I cannot install Windows 7 x64 using RAID0 on a Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R.

[Swees]

The Problem:
Windows 7 installation cannot find my hard disk because it doesn't include a driver for the jmicron SATA controllers Gigabyte uses. When I download the drivers from jmicrons site and try to install them I get an error saying that windows 7 does not support the installation of unsigned 64 bit drivers and I'm stuck. Also I cannot enable RAID in the bios on any of the intel controllers, it has to be GSATA(thanks a ton Gigabyte).

Ideas:
A colleague of mine suggested slipstreaming the drivers into the windows 7 installation. I am thinking that this won't work though because the driver will still be unsigned.

I have read several posts about similar issues with jmicron drivers and windows 7 and nobody seems to have a solution other than abandon RAID. The thought has crossed my mind since I don't expect that much of a performance boost but it is the reason I bought the two drives and I just plain old want it to work the way it should!

Any help/ideas/suggest are always appreciated! Thanks!!

 

[Swees]

Found this while I was consulting the google but still can't seem to get windows to recognize the drives.

Here’s how to install Windows 7 using unsigned drivers:
1. Copy your unsigned driver to FDD, USB stick or other media (you will probably need only one .inf and a .sys file).
2. Start Windows 7 setup. At this point, if you choose ‘Install’, your HDD controllers won’t be detected if not supported by W7. So don’t do that.
3. Click ‘Repair’.
4. Wait for the pseudo-scanner to finish.
5. Click load driver.
6. Point to your unsigned driver (the .inf file) you previously copied to FDD/USB stick.
7. Wait again for the pseudo-scanner to finish.
8. Click the ‘x’ in the corner to close the repair mode.
9. Click ‘Install’ to start the installation.
10. Now your SCSI controllers and SCSI HDDs will be detected and there will be no warning of unsigned drivers.

 

[Swees]

After hours of tinkering I couldn't get it working so I installed on a single hd and am saving some cash for a SSD. Kinda pisses me off though I spent enough loot on this machine and don't feel like dumping any more into it for a long time. Oh well, technology.

 

[sub mesa]

JMicron provides very poor RAID-drivers by the way; you probably won't see much performance increase. If you don' t need to boot from the array; using Software RAID0 should be much better.

 

[spooky2th]

The answer is probably in the board manual. I have a different gigabyte board and it's in mine. Here's what is in mine, partially.

5-1-3 Making a SATA RAID/AHCI Driver Diskette
(Required for AHCI and RAID Mode)
To successfully install operating system onto SATA hard drive(s) that is/are configured to RAID/AHCI mode, you need to install the SATA controller driver during the OS installation. Without the driver, the hard drive may not be recognized during the Windows setup process. First of all, copy the driver for the SATA controller from the motherboard driver disk to a floppy disk. For installing Windows Vista, you also can copy the SATA controller driver from the motherboard driver disk to a USB flash drive. See the instructions below about how to copy the driver in MS-DOS and Windows mode.

 

[macarale]

The answer is probably in the board manual. I have a different gigabyte board and it's in mine. Here's what is in mine, partially.

5-1-3 Making a SATA RAID/AHCI Driver Diskette
(Required for AHCI and RAID Mode)
To successfully install operating system onto SATA hard drive(s) that is/are configured to RAID/AHCI mode, you need to install the SATA controller driver during the OS installation. Without the driver, the hard drive may not be recognized during the Windows setup process. First of all, copy the driver for the SATA controller from the motherboard driver disk to a floppy disk. For installing Windows Vista, you also can copy the SATA controller driver from the motherboard driver disk to a USB flash drive. See the instructions below about how to copy the driver in MS-DOS and Windows mode.

It's the same think Swees tried! I followed both the book and the web and win7-64 will still not pickup the driver for the HDD. This sucks!!!

 

[spooky2th]

It took me four tries with my gigabyte AMD comp. GA-880GA-UD3H I finally got the right combination. Am satisfied with non-raid configuration in my older GA-EX58-UD3R comp. The AMD comp does seems faster, more responsive than my supposedly faster EX58, i7 940 comp. I think that's because of Windows 7 in the AMD comp and Vista in the Intel comp.

 

[dellfly22]

It's a catch-22 in a way.... Let me explain. The problem is on PCs with the CD/DVD device running on SATA (/w unformatted Hard Drive on SATA and no OS). People will choose CDROM in Bios Boot Order (On-Board SATA controller is enabled) to install Windows (XP, 7).

You need to choose the CD/DVD device listed that is installed in PC, example: I have an Atapi CD/DVD Device, so, I choose the Atapi DRIVE listed in boot order, NOT the generic entry of CDROM in boot order (your CD/DVD device on SATA tends to be at the bottom of listed boot order)... Choose the explicit device, not the generic CDROM in boot order.

