cannot install WXP because of raid-controller

[zeexen]

need some help overhere.

I've an epox 8K7a+ with a xp1800+
hdd: maxtor 40GO (master) WD 80Go (slave)
512mb DDR

when trying to install xp, computer hangs
after pressing enter on : "to continue setting up windows, press enter" I get please wait. after 30min still please wait!

i think it has something to do with not seeing hdd's.
haven't got the screen yet to select the drive/partition to install.


The fastest cpu of today will be slow on the same day next year.

 

[zeexen]

and it is xp pro

The fastest cpu of today will be slow on the same day next year.

 

[Toejam31]

Try putting the Western Digital HD jumpers on Cable Select, or temporarily taking it off the cable during the installation.

You could also try setting the memory timing speeds to the BIOS defaults during the OS installation.

Both mixing and matching Western Digital hard drives with other brands with regular master/slave jumper settings and having memory speeds that are too high in the BIOS have been known to hang up Win2K and WinXP during Setup.

Try using just IDE 1 and IDE 2 for the devices, if you aren't using the RAID controller.

Did you install the <A HREF="http://www.epox.nl/english/support/drivers/raid.htm" target="_new">driver</A> for the RAID controller during Setup?

<A HREF="http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q220845" target="_new">Adding Third-Party or Updated Driver During Windows Setup (Q220845)</A>

Toejam31

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__________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Some push the envelope. Some just lick it. And some can't find the flap."</font color=purple>

 

[zeexen]

I installed the raid driver during xp-install.
Ok, I'll try to take off the maxtor hdd and see if this works, thx.

The fastest cpu of today will be slow on the same day next year.

 

[zeexen]

nope, still hanging up on me.
Now it's hanging on "loading setupp.ini" (after pressing "F8").
I've disabled the raidcontroller and removed the 40Go HDD.

The fastest cpu of today will be slow on the same day next year.

 

[Toejam31]

Where and why are you pressing F8 during Setup ... is this where you accept the license agreement? If you were trying to load the RAID driver, you should have pressed F6 while Setup was still in text-mode.

Do you have the first bootable device in the BIOS set to CD-ROM? Are all the hard disks and optical drives detected correctly?

Personally, I think I'd try loading the OS on the Maxtor drive jumpered as the Master, and then add the WD drive at a later time jumpered as Cable Select.

Did you partition the drives in advance, or are you attempting to do this with the OS CD? You might get better results by partitioning with the FDISK utility on a <A HREF="http://www.mirrors.org/archived_software/www.bootdisk.com/original.htm" target="_new">Win9x startup disk</A>, making the system partition active, formatting, and then installing the OS, with a reformat of the system partition during the OS installation.

If all else fails, flash the BIOS, and try again. Be sure to save the old BIOS on a freshly formatted and physically scanned floppy disk, just in case.

You could try to install with <A HREF="http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q310994" target="_new">boot disks</A>, but you can't add the RAID controller driver during Setup with this method.

Toejam31

<font color=red>First Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=17935" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Devastating Dalek Destroyer</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
__________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Some push the envelope. Some just lick it. And some can't find the flap."</font color=purple>

 

[Guest]

how did you install your 2 hard disks? are they on the raid controller (ide connectors #3 & #4) or are they on the standard ide channel (ide connectors #1 & #2)?

<i>if you know you don't know, the way could be more easy ...</i>

 

[jihiggs]

is this a copy? lots of people have problems installing it from a hacked version.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[zeexen]

The 2 hard disks are connected to the raid controller.
And yes, it's a copy. But there is no prob on the cd. Installed many times on other computers without problems.
I'll wait with wxp 'till the hammer comes out for an upgrade. I have now a mobo with VIA !! chipsets.

The fastest cpu of today will be slow on the same day next year.

 

[zeexen]

After 4 month still no XP.
Prob lays with HDD's, not the raid-controller.

here are some setup's I tried, raid-controller is off

setup1:
WD master; maxtor slave
bios ok
W98 OK
W2K and WXP not OK

setup2:
WD master; maxtor disconnected
bios does not req HDD
cannot boot

setup3:
WD single/master; maxtor disconnected
bios ok
w98 ok
w2k wxp not ok

setup 4:
wd slave; maxtor master
bios ok
w98 ok
w2k wxp not ok

??????????
does this mean that my epox 8k7a+ has an incompatibility with WD's.
W98 is working if the BIOS sees the HDD's.

Any ideas someone?

If I buy the boxed version of the "hammer", will I get a box of nails for free??

 

[compuhan]

Why don't you try only one drive at install? This way, you could definitetly determine whether it is one disk or the two disk configuration that is at fault.

I also found this review at pricegrabber (see weaknesses):

>>Reviewed by: rgallow, from TN Date reviewed: 10-Aug-02
Strengths:
large cache size makes acessing data very fast

Weaknesses:
installation takes a while because of the need to download a program from the Western Digital website

Summary:
So far I love this drive. Even though it's 80G it takes no time at all to access files. Installation was simple after I downloaded software from Western digital, but before that windows wouldn't recognize it. Over all a very good drive.<<

Do you this software? Maybe a software drive config issue?

Quality is better than name brand, even regarding beloved AMD.

 

[jlanka]

did you try different RAM? And try underclocking the RAM? Thats always my suggestion (as others will attest) because it's worked for me in the past.

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

 

[zeexen]

how do I "underclock" the memory?
Everything is on normal timings, no OC.

If I buy the boxed version of the "hammer", will I get a box of nails for free??

 

[jlanka]

set bus speed to 100 instead of 133 and/or set CAS level to 3 instead of 2...

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

 

[zeexen]

set fsb to 100
cas to 2.5 (max)

nope, still nothing

BTW; my computer is v.unstable with 100fsb (difficulties with bios, screen, usb...).


If I buy the boxed version of the "hammer", will I get a box of nails for free??

 

[jlanka]

you system gets LESS stable when you slow it down?

That makes me wonder if you've got a bad mobo. Has it ever worked reliably?

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

 

[zeexen]

hmmmm, was always a little unstable though.
Gave blame to W98, instead of mobo.


Have now some probs with psu connector on mobo. Bad contact.


Sometimes computer restarts, like if somebody pushed the reset button. In fact it's not really true. In the BIOS I've enabled "power-on after power fail". So the comp automaticly starts after a powerfail. That's why it looks like if it restarts.


But if I don't have any problem, it's very powerfull:
Seti@home, mediaplayer (webcam+radio), IE (webcam), IE (java), PowerDVD, Winamp (visualization+DSPeffect), WinMX,... are running on the same time. No stability problems, nothing.


The stability problems, I think, depends on the startup of the computer. Sometimes have a lot of probs, sometimes none.


I'll buy a new mobo with the Nforce2
I have XP1800+ and the mobo can take as max the XP1900+, so I don't have much room to OC.

If I buy the boxed version of the "hammer", will I get a box of nails for free??

 

[dblr]

I had the same problem on my 8K3A+ so try this as it worked for me. The way I got XPee to install was to put the Hard Drive on the first RAID controler. Hit power, switch wait until it shows RAID checking for drive info or what ever it shows and then the Ctrl & H to get into the RAID setup, In the raid utility set the HD to boot, saved and exit. I then went on to install XP. XP then installed with out any more problems.

BTW,you could try to turn off the RAID in bios and see if XP will install that way!

Good Luck,

Charles