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XP installation problem or a possible SCSI problem

Discussion in 'Windows XP' started by mtiffany, 2006/09/29.

  1. 2006/09/29
    mtiffany

    mtiffany Inactive Thread Starter

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    Here is my setup:

    Sony VAIO RC210G:

    relevant details:

    2x160gig SATA hard drives controlled by an Intel RAID controller that were in RAID 0 but are now as separate drives.

    Added:

    LSI logic 320-2 SCSI PCI card (note this is a 64-bit, 66 MHz PCI card but it is installed in a 32-bit, 33MHz PCI slot - the card is backwards compatible although I don't think it opporates at SCSI Ultra3 or 320Mb/sec in a 32-bit slot)

    Fujitsu 15krpm drive with ID set to 0 so it can boot.

    SCSI cord has a connector for the bus, 1 drive, and a terminator.

    Terminator is attached to the last connector (I am pretty sure the connector is a QVS active terminator (part # I68F-AT), which I believe (active vis-a-vis passive) are needed for SCSI Ultra3 - although attaching the PCI card to a 32-bit slot makes it operate at SCSI Ultra2, I believe). The SCSI card terminates itself and provides termination power to the terminator. There is also a jumper on the drive to force the drive into SE-mode rather than LVD-mode, which again I think makes the transfer rates not Ultra3.

    I believe everything is set up correctly but there might be a problem as all the hardware is setup to be running at Ultra3 but is only able to run at Ultra2 or 160Mb/sec - perhaps using an active terminator is wrong in this case.

    In any event it seems like the hardware is working correctly as I can do the following:

    I can enter the SCSI card's bios, set up the logical drive and initialize it.

    On one of the SATA drives I have XP installed. XP recognizes the SCSI hard drive after running disk management. I can then format it.

    So then I go into the mobo bios and change the boot order to put the SCSI drive first and then begin installation of XP.

    XP copies all the setup files to the SCSI drive then when it tries to re-boot from the SCSI drive I get the "operating system not found' message and XP installation will no longer continue.

    I don't really know what is going on. Clearly the hardware is working properly as I can get the SCSI drive to boot first, moreover it must be terminated correctly since I can read/write to the drive. There are no bad sectors or read errors on the SCSI drive that I know of although I have not run fdisk or chkdsk.

    I have tried formatting the SCSI drive using disk management in XP on the SATA drive, which assigns the drive letter as J: but then during the XP installation gets changed to C: (note also that I format the drive as primary and set it active). I have also tried formatting the drive through the XP installation CD itself.

    I believe that since I can see all the hard drives (the SATA and the SCSI) the necessary drivers are loaded and I do not need to load them separately. If the drivers were not loaded correctly would I be able to see the drives? (I have no floppy drive but I have read about how to slipstream drivers into an installation disk and I got nLite)


    Here is what I plan on doing:

    1. Run FIXBOOT and FIXMBR to make sure that the problem doesn't lie there on the aborted installation I have already done. I would think that formatting the drive and then installing XP to it would take care of creating an MBR on the installtion drive, but I have no idea if it does in this case.

    2. If that doesn't work then I will try installing XP to the second SATA drive (which I am sure will work) and use a program to duplicate that installation to the SCSI drive and see if it will boot then - possilbly running the FIXBOOT and FIXMBR.

    3. If neither of those work that is why I am comming here. Does anyone know what is going on?

    4. If nothing works then I am going to punt the SCSI setup out the window.

    Thanks in advance for any shred of help anyone can lend me.
     
  2. 2006/09/29
    mtiffany

    mtiffany Inactive Thread Starter

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    Update

    Ok so here is what has happened:

    I couldn't get the FIXBOOT or FIXMBR to work. I tried to install XP on the second SATA harddrive but it would not boot, so I couldn't try to move the installation from the SATA drive to the SCSI drive.

    I did however get Vista RC1 to install on the SCSI drive and boot up and work great!!?!?!!?

    Then since I ultimately want the SATA drives in a RAID 0 array, I went back into the RAID bios and set it up, which promptly made the SCSI drive no longer bootable.

    All in all, I think what is happening here is that the XP installation even though it recognizes all drives the drivers are not correctly loaded causing some kind of problem. Because during the installation of Vista I could not see the drives until I loaded the drivers from a CD (I guess in the year 2006 we finally don't have to have floppy drives even though computers haven't been using them since well over 2 years ago - the ability of Vista to install drivers from a CD/DVD or usb key is a wonderful addition). Then when I switch to a RAID 0 set up I think those drives take priority in the boot order from some odd reason even though the SCSI PCI card is set in the BIOS to boot first?!?!.

    I guess I am stuck with Vista for now until I can slipstream the proper drivers into my XP cd. But I am still left with the strange RAID 0 problem, which I would like to take care of.

    Anyone know why the SATA drives as non-RAID allow my SCSI drive to boot, but when in RAID do not?

    Thanks in advance

    Matt
     

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  4. 2006/09/29
    Rainey

    Rainey Inactive

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    Using a utility like Fdisk or Partition magic, only one drive should be marked as active and that is the the drive that will be looked at for the MBR when the system boots up.

    When you had XP installed on the SATA drive and then installed XP on the SCSI drive you were still booting through the SATA drive and that drive was still drive C: and the SCSI drive would of been drive D: or some other letter after loading. If you un mark the SATA drive so it is not the active drive then install XP from your CD then it should work like you want it to.
     

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