I think issue happens because the CD/DVD device is treated as an actual HD drive when connected to SATA controller (and Bios has controller on) so CDROM in boot order technically means nothing if you have a CD/DVD on the SATA controller. Also, If you leave RAID in IDE mode so boot to CDROM works than Windows install is confused when you go to install a RAID or AHDI - or- when it loads driver it looses itself on the generic CDROM that is really an CD/DVD device on a SATA controller, so it can not allow the SATA controller driver to load. So no controller no HD...

Fix:
Turn on RAID in BIOS, place your CD/DVD Device as boot #1(not generic CDROM), choose HD as boot #2 - restart system with Windows install in CD/DVD device, BUT. FIRST create what ever RAID you want in the RAID Utility (I choose RAID Ready - I only have one Hard Drive) with the <cntrl>-f utility, then allow Windows CD/DVD to load... install should list the HD as unpartitioned space to choose in install.

If you still do not see your Hard Drive listed, click cancel, go to repair, load driver like the person earlier stated (I had to create an install disk on a USB device using the Menu.exe, which, meant I had to change all "A: \" entries to "F:\" drive entries in /bootdrv/menu.bat).

 

[shember]

I'm having similar issues, I created my raid0 volume using 2 500gb seagate 6gpbs hdds, and windows would install all up to the last step of completing installation, then I would get an error message saying setup cannot install windows on this hardware.

I then proceded to grab the drivers directly for my asus delucxe p8z68 mobo and slip them in there during the repair part of the install. It said the drivers were not compatible or something to that effect.

I change from raid mode into ahci and installed on one of the hdd's but whenever I would go to disconnect the harddrive I wasn't using it would give me and error on boot saying that I was missing a physical disk and that it wasn't there.

Have any idea's?

 

[jerryspc]

I'm having similar issues, I created my raid0 volume using 2 500gb seagate 6gpbs hdds, and windows would install all up to the last step of completing installation, then I would get an error message saying setup cannot install windows on this hardware.

I then proceded to grab the drivers directly for my asus delucxe p8z68 mobo and slip them in there during the repair part of the install. It said the drivers were not compatible or something to that effect.

I change from raid mode into ahci and installed on one of the hdd's but whenever I would go to disconnect the harddrive I wasn't using it would give me and error on boot saying that I was missing a physical disk and that it wasn't there.

Have any idea's?

Yes I do, Save all files that you want on your HD. Go back in the BIOS set it to RAID, Going into the RAID Utility and setup your RAID 0. You need to take the Disc that came with the motherboard and bring it up on another PC or the one before you blow it up.. It has a utility in there for the raid diver, basicly click on it and point it to the USB stick. During the OS instalation it will give you the option to Load Drivers. 'Browse" Point to the usb stick and choose the RAID driver on the list. Then you will see it in the instalation the two 500 GB as one TB then your set. Install the OS on that.

Good Luck

 

[Snuffy94]

I'm having similar issues, I created my raid0 volume using 2 500gb seagate 6gpbs hdds, and windows would install all up to the last step of completing installation, then I would get an error message saying setup cannot install windows on this hardware.

I then proceded to grab the drivers directly for my asus delucxe p8z68 mobo and slip them in there during the repair part of the install. It said the drivers were not compatible or something to that effect.

I change from raid mode into ahci and installed on one of the hdd's but whenever I would go to disconnect the harddrive I wasn't using it would give me and error on boot saying that I was missing a physical disk and that it wasn't there.

Have any idea's?

Yes I do, Save all files that you want on your HD. Go back in the BIOS set it to RAID, Going into the RAID Utility and setup your RAID 0. You need to take the Disc that came with the motherboard and bring it up on another PC or the one before you blow it up.. It has a utility in there for the raid diver, basicly click on it and point it to the USB stick. During the OS instalation it will give you the option to Load Drivers. 'Browse" Point to the usb stick and choose the RAID driver on the list. Then you will see it in the instalation the two 500 GB as one TB then your set. Install the OS on that.

Good Luck

I've been dealing with the same problem on a Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 motherboard with2 Vertex 4 256GB SSD's in a RAID 0 configuration. I downloaded the latest SATA Raid drivers from the Gigabyte site, extracted the file to a floppy. During the Windows 7 install when prompted to browse for drivers I browsed to the floppy, selected the W7 x64 SATA driver and it would not install. So, I went to the AMD site and downloaded the SB970 drivers. Extracted the SATA Raid drivers to the floppy, started the Win7 installed and selected the Win7 x64 driver that was downloaded from the AMD site and it worked. Afterwards, I compared the files that were downloaded from the Gigbyte site and the AMD site and there was an additional .inf file that was downloaded from the AMD site that was not in the file downloaded from the Gigabyte site nor was it on the Gigabyte driver disk. The additional .inf file that was part of the AMD drivers is nodrv.inf. This file has to be the difference maker in setting up the SATA Raid with the Raid option set in BIOS.