may have found a solution to boot problem, actually a drive restore problem, but will try to get in touch with PCI card mfg support tomorrow.

I think, all HDD drives on PCI Card, opticals on MOBO might work if when Booting from DI7, Get message for install of 3rd party raid drivers. (F6, same as when installing XP) will post back either way, something has got to work. (mabe)

 

Hope you're getting somewhere.

One or thoughts I am playing with (on restoration):

Changing the IDE location of the writer when making /restoring backups.

A dual boot system, one for running restoration.

If you have your old computer stashed in a cupboard may work as a LAN restoration system.

Bit hard to visualise all your drives etc, hope you're using a big blackboard with a good eraser .

Matt

 

Seems to me I'm getting nowhere in a hurry. I keep learning more and more about less and less and pretty soon, I'll know everything there is to know about nothing.

I sure have learned what doesn't work!! That is progress I guess.

I like your Ideas about dual boot and change optical drive location. As far as old computers go, I cannabalized my old one and rebuilt it for my son. I've got a lot of spare parts, but not enough to put together a server.

Few years ago, I tossed an old Gateway with a full tower and 6Gig hard drive. Didn't know any better. Wish I had it now. Friend gave it to me, got it from a business that closed. I still have the monitor, don't know what I'll do with it (15 "), it works and I'm not going to toss it.

I had this machine originally set up dual boot, 98SE, was having so much trouble with XP, dumped 98 SE. Sometimes regret doing that. May have dumped wrong os.

Anyhow, I'm not going to do anything with the setup until monday, going to try to reach PCI card MFG.

Thanks again for your continued help and interest. You and Billybob both.

Martin

 

Now I'm a little lost and in need of some clarification. Your MB has 2 IDE headers that will handle four ATA 33/66 devices. You've added to that a PCI controller that will handle two or four devices? If the answer is four, which it has to be for you to run 7 IDE Devices, then why aren't you configured with all four drives on the PCI card and yes, most definately you'll need to hit F6 during an install or repair to load the drivers. Also, (and I'm sure you tried - I probably just missed it) but what happened when you tried the unsigned mfg drivers as originally suggested? Or, were the drives not recognized at all? Excuse me if I had a brain cramp along the way - I like your thinking. Just did a file server with 560 gigs of drive space and the client now wants to add 400 more to image every workstation to the file server daily. If thats not enough, its critical data files are also set up in an intelli-mirror to two drives on another file server.

 

Hey Rockster: Well, you are way ahead of me. I would have posted this anyhow, but you got me beat by a little bit.

Yeah, 2 headers for 4 drives on PCI card, 2 headers for four drives on MOBO.

The plan is to connect all HDD to the PCI card and the opticals to the mobo.


The way I'm running now:

When "C" is connected to the PCI card, MOBO bios must be set for boot from SCSI and, I accidentally found a way into the SCSI bios, when you F3 it to set up raid, which I had never planned to do so I had never hit that key, then don't set up raid and hit ESC to exit raid setup, Raid controller card bios pops up, allowing choice of boot drives. Set to 0.

With this set up, all drives become visible to Windows. Machine boots w/o a hitch.

I just wanted to talk to the mfg. before I did it, just in case I'm on the wrong track.

What is nagging at me is that for about 30 minutes yesterday, I had system booting and running with all drives visable when "C" was on the MOBO. Then I replaced one of the MOBO drives (unformatted) and was shot down on reboot.

Try, try, try again, could not duplicate a setup that would do that.

I'm not even sure that would be preferable, except you got to really pay attention when the F6 prompt comes up in DI boot, it goes by in about 1/2 second.

With the setup the way it is, I booted from Drive Image 7 CD, clicked F6 when prompted, (Like in Windows XP Installaton) inserted diskette with drivers in floppy, machine found drivers, installed and made all drives visible. Went to Image Restore in DI7, no problem finding backup and offering to restore or browse files. I did not attempt the restore as the backup was about 10 days old and I have changed so much on this machine, I sure don't want to go back 10 days.

