K9NU RAID setup

Question

I'm trying to install XP Pro x64 on a newly formed RAID 0 array, but XP setup isn't seeing my array.
I've turned on RAID for the SATA drives (2x 200GB WD Caviar).
I've setup RAID 0 array through ctrl+A during POST (subsequent reboots show 400GB up and healthy).
During XP setup, I've hit F6 to install SATA drivers with prepared floppy (more on that in a minute).
After I accept the EULA, I'm given a choice of partitions to install XP on, none of which are my new RAID array.
   - my only options are my x32 OS & program partitions that are keeping me connected through this process (I re-installed an old WD 120 GB PATA drive for this)
I've tried disconnecting the PATA drive during one of the install attempts, and there's been no drives at all available.
I've tried setting the RAID array as the first boot device in the BIOS... no dice.
I think my problem is the driver floppy.
I don't have the original disc that came with the board, so I've been trying different sources for the files:
 - manually choose from the board drivers page on MSI site (Uli_SATA-RAID_AP003.zip)
 - original install CD that came with the MoBo
 - nVidia site (Uli_Integrated220.zip) although this is an .exe and not useful at all
I've figured out that I need the M1697 driver on the floppy as well (m5288.sys, found it on the orig CD), but I cant figure out how to have it there with the m5287.sys.
During the F6 install of the RAID drivers, only the m5287 is installing.
If I have both m5288 & m5287 in the same folder (xp_64), only the m5287 installs.
If I try to have both uli>floppy folder structures copy on to the same floppy, there's not enough room (and I'm asked to over-write files).
If I try to use two separate floppys (one with m5287, one with m5288, and their associated files and folders), I get a notification that m5287 isn't on the (m5288) disc.
The options I'm given during the F6 driver install are all just OS choices (xp_32, xp_64, etc).  I'm choosing the x64 option, but there's no further option for individual .sys files, as all the walkthroughs specify.
Is there anyone out there who can give me a detailed breakdown of the directory/folder/file tree from the install floppy?  I could work with an .iso of the floppy also (if that's even possible with floppys).
Thanks
All the hair on my head is gone, I'm starting to pull it from much more painful areas

