TS130 On board RAID

In the process of experimenting with/setting up a TS-130 with Win 2008 R2 with 500gb RAID1 using built in RAID.
I've been switching differnet drives in/out of the system after I had the RAID1 successfully working. I could plug in my test drives (either a single drive) or a pair of test RAID drives - and the server would boot.
On a few occassions, I plug the originall RAID back in and booted. However, now on two occassions I've plugged my original RAID drives back in and they would not boot. The first attempt was after installing a single drive for a Windows 2008 install. I was able to make the original RAID drives boot after I connected 2 test drives as RAID and did a Windows Server Restore. Once I remove the test RAID disks and connected the original RAID disk, the original RAID booted. I thought perhaps something in CMOS was wonky after having only a single drive connected.
I installed the test RAID drives for more testing and wanted to switch back to my original RAID - machine won't boot.
Onboard RAID screen show RAID is intact, but it won't boot. I have not tried reinstalling the test RAID disks and doing a Windows Server Backup restore. Actually I had just gotten done doing that.
Any ideas? It sounds like it's not wise to plug different drives into the server after the RAID has been configed.
Thanks!
Al
Solved!
Go to Solution.

accal wrote:
It sounds like it's not wise to plug different drives into the server after the RAID has been configed.
typically, yes. while arrays are usually mobile between controllers in the event of a failure, once the controller picks up the metadata it assumes you're leaving the array in place. the end result depends entirely on the controller. each act differently. pulling all disks of an array can flag a multi-disk failure and the controller will assume every drive died.
if you see an error after removing and replacing an array, try rebooting again to see if the array's metadata is picked up and applied. or, flag the array as offline and let it rebuild each time (albeit timely and tedious).
the best option is set up the array you want and let it run, assuming any "test" arrays created in the meantime via swapping physical disks will risk errors.

Similar Messages

On-board RAID and PCI RAID controller

Hello everybody,
I am new to the forum. So, please excuse me if that topic was already covered...
I have MSI MAX2-LR (MS-6398E) board. It works just fine, no problem so far. Though I have 2 problems with add-on cards:
1. I was planning to use on-board RAID and additional PCI RAID controller = FastTrack 100 TX2 to cover 6 hard drives into 2 mirrored sets: 4drives one and 2 drives the other.
It doesn't work! I can use either on-board RAID or PCI RAID. As soon as I have any drive connected to on-board RAID, the PCI RAID disappeares. If I have no drives connected to on-board RAID, I can see both RAID controllers, they have different I/O and IRQs, and PCI RAID is working just fine. If only I connect one drive to the on-board RAID, it gets activated on startup, and the other one disappeares. :O
I believe it's a BIOS bug. I wander, if that can be fixed easily????? :D
2. I have a new Matrox Video card = Parhelia. It doesn't work in AGP slot! System doesn't recognize it, and beeps non-stop. I am dealing with Matrox Tech Support on that matter. ?(
Maybe, it's a known issue, and somebody can save me time by telling what's that about.
Appreciate any imput. Have a great weekend.!!! :]

Hey I also have the same Raid card and also the Matrox Parhelia, and I see that you also have some problems with the card I got also problems with the card, but they couldnt help me at theire forums (http://forum.matrox.com/mgaforum/Forum10/HTML/005085.html), I hope we have got more luck here :D

Question K8N neo2 on-board RAID

Would the on-board RAID 0 setup be faster then a raid controller card with RAID 0? This is on a K8N Neo 2 motherboard.

In theory that controller card would be a better choice if it could be run in 64bits/66mhz
, but there are some other factors to be aware of and it comes to how many disks you utilize on the controller card .
Another thing in general is that raid cards performance differs a lot based on design and the controller it use .
On the other hand , concerning bandwith :
The nvidia ports is chip integrated and doesn't run from the pci bus that has a limiting total bandwith factor .
Though you must be aware of that the K8N series nvidia cards has:
Five 32-bit v2.3 Master PCI bus slots
So if slapping in a 66mhz 64bit card , if it works it would probably be running in 32bits/33mhz mode and reduce
the bandwith that can be utilized to 133mb/s (about 128 in pracsis) and it would be shared bandwith
with all other pci devices and IDE (buildt in on mobo like ide/sound/usb/fw .. and slot-in cards) .
Regards

RD330 - using PCIe-based SSD and on-board RAID controller at the same time?

