Boot Problems

MK888 · Post by **MK888** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 10:57 am

Here is the situation. I have an Asus K8V delux with an onboard via SATA RAID controller. I have two drives on that controller in a RAID1. I also have a Promise S150SX4 in the machine with four drives in a RAID5. I want to boot from the RAID1 on board

The problem is as follows. When I create the RAID on the Promise board, the machine will not boot. It gets to the point in XP where it is mounting volumes (the black and white line that shoots across the bottom of the screen at boot time) I hear the RAID1 click away, and stop. It then just sits there not doing anything. If I go in, and delete the array from the promise board, leaving all the drive connected, and the board in the same place, the machine boots just fine. I can then go into the promise utility in windows, and create a RAID, and use it with no problem. But I I try and reboot, it does the same thing. I have tried moving the promise board to all PCI slots without any luck.

Any Ideas?

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 11:53 pm

Some suggestions:

- Make sure you have the latest driver AND the latest BIOS for the RAID controller installed. Promise usually matches the BIOS to the driver. If you upgrade the driver you have to upgrade the BIOS or you'll have problems.

- This shouldn't have anything to do with it since WinXP bootstraps but just in case, make sure that in the mobo BIOS the boot order does NOT specify SCSI before IDE (the Promise controller is treated as a SCSI controller).

MK888 · Post by **MK888** » Sun Jun 06, 2004 7:45 pm

I have decided to try something different. I have another promise Serial RAID controller, and I have had more luck with using two promise boards, but the newest thing is as follows.
I now get an error when I try to boot. It tells me that I cant open drive multi(0) disk(0) rdisk(0) partition(1). Then it says that NTLDR cant do the same thing. What is interesting, is that I modified the boot.ini file, but the error message stayed the same. I have the RAID 1 as the primary HD in th BIOS. They are both identified in the BIOS as their correct names. It is AMI BIOS. I wish it were award, and only specified IDE, or SCSI. Both boards have the latest available drivers, and BIOS.

Mike

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Sun Jun 06, 2004 8:01 pm

WHOA! I thought you were just adding a RAID array to a system with an existing non-RAID boot drive.

Are you trying to clone an existing boot partition from a non-RAID drive to a RAID array? You can't just do that and expect to boot into WinXP - you have to boot with the XP CD and do a Repair installation (2nd menu after the EULA agreement). That wipes the device manager and re-installs all hardware. It also re-installs all core files so you'll have to re-install all Critical updates afterwards (and SP1 if it's not a slipstreamed SP1 XP CD).

Changing the BOOT.INI won't help. Windows is seeing the boot partition on a device with a completely different physical address.

If this is Win2K, you're screwed. You'll have to do a clean install of Windows.

BTW: How do you like the Asus K8V mobo? I notice Alienware uses it in their systems and I'm mobo shopping.

MK888 · Post by **MK888** » Sun Jun 06, 2004 9:48 pm

I love the MoBo... Very nice, quick, and lots of onboard stuff...I just with it had award BIOS. I have never liked AMI. Outside that I would give it thumbs up.

As far as the system problems.... here is the history..

Originally had a TX4 RAID controller. Four SATA ports, configured in a 1+0 RAID config. I decided I wanted both more storage, and a "faster" controller. Bought an SX4 (has RAID 5 capability, and a slot for 256MB Dimm) I installed the new card, and booted the machine(boot drives still on the old controller). It found the new controller, installed the driver, it was happy. I ghosted the volume to a backup disk. I moved the drives over to the new controller, created a RAID 5, and ghosted the image back to it. Booted up, and everything worked.

The problem was the RAID5 on the new controller was very slow. Along the lines of 1/4 the speed of the original RAID I had. I decided to get two more SATA drives, and install them as a mirror, and keep the RAID 5 online for storage. Did eveything the reverse as before, and as I type this, I am back on my original controller with the nw drives in a RAID1 config. I wiped out the data on the original RAID 5 so as not to cause windows any problems. I created a new RAID 5, and here I am, the machine wont boot. If I disconnect the RAID 5 drives from the controller, and boot with just the RAID1, the machine boots just fine. I can then hot plug the four drives into the RADI5 controller, define an array, and use it without a problem. That is until I reboot. Then I am back to square one.

I sent email to Promise, but I have a feeling, they are not going to help much.

