Tom's Hardware > Forum > Motherboards & Memory > Epox > Can't Install Windows on RAID 0 Array - nforce4 Ultra

Can't Install Windows on RAID 0 Array - nforce4 Ultra

Forum Motherboards & Memory : Epox - Can't Install Windows on RAID 0 Array - nforce4 Ultra

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bizmarkie   04-22-2006 at 04:36:35 AM

Specs:
Epox EP-9NPA3 Ultra board
Athlon 64 X2 3800
2 seagate Barracuda SATA II HDD
1 GB Corsair ValueSelect (2 x 512) DDR400
Sapphire Radeon x550 PCIe Vid card
NEC DVD RW

Okay, I can't get windows to install on this system. I am using the latest BIOS from epox.com.tw. I have RAID setup in the BIOS and in the NVIDIA RAID utility. Stripe and set as boot=yes.
I have a floppy with the Raid drivers dowloaded from nvidia.com.
I use the F6 option when installing WinXP Home SP2. I specifiy BOTH drivers, per nvidia instructions, and on the next screen Windows DOES see only one HDD, which it should. I install on this volume and it goes fine, until the last reboot. When the PC tries to come up and boot from the RAID array, I get the black screen that says "windows failed to start successfully" or whatever and I have the safe mode, last known good, etc. options to choose from. None work - the PC won't boot.

On the flipside, if I start completely from scratch and DON'T RAID, I can install windows to a single disk with no problems at all.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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KWH   04-22-2006 at 05:16:16 AM
- 0 +

Gotta build the RAID first.

Reply to KWH
pat   04-22-2006 at 10:40:01 PM
- 0 +

get latest drivers from nvidia

Reply to pat
bizmarkie   04-26-2006 at 05:04:48 PM
- 0 +

Thanks for the ideas, guys, but I found the solution to the problem from another thread in this forum.

First, I don't know why the nvidia.com SataRaid drivers don't work. But anyway . . .

The CD that comes with this mobo has a utility that creates the F6 RAID floppy for you. It supposedly copies all the files you need for installing windows on an array. However, if you use this floppy as-is, you get an error during windows install that says the file nvchflt.sys is missing. For some reason, the file doesn't get put on the floppy by the utility.

You have to manually copy the nvchflt.sys file from the EpoX CD to the floppy.

When I did this, the install went flawlessly!

I then went on to download the latest driver package from nvidia.com and installed the IDE and SMBus drivers, with no probs.

I can't thank my homey enough for posting his experience with this missing file, as it crappin' saved my day.

Reply to bizmarkie
ivoryjohn   04-26-2006 at 05:44:39 PM
- 0 +

I wouldn't advocate doing this in the first place. When you lose your stripe, you lose everything, all your updates and all your settings.

I'd use any old ide drive to boot, and save the raid array for stuff that needs it.

Reply to ivoryjohn
hawkeye22   04-26-2006 at 06:34:51 PM
- 0 +

Now that you've got a working set of drivers you may want to create a slipstream CD that includes SP2 and the raid drivers. It's pretty easy to do with NLite.

Reply to hawkeye22
pat   04-26-2006 at 06:44:43 PM
- 0 +

double post ..

Reply to pat
pat   04-26-2006 at 06:45:32 PM
- 0 +

Quote :

Thanks for the ideas, guys, but I found the solution to the problem from another thread in this forum.

First, I don't know why the nvidia.com SataRaid drivers don't work. But anyway . . .

The CD that comes with this mobo has a utility that creates the F6 RAID floppy for you. It supposedly copies all the files you need for installing windows on an array. However, if you use this floppy as-is, you get an error during windows install that says the file nvchflt.sys is missing. For some reason, the file doesn't get put on the floppy by the utility.

You have to manually copy the nvchflt.sys file from the EpoX CD to the floppy.

When I did this, the install went flawlessly!



I then went on to download the latest driver package from nvidia.com and installed the IDE and SMBus drivers, with no probs.

I can't thank my homey enough for posting his experience with this missing file, as it crappin' saved my day.



Usually, I happen to have problem with custom made floppy from CD that come with the board. I most of the time, end up downloading the latest package from nvidia and copy files directly on the floppy. This never has failed to me, that's why I told you to download the latest package from nvidia.

Some BIOS update that are done at first setup sometime upgrade RAID BIOS and make it to keep working with old drivers.

Reply to pat
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