I've got a RD330 (4304-E1U) with the on-motherboard RAID controller and an OCZ Z-Drive R4 PCIe-based SSD. Basically the SSD looks to the system like a PCIe SATA controller with a single SATA disk attached. If I leave the on-board RAID disabled in the BIOS (Setup -> Advanced -> Sata/SAS Configuration -> Disable SCU Devices=ENABLED), then the system sees the OCZ drive just fine and I can select it as my boot device. Works like a champ, screaming fast.
I *also* need access to the disks attached to the built-in SAS backplane on the server, but if the on-board RAID is turned off, then you can't access those disks. When you go into the BIOS setup and turn on the on-board RAID (Setup -> Advanced -> SATA/SAS Configuration -> Disable SCU Devices=DISABLED), then the LSI RAID array configuration shows up during POST (as expected) but the OCZ messages do NOT appear during POST, and the OCZ no longer shows up in the BIOS as a boot device. It's like the SSD isn't even there when the on-board RAID is turned on.
I don't really need any RAID functionality on those disks, I just need access to them from the OS, but I need to boot from the SSD in the PCIe slot. Is there a way for both the on-board RAID controller *AND* an additional PCIe disk controller to be active at the same time?

I have had a 2.0 USB hub connected to the USP port on my AEBS for almost a year for a printer and a HD. Initially I had intermittent connectivity to the HD but never the printer. As Apple upgraded the software/firmware for the AEBS, the problems have stopped. Reliability has been 100% for several months. Go for it.
Regards,
Brian

[VIA] Cannot Boot From SATA PCI Controller With On Board RAID Enabled

Hi.
I have a KT3 ULTRA 2 with onboard RAID controller. I have installed a SUNIX 2 port SATA PCI Controller which works perfectly & appears in the selectable boot devices. This is not a problem except for the fact that I have 4 devices on the On-Board Raid Controller. When the on-board raid controller is enabled, the SATA device dissapears from the boot options & I can no longer boot from the SATA controller.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Many Thanks

I had already tried that....
I set the boot sequence to use the SATA card & then renabled the on-board raid, but after reboot the sata card is not available as a possible boot device & asks me to insert system disk...even if the boot sequence is set to boot from other devices.
Really annoyying this, looks like I am going to have to get a different motherboard for something so silly. I am already at the latest bios release.

TS130-11051CU Raid Storage Console

Anyone have any idea what Windows RAID Storage Console I can use to monitor within Windows 2008R2 Foundation? I have it all configured during bootup just fine, but would like to be able to monitor from with Windows. Especially helpful for Remote Administration...
Thanx in advance!
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Thanx for getting back to me.
Sorry, it is for the onboard Intel. I tried various versions of the RST (Rapid Storage Technology) and finally found this one here worked.
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=DS013896
However it didn't add in the "Service" & consequently I would get an error that the console couldn't connect to the service which wasn't even listed in the installed services. So I had to manually add the service by typing in the following at an elevated command window;
sc create "Intel RST DM Service" binpath= "c:\program files (x86)\intel\intel(r) rapid storage technology\iastordatamgrsvc.exe"
Then I had to insure that the “Intel RST DM Service” was set to Startup Type “Automated (Delayed Start)”
All is good now! I wanted to test it out on another system & I tried the same thing on my own server that I had been procrastinating on doing for quite some time now (Intel M/board with same Xeon processor & Intel C200 chipset) but didn’t have to manually add the service, it did it itself.