Answer 1

Here's what I've learned/gathered... for posterity.
Pardon the length of this post, but I want to be as detailed as possible in case anyone else comes along with the same issue.
Feel free to skip to the credits at the end...
The Basics:
The two drivers that Windows installation is looking for at the F6 screen (for the K9NU Neo-V board, at least), are for M1575 & M1697 (southbridge & northbridge, respectively) chipsets.  Both are necessary for proper SATA function during Win install, and are covered by the M5287.sys & M5288.sys files, respectively.  These must be on the F6 floppy disc if there is to be any hope of Win install seeing drives in a RAID array.  Also on the disc is M5289.sys, which Uli describes as a RAID driver.
When the floppy is inserted after F6 screen, options for the desired OS version (2000, XP, Server, x64, etc) are given, and after a choice is made the drivers are loaded.  From my experience with this process, (if the floppy is configured right), both are loaded at once, without having to select them individually.  I mention this because all the online tutorials for this process indicate that you must repeat the hit "s" key/insert floppy routine for the second (M5288.sys) driver.  In any case, once you have loaded the driver, Win install will tell you what it has loaded for use.  If both M1575 and M1687 are not mentioned (either in the same line, or as two), installation of drivers has not been completed and Win won't install correctly on RAID!  In fact, without the M1697 driver (at least), Win won't even "see" your SATA drives (if RAID is enabled in BIOS).
Continuing on to install Windows, and after accepting the EULA, install finds the drives on the system an you choose the target drive (in RAID 0, this is the size of both drives in the array combined; 200GB + 200GB = 400GB, or thereabouts; 372.62MB in my case).
Voila... Done.  Follow the yellow brick promts.
My issues (as I see them):
My first problem was that misplaced the RAID install floppy that came with the board.  (Just as likely, if not likelier, is that my board didn't come with one.  The MSI site mentions that its inclusion was optional.  Given that my current floppy disc collection contains one for a CAD program that I've had since my days with an IBM 386, I'm inclined to believe this was the case.  But whatever; no harm, no foul)  Regardless, much heartache could have been avoided if I had the original floppy!
My second problem was in my confusion over the process for making a new one.  I had the original install CD for the MoBo, so I had all the files I needed, but the makedisk.txt instructions in the floppy folder were clear as mud (in hindsight I ended up following them, but there was no clarification about over-writing folders, which would have been very helpful).  I think my original fault when making the floppy was to copy the folders in the reverse order ie, M1687>FLOPPY instead of FLOPPY>M1697.  Someone with more knowledge about the specifics can correct me, but I think the way the files over-write makes this order relevant.  In any case, the way I originally copied the files gave me a problem in the F6 install, namely the M5288.sys (northbridge chipset driver) wasn't loading into Win install.  The result:  my SATA drives were invisible, only the IDE drive on my system was there (since it had my working WinXP x32 OS on it, I was hesitant to install there, lest I have to communicate with this forum via iPhone).
Note to Svet:  The file you posted for me to make my floppy from, despite containing M5287.sys/M5288.sys/M5289.sys, only loaded M5287.sys in the F6 screen.  This may have been a problem on my end, but I managed to duplicate it by extracting the M5287 folder from the nVidia.com>download drivers>Uli>Integrated220.zip referenced in above post.  I think either the ulisata.cat, disk1, or txtsetup.oem files didn't contain the necessary directions for install to utilize M5288.sys, but I'm not a coder, so I can't say for certain.
At no point (even with the proper floppy configuration) did the F6 screen appear to load M5289.sys, so I made a separate floppy with just that (from the files in nVidia.com>download drivers>Uli>Integrated220.zip), that loaded successfully as a second instance of hit "s"/insert floppy, and showed a second line below "M1575/M1697 INSTALLED", reading "RAID DRIVER INSTALLED" (or similar).  Whether this was a needed operation I don't know, since there was no more mention of it from Win install.  It did, however prompt me to re-insert the disk with M5288.sys on it.
My final problem, to which I have no understanding of why, but is fixed so I don't care.  Maybe someone else will.
Once I finally had a floppy disk with drivers that would "see" my SATA drives (including a 500GB data drive), I had the option of installing onto an unallocated space.  Great, except that the size was about 1.1TB!  I don't know how Windows came up with 200 + 200 = 1100, but there you have it.  I tried to install there, as there were no ~375GB spaces in view, and I was exuberant at just being able to recognize the drives that Win install had been hiding.  Each attempt to install onto this phantom TB of unallocated space resulted in an error that Win could not write onto a SCSI drive, and that I should turn it off.  (This is what sent me on my hunt for the "missing" M5289.sys that was present in the floppy disks, yet not installing through F6).
Still no luck until I went into Disk Management in Windows (on the functioning IDE drive) and saw that it did see the RAID array as a single volume, but that it was at 1.1TB, unformatted, and uninitialized.
Back to the BIOS, delete the RAID 0 array, rebuild it (all through CTRL+A), Windows sees it as a proper 372GB volume, initialize it, format it (probably didn't need to do this, but better than having to log back into Win x32 if I'm wrong), then back to try the XP Pro install again.
Both M1575 & M1697 drivers load fine, I throw in the second floppy with M8289.sys on it just to make sure, and I'm blessed with a 372GB RAID 0 array to install onto.  Onward to Oz.
Because, because, because, because, becaaaaause...
Because of the wonderful things he does!
Thanks to Svet, Fredrik, Wonkanoby, Stu, and anyone else who's had input or helped me through this mess.
It's a sure thing my next MoBo will be MSI, so I may stop back and say Hi.
Peace