MK888 · Post by **MK888** » Sun Jun 06, 2004 9:49 pm

Oh and BTW, I tried to boot to the windows CD, for a recovery console..... It just crashes the machine. I get a flashing cursor in the corner for about three seconds, and then the machine reboots.

The_Frapster · Post by **The_Frapster** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 5:28 am

Hmm, I had a similiar problem with Windows 2003. I just rececntly reinstalled new cpu's and Mobo't to my differnet machines. I got a new gamer board, so the old gamer board was demoted to the server board, the server board to the new media board. Anyways, When I was redoing the server, I hooked up just two drives, booted, and installed 2003. Then I shutdown, and installed the drives. I didn't backup the drives, as if there was a problem using them on the new board, I was just going to transfer them to the system the bopard went into. Well the machine would hang with the drives set-up on the raid controller.

I think this is what is happening, when windows formats a drive, it keeps an 8 meg partition on the drive where it writes information to. Maybe drivers, where the drive is in relation to others, stuff like that. When it boots up now, and finds those drives with the old information on them, or drivers, then it freezes the machine.

I am not sure if this would work, since I just put another card into my machine and it woprked fine again, but I would say take the drives individually or together, and hook them up to a straight IDE chain. Delete the partitions, recreate partitions, maybe even a quick format. Then hook it back up to the new controller again to see if it will work.

Good luck and let me know if you try this out and what the results are.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 7:40 am

Well all I can tell you is if you don't do a Repair install you'll have an unstable system. You may get lucky and have it boot, but it won't be right.

Don't understand why the WinXP CD won't boot - must be a hardware issue. Try pulling any hardware you need - just leave what you need in there to do the repair.

Is the CD drive you're booting from on the main EIDE controller?

MK888 · Post by **MK888** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 9:33 am

It is actually on the second IDE controller...... I have booted to it before, but I guess that could be worth a shot.

Thanks FP

MK888 · Post by **MK888** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 11:42 am

I got a response from promise....

Hi

On some systems it will allow you to used 2 Promise controllers but most of the time you can only have one card. By using 2 controllers you will encounter bios or driver conflict. Promise only recommend and support one card per system.

Thank you
Promise Technology Inc
1745 McCandless Drives
Milpitas CA, 95035
408-228-6400

....... well at least they said thank you......

The_Frapster · Post by **The_Frapster** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 1:55 am

Hmm, I am guessing this problem is still not solved. Only thing I can guess at now is a driver/config issue with windows. Since I have no idea on how to solve that per se with editing of running a program, I would say if you can, try to reinstall windows and add your hardware again the way you want it. I would also say add one piece at a time get it setup and then add the next one. As far as promise goes, tell them bullshit, what the heck would they do with a server configuration where there is one then one board installed?

I think whomever it was that told you that was kinda trying to be lazy.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 8:38 am

A server would be using SCSI

The_Frapster · Post by **The_Frapster** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 11:14 am

Originally posted by FlyingPenguin
A server would be using SCSI

LOL, you mean a company server with a budget would be using SCSI, not the cheap ass hillbillies out here who can get away with less, like me

Anyways, they made the Raid card for low-end servers/high-end consumer equipment. It should not excuse the fact that even though these aren't the high dollar customers that they should recieve any less support for their product. If they didn't want to support it, they shouldn't have made it. This BS of well if you install it this way, with this software, and with this thingee over here, then we will support it doesn't fly. Or at least it shouldn't

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 12:10 pm

Wel not that it's worth arguing over, but if you were using more than 4 drives on a server you should be using SCSI.

I just don't see why you're picking on Promise. Most RAID controllers are bus master devices. They're not designed to share the PCI bus with anoth bus master device.

Same goes for most SCSI controllers unless they're specifically designed for tandem operation.

One RAID controller and one onboard EIDE is more than enough for most people. You want more than that, go SCSI.

The_Frapster · Post by **The_Frapster** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 1:06 pm

Not trying to argue, sorry if it seems that was what I was doing, however I just get upset when people just brush you off with an off-handed answer. A better response IMHO would be we don't support that, but other people have had similiar issues and here is what they did to surpass it, or go here for help, or something. Know what I mean?

The server hd's should be SCSI if more then 4 drives issue is a good one as long as money isn't an issue, but face it, it is with most prosumer people. We have those professional(scsi) ideals and yet have our consumer budgets. I just feel that if he spent the money on their products(promise) in the first place, he should get the support he deserves for it, not what he got instead, a thank you but sorry we don't support that.