TS130 1105-19U RAID controller driver issues

I am trying to load WIndows 2008 Server Foundation on some ThinkServers. In a nutshell, after the Windows 2008 Foundation installer reboots, the server cannot find any bootable devices. I did this with the TS130 startup DVD, I did this manually loading the newest Intel driver and I tried this manually loading an older Intel driver. I even took the same driver that is used on another TS130 and that didn't work either.
I checked the RAID configuration and the logical drive exists.
Can someone recommend the exact driver I should be using for the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Controller or offer a suggestion on how to get Windows to recognize the controller?
thank you

Most recent BIOS must be installed and BIOS must be set to UEFI, not Auto or Legacy. It took me days to get mine to boot using dual 1.5TB drives. See this post --> http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkServer-Towers/TS130-RAID-Problems-with-Windows-Server-2008-R2-but-N...

MSI K9N2 Diamond 780a & On Board Raid Controller

So like to know anyone would know why Raid 0 setup with 4 Seagate ST3250410AS would have get corrupted BOOTMGR & BCD after few day on idle time. Since I build this system with pair of 9800Gx2 and AMD 955, always had issue with the raid. Just to be getting worst over time. System seem to crash out and this is a clean install of Window 7 64bit with nothing but drivers. Reboot, show only channel 2 SATA drive failed and sit there waiting for me to fix it. Now every drive been tested and two have been replace by Seagate to to rule out two drives. No matter what drive in channel 2 SATA still will fail on that channel. I've already replaced cables on the drive, nothing change it. Seagate no longer willing to work with me saying Nvidia issue. MSI wont support board seeing no longer being made. Video card, CPU, Motherboard all have been replace this year under RMA. So seeing there new parts and clean OS, I can't think of anything on top of my head that would cause this.
Love to know anyone else as had problems with this chipset or think of idea to try.
Foxler of Furry Fandom

Quote from: Jack on 02-December-10, 16:32:26
PSU maybe? What kind of device are you using (brand & model name)?
If it was PSU, would have lot more issue than Raid.
TPG-750M
W0158RU - Video Cards
Quote from: Bas on 02-December-10, 20:21:07
One of the drives gone bad?
As stated dosen't matter which of the drives are in channel 2 Sata, it always fail on that channel. All drives been tested, two were replace by Seagate just because I felt they were bad. Had +20k hours on them. Once you power down, the array would come back to normal.
Quote from: Fredrik on 02-December-10, 21:51:57
Yeah. Just a thought, are they all jumpered the same? Try SATA 1. And we know Windows 7 has had issues with RAID 0 setups before, so go search for an updated driver.
Lulz, Nvidia hasn't update there drivers since last year. So there no update for 780a chipset. I run a 4 drive setup on MSI 890FX been fine to this day. Seeing only happen when the system in idle, I've believing there some power management kicking in on the chipset, even so I have power profile set to "always" on everything.
I'm to that point were dropping all Nvidia support in my shop. Since 590SLI boards there as been bug and bug with all there chipset and video cards.
Hybrid SLI - (Only Issue In High Clock RAM)
GeForce Boost
590, 680a, 750a, 780a Raid Issue ( got 6 boxes of good motherboard, that I had to replace out because Raid controller.
Driver for 196.75 stop some video cards fan, took my 9800GX2 and got 2 8800GT, and 9800GTX+ that failed in other builds from that update.
Mobile GPU issue since GeForce 8xxx line, just ask HP, Apple, and my 9800m GTS, 480m GTX SLI setup.
Dropping support holder, as we all know BFG and XFX no longer have Nvidia video cards. BFG lost sales over OEM video cards and killed company. XFX started to sell ATI base, then Nvidia wouldn't sell them new Fremi cards. I'm glad I only put MSI video cards in all system I've built for myself and other. BFG no longer up holding to the warranty on there cards.
More work than I need ~sigh~
Foxler

Promise on-board RAID on Linux

I have motherboard MSI 845PE MAX2-FIR with integrated
Promise ATA133 RAID. Driver for Linux from 2.4.21 kernel
works, but not like RAID. I only see 2 disks (/dev/hde & /dev/hdg),
but it's not RAID (mirroring). Is there a possible solution? Is there a driver fo hardware RAID?

