Gigabyte EP-35-DS3P - RAID1 - Win7Pro 64Bit - Drivers Needed?

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baumgrenze

baumgrenze

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I hope to get a little more service out of a 6-year-old tower built for me in March 2008 by GamePC/Solid Electric of Palo Alto . It is based on a Gigabyte EP-35-DS3P. I have enjoyed using it under WinXPPro. Now I need to upgrade to Win 7 and have elected Pro 64 bit.

The processor is an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4 GHz) Quad Core. The mobo includes SATAII. It has the Intel P35 chipset in the North Bridge (2 GSATA ports) and Intel ICH9R in the South Bridge (6 SATAII ports.

I plan to upgrade the memory from the current 2 GB of memory (Kingston KHX8500D2K212G 2 GB twin pack) to two 4 GB twin packs of DDR2 memory for a total of 8 GB at 800 mHz to avoid crashes.

As an on-the-fly backup strategy, I now have XP Pro and my program files on two 2 Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000 RPM drives in RAID1 . I have my data on two Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 7,200 RPM drives, again in RAID1. I've used the Intel Rapid Storage Technology RAID control software that came with the machine. They are on ports 0 and 1, and ports 2 and 4, respectively.

I have a Sony Optiarc DVD RW AD-7241S on port 3 and 1 TB of ESATA storage for backup on port 5.

The 2 GSATA ports are unoccupied.

1) Has Intel developed a driver for ICH9R that will work in this machine under Win 7Pro 64 bit? If you have a link to a tested driver, I’d very much appreciate it. I would prefer to continue using my RAID1 strategy if I can.

2) If the Raptors are too small for the Win7 OS and programs, has anyone had experience combining two SATAII solid state drives in a RAID1 using Intel ICH9R and Intel Rapid Storage Technology RAID control software?

3) How important is read/write speed for a SATAII optical disk drive (CD and/or DVD?) I’m wondering if I should attach my Sony RW AD-7241S to one of my GSATA ports.

4) I’m about ready to replace my legacy HP 9200 SCSI CD writer. I bought it in 1999 because it was then fast and I already had a SCSI based HP Photosmart C5100 scanner. For some time it has no longer worked. I can’t get it to open the mode in which it accepts 5x7 printed media, so I can’t recalibrate it. I’m ready to pull the Adaptec SCSI Card 29160N - Ultra160 SCSI card. It slows every reboot. Is it worth installing an additional optical drive again? If so, what?

Thanks,

baumgrenze

The Read This First asked me to list all components. I know I have a floppy drive; I think I repurposed it from my last Dell. I have a non-functional SIIG JU-MR0012-S1 internal USB multicard reader that failed. It is in the top bay on my Lian Li PC-B25B case and I don't have the patience to open things up just to remove it. I'm using a Kingston external USB card reader now. I have an Epson Perfection 636U scanner, an Edirol UA-1EX USB Audio Interface, an HP 882 DeskJet printer, and a Canon IP4700 printer, all USB. I know I have a U.S. Robotics 56K Voice PCI Model 3298 "Hawk" modem that I've not used in years.
 
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cin19
Yes, you can download all the drivers you want to the USB drive and use them later.

If you don't change those setting in the BIOS, the PC will boot from default that depends on the manufacturer's setting. Like the PC will boot the device like HDD/SSD that connect to the SATAII_0 port and usually AHCI mode. So if your hard drive does not has OS in it then the PC will become boot loop or black screen like that.
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Calvin7

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Gigabyte lists Intel SATA RAID/AHCI Driver 8.9.0.1023 on the product support page.
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=17882&ProdId=2101&lang=eng&OSVersion=Windows%207%20(64-bit)*&DownloadType=Software%20Archives&OSVersion=Windows%207%20(64-bit)*&DownloadType=Software%20Archives

The small size download is the driver. The larger download is the main program that you can install while in Windows.
This link shows how to install SATA Raid Driver in Windows 7.
SATA Driver - Load in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/68505-sata-driver-load-windows-7-vista-setup.html
 
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cin19

cin19

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1) you need to use the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager for the ICH9R, here is the info. http://downloadmirror.intel.com/17882/eng/readme.txt
2) If you only use the raid0 for the 2 Raptor then you are more than enough space for win7, the win7 only use ~20GB something space. I used two SSD in the raid0.
3) Even use SSD in the SATAII port, you will not notice the big difference in the real world usage. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sata-6gbps-performance-sata-3gbps,3110-7.html so don't worry about it.
4) Yes, get the new DVD burner.
 
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baumgrenze

baumgrenze

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I hope it is not 'out of order' to thank both Calvin 7 and cin19 for their helpful answers and to use this post to refine my question. I certainly appreciate their help.

The Win7 Pro product I bought is X15-60617-01 Retail Box Part number: FQC-00130. It is sealed with a MS sticker and seal. I have an RMA that is good until 8 April 2014 to decide to open it and install. I bought it because it is clearly an upgrade from XP. I hope it is a legitimate copy.

Migration from XP requires a clean install. Do I understand correctly that this means that I start with a freshly formatted HDD (or a pair in RAID1?) This means that the install doesn't need to detect XP too work, that the MS checkpoint is when I register the software with them and give them the product key for the installed OEM XP and the product key for the Win7?

