Maxtor Ultra ATA/133 PCI Adapter Card HELP!!!

slim142

Distinguished
Jan 29, 2006
2,704
0
20,780
Hi

Im looking for this card

Maxtor Ultra ATA/133 PCI Adapter Card

Yes, But this is the PCI adapter card with 2 IDE ports! I only find the one with 1 IDE and 1 SATA port but I dont need the SATA!

Does anybody know where can I still get it brand new? BTW, could you give me the name of another card but different brand? like a Western Digital one with 2 IDE ports? is there any? I dont want unknown brands please.

Thanks
 

Mondoman

Splendid
Ebay is a good place to look; you don't need a "new" board. BTW, Maxtor doesn't make the card, it just has the real manufacturer slap a Maxtor label on their card, so looking for "brand name" isn't as easy as it seems.
 

mdmoy

Distinguished
Sep 20, 2006
16
0
18,510
I've used Promise Ultra 133 TX2 in several machines. I currently have it installed on an Intel D975XBX to give each of my 2 optical drives it's own channel. (The Intel mobo only has one IDE 100 port). It's $31 at Newegg...
 

GunnySpook

Distinguished
Aug 17, 2006
46
0
18,530
OK - I need help on this one....

I've got a new XBX2 board and 2 SATAdrives. Everything boots fine, and system runs great! (C2D e6600)

Then I start to add my old IDE drives, along with the Promise Ultra133TX2 controller. This is where the trouble begins.

I'm just trying to get ONE of the IDE drives to work first. (the on-board IDE controller is handling 2 CD/DVD writers)

If a drive is connected to the Promise controller, the boot sequence hangs immediately after the Promise controller boots and detects the hard drive attached.

If I disconnect the drive, then the boot will complete, but with the message that since there were no drives detected, the promise BIOS wasn't loaded.

I really need/want to get my IDE drives wotking along with the SATA drives.

Any ideas?

Oh - it's WinXP Pro.

Thanks!

The Gunny
 

slim142

Distinguished
Jan 29, 2006
2,704
0
20,780
I think I cant really help you on that. I just wanna say to the others that I got a deal for $11.95 in eBay for the Maxtor ATA/133 PCI card which I think is a good deal. Included cables, manuals, cd and box.
 

mdmoy

Distinguished
Sep 20, 2006
16
0
18,510
maybe your boot sequence in the BIOS is looking at the drives on the Promise card first? Or, if the drives were originally set up formatted with a different controller, it's s-l-i-g-h-t-l-y possible that something in the MFT or boot sector on those drives is making the controller act funny.

Maybe try disconnecting optical drives and seeing if the IDE disks will work on the mobo controller, just as a test. You could also use a utility like Acronis to more closely look at how th IDE disks are set up - are they primary partitions from an older PC setup, with an OS installed? It might be creating some conflicts.....
 

GunnySpook

Distinguished
Aug 17, 2006
46
0
18,530
Good idea mdmoy -I'll see what happens with the mb controller.

The drive I'm trying to get to work first was a data only drive in it's prior life - not a boot drive. Would there still be a boot sector conflict? And it was installed in a WinXP system.

I also have Partition Magic, but the problem is that when I have a drive connected to the controller, the boot sequence hangs/stalls right after the controller detect. System doesn't complete the boot, so I can't check it.

The boot completes when the drive is disconnected (controller card still installed) but there's nothing to see then.

Thanks! I'll try the onboard IDE controller....

The Gunny
 

GunnySpook

Distinguished
Aug 17, 2006
46
0
18,530
OK, the drive is detected and fully functional using the on-board IDE controller.

So it's the Promise controller that is the problem.

But I can't use the on-board controller because I've got other devices (DVD writers) that will be connected to it, so I have to solve the Promise issue. :(

The controller is good - shouldn't be a problem!

If the Promise Ultra133TX2 is non-functional in Intel XBX boards, what controller are people using in Intel XBX board to expand the IDE connectivity? I can't see that it would only be a problem with the Promise controller.

Is there a config fix for the Promise?

What's next? I can't let 600 Gigs (3 PATA 133 drives) of disk just sit there! :)

The Gunny
 

slim142

Distinguished
Jan 29, 2006
2,704
0
20,780
Why dont you try to get another IDE controller (maxtor one) from eBay for an acceptable price and try with that?

Also, did you try reinstalling the drivers? are you using the last drivers from the manufacturer?
 

GunnySpook

Distinguished
Aug 17, 2006
46
0
18,530
Well, this IS the Maxtor controller. :( Made by Promise, but branded by maxtor - it was included with one of the drives when I bought it.

I've got the latest recommended version of the driver/firmware from Maxtor - they tell you to only use their approved version, but I think I'll go to the Promise site and try their BIOS update and latest driver. Nothing to lose.

I was hoping some of the folk who said they had actually done this with promise controllers would offer some tips or insight. Of course, FAQ and the sites don't say anything about conflicts....

Thanks, slim!

The Gunny
 

slim142

Distinguished
Jan 29, 2006
2,704
0
20,780
No problem. Is just weird that it doesnt work as expected. I think you might want to keep trying or in the lastest just get another adaptor but they are pricey right now.

Weird...
 

GunnySpook

Distinguished
Aug 17, 2006
46
0
18,530
It works!

The Maxtor/Promise card was using the current driver according to Maxtor, and even reloading their driver didn't help.

Then I went to the Promise site and updated the BIOS and got their latest driver.

Now everything is working fine.

Thanks, slim!

The Gunny
 

440bx

Distinguished
Jan 18, 2006
371
1
18,810
Gunny,

Just FYI, the Maxtor/Promise Ultra133 controller supports the ATAPI specification, that means, you can connect your CD/DVD drives to it (provided they are PATA of course) and they will work fine.

I have 3 (or 4, not sure anymore) of those controllers in various machines, controlling a mix of CD burners, DVD burners and hard drives, so I can vouch that it works.

HTH
 

GunnySpook

Distinguished
Aug 17, 2006
46
0
18,530
Agreed, 440BX - this will be the third machine this particular has resided in.

That's why I was somewhat dismayed when it didn't [initially] work!

The Gunny
 

dsantefort

Distinguished
Dec 22, 2010
1
0
18,510
I was taking my old comupter apart and I think I have exactly what you are looking for. If you want you can email me and we can find out. dsantefort@yahoo.com