Hi,
I'm trying to find the linux drivers for this raid controler.
Can you help me for this.
Quote
Originally posted by bd_ucw
I have motherboard MSI 845PE MAX2-FIR with integrated
Promise ATA133 RAID. Driver for Linux from 2.4.21 kernel
works, but not like RAID. I only see 2 disks (/dev/hde & /dev/hdg),
but it\'s not RAID (mirroring). Is there a possible solution? Is there a driver fo hardware RAID?

TD230 On-board RAID, multiple arrays?

I am using the onboard embeded LSI RAID controller which has connectors for 4 hard drives. I originally configured this server with a RAID1 mirror consisting of 2 hard drives, installed the OS, and put into production. Now the customer's needs have changed, and I need to increase storage capacity. My intent was to add two more hard drives, and configure a second RAID1 mirror. However, I have discovered that the MegaRaid Manager will only allow the two new drives to be "hot spares", and will not allow me to create a second array. I tried using both the Easy Start CD, and the Bios level manager, but both will not allow me to add another array, without destroing the original array. Has anybody ran into this and found a work around? Perhaps a differant manager can be used? I would like to avoid the extra unexpected expense of adding the 9240-8i controller card, but it looks like I will have to.
Thanks in advance.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

I notice thi spost is from 1/12. Is this still the case. I have a new server(6 mos) and need to add another RAID 1. I'm not prepared to blow away the original RAID 1.

MSI KT3 Ultra ARU, HD on RAID or not?

I'm rebuilding my computer with WinXP Pro. I have a single HD, CD-ROM, CD-RW, and Zip 100 drives along with a FDD.
When the machine was Win98SE I had the single HD connected to the on-board RAID controller and all worked fine.
I blew away all the partitions so I could use NTFS - but encountered an error during XP's setup. It got to the point of formatting the C: partition - but after reaching 100% it gave an error that it couldn't complete the format.
Talked to a friend of mine and he suggested I move the HD to one of the non-RAID IDE controllers. He thought that would play nicer with XP Pro's setup.
Is there any performance advantage/disadvantage to putting the HD on the RAID controller? Will I encounter any problems if I move one of the CD drives and/or the Zip drive from the non-RAID IDE controllers to the RAID controller?
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

I read the information above - but after following the instructions and trying to start XP Pro I get a BSOD after the WinXP splash screen.
So...thought I'd try to update the BIOS, etc. and then try again. Downloaded the latest BIOS from MSI's site - but cannot get the BIOS flashed. Followed the instructions below - but after I boot with a Win98 Boot disk the C: drive is not accessible. When I boot from a DOS boot disk made from WinXP the C: drive is not available either.
Grrr.....!
AMI Flash BIOS Procedure
Check your BIOS for BIOS FLASH Protection & DISABLE it, some boards have this function.
For Example:
K7T266 Pro (MS-6380) -BIOS setup/chipset setup/BIOS protection/disabled
Know Your model number
a. Open your case and look for the MS-XXXX number on the motherboard between the PCI slots, also check the version number that is written there as well. (some motherboards are named like K7T Turbo, make sure you have the right version number)
b. Boot up your system & take a look at the top left screen during POST, you should see something like "A6380MS v1.7 122101" This means the board is MS-6380 with BIOS version 1.7
Hint : Many systems are clearing this message very fast, the bios version is then unreadable, you can either press "PAUSE" or disable the "Quick Boot" in the BIOS setup.
Download the BIOS that matches your motherboard AND version number (some motherboards are named like K7T Turbo, make sure you have the right version number). BIOS can be found according to the CPU type of your board like if your CPU is Intel P4 478 type then look here
if you cannot find the BIOS that matches your board, try here
Extract the BIOS-archive that you have downloaded by double clicking to c:\test
Boot your system from a Win98 or WinME boot-floppy.
How to make boot floppy in case your don't have it ready:
For Win9X, You can type [C:\ format a:/s] from the DOS prompt.
For WinMe, You can make a boot floppy from control panel--> add/remove program-->make boot floppy. Remove autoexec.bat & config.sys file if there's any.
For Win2000, there's no way to make boot floppy, so you have to either use Win9X or WinME boot floppy.
For WinXP, you can make a DOS boot disk. Go to Your Computer, right click drive A:, select Format, select copy system files.
When you get the A:\ prompt, type the following sequence:
C:
cd\test
C:\test> amifl827 a6380vms.330
(a6380vms.330 refers to BIOS file, this will depend on the board model)
(to save or not to save old BIOS is the user's decision)