Would it make sense for me to save a fall-back position by removing the two HDD that now contain XP and my programs? If I could not get Win7 to work as I want it, these could be put back and the machine used as a stand-alone device for photo processing and audio processing. I could spend $200 for a pair of Crucial M550 CT128M550SSD1 2.5" 128GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC Internal Solid State Drives and use them for the Win7 install.

Once I've addressed the items that are marked with ! in the Win7UpgradeReport, is my install procedure simple as running the appropriate DVD in the software box I received?

Thanks again,

baumgrenze
 
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cin19

cin19

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I have a question for you, you said you will use the PC for photo processing and audio processing, you use the raid1 that don't help a lot ( at least for the photo processing because I did that too, I don't for the audio processing ), because you use either scratch disks or large HDD that will help to optimize performance for the Photoshop. Or use the SSD that will help too. If you use raid I recommend to use the raid0, as long as you backup the whole drive regularly you will be fine.

Back to your question. Look like you have the win7 upgrade version, here is the link for how to install with a upgrade Windows 7 version. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html During the installation, you need use the links ( Calvin 7 provided) to load the SATA RAID/AHCI Driver 8.9.0.1023, all you need to do that download and unzip the file ( f6flpy6489.zip ) to the USB drive before you start to install the win7, go to the BIOS and set the 1st boot order=DVD, 2nd boot=HDD/SSD, also set the storage mode to raid if you use the raid. After load that driver and follow the screen step by step to install the win7.

And if you use the SSD then you need to unplug all other HDD, only the SSD + DVD with win7 disc during the installation. Also after done the installation, you need to tweak the SSD check the link, it is old but it works well. Read the Useful SSD Articles - Part 2, section Tweaks / Optimization. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/270102-32-useful-articles-part
 
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baumgrenze

baumgrenze

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Thank you cin 19 for another prompt reply:

I tried not to use too many words. I still think this machine has life in it. I am tempted to remove the existing C: drive RAID1 pair. I know they will boot XP if I get into trouble trying to move to Win7. I would try the Win7 install on one or perhaps 2 SSD in RAID. If I can't get it to work, perhaps I can use them in a new machine.

Perhaps I am naive, but I use RAID1 because it provides me an ongoing backup. I've replaced a couple of HDD's in the machine since it was built in 2008. The Intel RAID software made it very easy to install and include the new disk and have it become part of the mirror pair.

If I ever find the time, I hope to do some analog to digital audio transfer, from 78's, vinyl, reel-to-reel tape and cassettes especially before the latter disintegrate. I've discovered Audacity and think it is flat out wonderful.

I also build things with my hands and use 'CAD' (if Autosketch qualifies) to sketch out ideas. I'm glad to learn that there is open source drafting software at about the level of Autosketch.

Tomorrow I start my 75th year. I am increasingly aware that the fraction that remains becomes smaller and smaller every day. That is why I rebel against being told that I must abandon XP, an OS that has served me just fine. I don't want to use my time learning new bells and whistles unless there is a really good reason. I confess to being awful at doing backups; I'd rather be chasing one more idea.

You say: "all you need to do that download and unzip the file ( f6flpy6489.zip ) to the USB drive before you start to install the win7" Do these go on a "USB flash stick" that I navigate to during the install?

Thank you for the links. I will look them up tomorrow.

This may be another 'dumb question' but why, after all these years, don't operating systems store a 'read only' copy of the BIOS setup or why can't they read it? It seems the only way to keep track of a boot sequence is to stop it, screen by screen, and take digital photographs, sort of very primitive screen dumps. There must be a better way to do this.

Thank you for your patience with an old greybeard.

baumgrenze

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cin19

cin19

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Yes, download to the USB flash drive.

And I don't quite understand what do you mean " after all these years, don't operating systems store a 'read only' copy of the BIOS setup or why can't they read it? It seems the only way to keep track of a boot sequence is to stop it, screen by screen, and take digital photographs, sort of very primitive screen dumps. There must be a better way to do this. " Do you have problem to boot the PC or something else?
 
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baumgrenze

baumgrenze

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The comment regarding the BIOS was in response to this part of your reply:

"go to the BIOS and set the 1st boot order=DVD, 2nd boot=HDD/SSD, also set the storage mode to raid if you use the raid."

These words made me realize that it would be useful and helpful to be able to examine a "read only" copy of the BIOS settings without having to reboot and step through that process to record them, either with the time honored use of a pencil and a pad of paper or the somewhat more high tech solution of snapping digital photos of each screen. My primitive understanding of the boot process suggests that the BIOS would need to generate a log file as it executed. Perhaps this is a classic example of Joseph Heller's "Catch 22."

Should the USB flash drive also contain all the drivers I might need for installation?

Thanks again for your patience

baumgrenze




 
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cin19

cin19

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Yes, you can download all the drivers you want to the USB drive and use them later.

If you don't change those setting in the BIOS, the PC will boot from default that depends on the manufacturer's setting. Like the PC will boot the device like HDD/SSD that connect to the SATAII_0 port and usually AHCI mode. So if your hard drive does not has OS in it then the PC will become boot loop or black screen like that.
 
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