So, I don't know yet if the restore would actually work.

One thing for sure, I'm just a little more relaxed, I'm not holding my breath everytime I reboot.

Martin

 

OK, was hesitant to say it before, but you are home free. You beat that sucker - you won! Enjoy the victory - you earned it. Time to kick your feet up and relax a bit - sure, there's still more to do but you've got it licked. Congratulations.

I'd keep all the hard drives on the PCI because you have more control with a seperate menu and, just as importantly, that MB only gives you ATA 66 from the regular headers.

Am about to start playing around with a DFI NForce II 400mhz MB that has both regular IDE & IDE RAID and serial ATA - just ordered a special case for it last night. Hehehe .....

 

Hey Rockster, up late last night?

Yeah, right now I'm feeling the "Thrill of victory ", Left the agony of defeat well behind.

Bought a new case a couple of weeks back and moved all into it. Full tower with 6 hard drive bays, 6 opitical drive bays, 2 floppy bays. 450 watt power supply, plus lots and lots of room. It's a Chieftec server tower.

If I fill all those bays up, I still have room in this giant case for a few more drives, just hang 'em.

Hmm, wonder if I could fit another MOBO in there?? he he he he.

Tim Allen ain't got nothin' on me!!!

 

More "Thrill/Agony "

I'll bet you guessed I couldn't wait 'til tomorrow to switch those drives.

4 HDD to PCI IDE Raid card, 3 Opticals to MOBO IDE headers.

So I did, and guess what, machine would not boot. I tried every possible combination of boot choices in MOBO and PCI IDE BIOS menus.

Had to sit down an write a list of possible combinations. For each boot choice there are four. For example, SCSI & 0, 0 & SCSI, SCSI & SCSI, 0 & 0. Add Floppy, CDROM, LS120, Drives 1,2 &3 and the number of combinations will skyrocket. Thankfully I did not see a need for other than SCSI, CDROM & 0.

But, after trying all those combinations, almost going nuts for an hour and a half, always with CDROM first, still no boot. Arrgh!

Then I remembered reading something on PCI card's MFG's web site that you either had to have, or could not have, a disc in MOBO IDE channel 1 CD drive when booting.

I popped the drive open, and there sat a non bootable CD.
Took it out, closed the drawer, hit the swithch, machine booted in about 10 seconds.

I got to time it because I've never seen it boot so fast. Must be the Ultra DMA (ATA) 133MB/sec data transfer.

Of course, you know what's next. Recovery program's bootable CDROM disc in drive 0 of IDE MOBO channel 1. Will it boot????

Will post back with either thrill or agony.

Martin

 

Hehehe - next thing you know - you'll be writing manuals and doing FAQ's for that MFG! Getting mighty close now - you'll get it, I have all the confidence in the world you'll get it. Time for a little White Lightnin' soon.

As to your Chieftec - great cases (I've got 2 aluminum Mid-tower Dragon AH-01SL Chieftecs with identical setups in my personal arsenal) My new arrival is coming right from the maker - Chinming - also all aluminum, just a little bigger. In my book, it just doesn't get much better.

 

Whattaru, a night owl like me??

Chinming huh? Not Chinese is it?

Man, I love my new tower & the cpu temp is down by about 17 degrees to 118 F. I now have 8 fans running in this box and a place to mount one more. Believe it or not this box is quieter than the old mid tower.

I downloaded a new utility from VIA, sytem monitor, reports temps, CPU and System, and fan speeds with alarms on all.

Only problem is the stupid thing is reporting my cpu temp as system temp and vice versa. No place to change settings or any help file with it. I guess those smart people aren't as smart as they think they are.

I wish my CPU was running at 96F as reported by VIA, but the bios is reporting it correctly at 118F and the VIA utility is wrong.

 

Don't want to stray too far of course here and ruin your thread but thats still a great temp to be at.