MSI KT3 ultra aru Western Digital 200GB raid problem

Hi!
This is what I've got.
KT3 Ultra-ARU (MS-6380E)
AMD 2000+
256 MB 333mhz RAM (AMD Compatible)
Seagate ST330630A 30GB (an old drive)
Maxtor 6L080J4 80GB
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9 6Y080L0 80Gb 7200rpm 2Mb UDMA133 Fluid IDE
Western Digital Caviar WD1800JB 180Gb 7200rpm Special Edition UDMA100 IDE
Western Digital Caviar WD2000JB 200Gb 7200rpm Special Edition UDMA100 IDE
Promise 100 IDE-controller
Creative Geforce MX 440
Lite-on LTR-40125W
NEC ND-1300 DVD
And the configuration:
IDE1: Seagate (Master)
IDE2: WD1800BG (Cabel Select)
IDE3(Raid1): Maxtor 6LO80J4 (Master) and Maxtor 6Y080L0 (Slave) raided as an single drive
IDE4(Raid2): WD2000JB (Cable Select)
IDE5(IDE-controller1):
IDE6(IDE-controller2): NEC ND-1300 (Master) and Lite-on LTR-40125W (Slave)
And the Software:
I've updated all the software drivers so I've got the newest and I'm currently runnign Win2k SP3 with almost every patch installed on it.
And finally the problem:
When I've hook my WD2000JB to the on-board raid everything seems to be working normaly. The bios finds the drive and makes a new array. Win2k boots up and finds the drive and I can create an partition. But when I've try to format it it the computer starts to freeze for a while and then acts like normal again. The HDD-led blinks as it should during the "normal" time, but when the comp. freezes it stops blinking. The formatation stops at 7% and the HDD-led stops lighting. I don't get an error eventhough it was several hours since it stoped. And the formatation takes like 30min for 1%.
When I connect the WD2000JB to the IDE3 I can format it and it acts just like normal. I even did a full system test with the System tool found on Western Digitals support site and it didn't find any errors. But when move it to the raid-IDE the errors return. I've get Error reading / writing to disk and when I've did a chkdsk I've got the "Coudn't use Device) so I did a scandisk and it found very very many errors so it completly ereased everything that was on it.
And when I've run Western Digitals program again i've get an error (Disk error read/writing) error code: 0113.
Can it be that the Western Disk doesn't work well with Raid? I've haven't heard anything about that, so...
Best regars,
Mathias

You can have a look at my hardware below...
Chassis: Antec 1080B (300w PSU / 180w COMBINED)
Mainboard: MSI KT3 Ultra ARU
CPU: AMD Athlon XP 1800+
Display: ABIT Siluro GF4 Ti4200 AGP 4X
DVD/CD-RW Combo: HL-DT-ST RW/DVD GCC-4120B
Floppy: Panasonic 1.44MB
HD: Quantum Fireball Plus/AS 30.0GB UDMA 100
Keyboard: Microsoft Internet Keyboard Pro
Monitor: KDS Visual Sensations VS-190
Mouse: Microsoft USB Wheel Mouse Optical
NICs: 3Com 3C900B / DLink DFE-530TX
RAM: Micron DDR 266MHz (2x256MB DIMMs)
Sound: Avance AC'97 Audio
I've had similar problems where my system becomes very unstable at higher bus speeds. Installing Windows XP simply didn't work very good. However, I have ordered a new PSU today as a solution to this problem. Basically, CPUs and video cards are much more demanding and the more devices you have in your computer the more power you're going to need. I recommend purchasing the Enermax EG465P-VE (FCA) 450W ATX PS. It has a higher amperage rating and will most likely solve your problem.
Check your PSU and your bus speed settings...