My 2400+'s run at about 106 under medium load but this agoga core 1900+ Palamino is running about 118 - its on an ABIT KT7a RAID V1.1 which isn't supposed to be able to run any XP chips - hehehe - and it runs stable at 2.0GHZ actual, although I've throttled it back down to default (1.6GHZ actual) I've got the core voltage bumped up - thus the heat.

That Chinming (yes they do make Chieftec's and Antec's cases) is getting a Barton core 2500+ for starters and although I haven't OC'ed one of those yet, thats the game plan - just have to work under the chip instead of on top of it.

OK, I won't stray again. I've got to go back and re-read your setup plans- they are intriguing and they are going to work. As an after thought - although it doesn't necessarily relate to your problem, I've had some problems with different CDRW's re: DI 2002. Lite On's have been flawless for me but some (not all) Mitsumi's lock when writing an initial image to CDR's. I guess not all drives are created equal.

 

Hey Rockster: Just booted from DI7 recovery CD, works as advertised! Other than the inconvienience of having to load drivers for the PCI IDE Raid card when DI7 boots the machine, (and worrying that I'll forget where I put the floppy) I see no other flaws. (yet)

About the CDR lock, every UDF packet writing program I've used (4) locks the CD drive. I can only eject newly written CDR's through the packet writing program. I think this is normal behavior, I suspect that these programs don't write to the CDR until the eject, that's and that's the why of the lockup and delay on ejection. When re-insterting a written CD, no lock, no eject problem.

I can't thank this board enough, especially you Rockster and you Mattman for sticking with me through this. Without your encouragement and support & suggestions, I would never have made it work. Probably would have tossed the computer into the pond.

And for anybody reading this post who hasn't become a contributing member, do it today, keep this board running.

 

Congratulations Dad - I understand that the MFG's human resources department has already approached you about hosting a user's FAQ site and doing both a short video and an in-depth how-to manual. Hehehe .......

Great conquest - you have certainly earned it and deserve all the kudo's you can get. Couldn't be happier for you. What a sense of accomplishment, huh?

 

Congrats from me as well (Dad??...must have missed the part about the birth ).
Hope some of my rubbish was useful.
Glad Rockster (and B-B) was with us.

You should find that the Packet Writers do that. It should say it in their instructions (help).

I have gone the opposite way and put my copy of XP back in the box. I have Win 98 too well tamed now...and it does everything I want it to do.

Unless a part is physically broken I will always try and tackle the problem. Your success is one that I would envy.
Well done .

Matt

 

I guess that Dad stuff came from another post that Rockster was helping on rebuilding my 9 year old daughter's machine.

Your congratulations, kind words and pats on the back are appreciated, but the writing of the manuals is out, I can't remember what I did this morning, let alone yesterday. Check out my profile on this board.I should have deleted the "pushing" part last month.

Never did get to talk to MFG, I/O flex by Koutech, get voice mail & no return call as of yet.

Thanks again guys, see you on some other part of this board.

Be well

Martin

 

I am chagrined: I hope that nobody who followed this post went and installed a controller card and configured it the way I ended up after the last post.

More "Agony of defeat" The experiences I have had with that configuration over the last 24 hours convinced me it was NG.

What was happening:

Intermitent lockups for no apparent reason.

Unpredictable boot failures requiring re-set of bios and/or re-set at boot failure and use of "last good configuration" to boot.

After experiencing these repeated problems for several hours, around 11:00 AM this morning, I dissasembled all the connections and reconfigured as follows:

4 HDD on MOBO IDE headers
3 Optical drives on PCI IDE controller card.

After juggling the drive letters, I have been running and rebooting since then without one boot failure or one lock up.

I probably could have just moved the "C" drive to IDE channel 1 and gotten the same results, but I wanted to eliminate the need to load the raid drivers when booting from CD. This configuration has solved that problem.

So, after much grief, I think I got it.

Maybe?

 

The right way to do it is whatever works. Lets keep our fingers crossed -