P965 Platinum, Vista, and Raid

I spent a good couple of hours skimming the boards yesterday trying to set up my two new 320 SATAII hard drives in a RAID array. I ran into a ton of trouble, but then finally figured out part/all of my problem and got things working. I figure this information will be helpful for anyone who is trying to do the same. I'll post the most useful links I found at the end of this post as well...
heres what i'm working with:
MSI P965 Platinum
2gb OCZ DDR2 800MHZ 2 dimm kit
36.7 WD Raptor SATAII (as system drive)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6700
Sapphire X1650 PRO 512MB PCI-Express
Antec TruePower TRIO 650 650W Power Supply
promise technology ultra ata 133 tx2 (the source of a ton of trouble)
originally i had vista ultimate x64 installed on a 36.7 gb raptor that was performing ok (once i did the extremetech suggested reghacks for lowdiskspace and 8.3ntfsfilenames), but not as well as my friends new computer with a blazing fast 500 gb stripe.
my bios was configured as such:
on board raid controller: ide
on chip ata devices -> sata 1 config: enhanced
...configure sata 1 as: ide
...sata 2 configuration: enabled
i shut down the computer, and changed
on chip ata devices -> configure sata 1 as: raid
then i was able to get into the raid setup with Ctrl + I, and set up my array. Here's where I ran into my first problem. I figured I wanted a raid 0 because I don't care soooo much about my data being lost, and i have never had a hard drive die on me (knock on wood) in the past 8 years (guardian angel). So setting up my array was working fine, except for i hadn't anticipated that i would have to choose an ideal strip size. The board suggests 128k, but after much deliberation I decided since I wanted the speed benefit for my OS and programs, I wanted 32k strip size; but having a 640 stripe for just the OS and programs seems huge, so out of curiosity I tried setting up two raid arrays (both across the same drives). The first was a 100gb raid 0 with a 32k strip size and the second was a 496.2 raid 0 with a 128k strip size. This worked fine, but then I got to thinking... can I set up the 100 gb array as a mirror? If so, then I get the best of both worlds since I can secure all my OS/settings/programs/documents, but I'll have a super fast (respectively) 400 gb drive for ephemeral memory and expendable data (replaceable stuff like ripped dvds, downloaded music and programs, downloaded anything...). This would all be at the expense of 100 gb which certainly seems worth it at this case because I wouldn't have to worry about the possibility of losing all my data like everyone seems to cry about all over the internet when talking about raid stripes. So i set it up, this worked fine... next step boot into vist ultimate and start installation.
Here proved my most annoying step, as my first problem occurred when I couldn't find the dvd/cd drive in the boot sequence menu. I saw the usb card reader drives, my raid arrays, and my raptor... but no dvd/cd drive (of which I had two connected). After scouring the web about that darned Jmicron chip, it appeared as if the bios cannot see the PATA drives on this board and I would have to try pressing F8 at the jmicron bios screen. THIS IS COMPLETE MISINFORMATION.
As stupid as it is, the real problem is that the boot sequence only displays 6 (i think it's 6) bootable media, and if you have anything else it just doesn't show it. This gave me the impression that the bios was unaware of my cd/dvd drives connected to the IDE controller. As soon as I unplugged my card reader, the dvd/cd drives appeared in the boot sequence... thank gawd because...
i had tried plugging my dvd/cd drives into the promise ata controller (which i already know lacks a vista 64bit compatible driver), which actually allowed me to boot into the vista setup whereupon I was asked (I did NOT have to press F6, even though everyone seems to think they have to) to install the driver for the dvd/cd controller (I assumed and was right that it was asking for the promise ata controller driver). I put the most recent drivers from their website on a usb stick, plugged it in, and the driver worked and then setup was able to see my dvd/cd drives (which is weird because how did I get to that point if it couldn't?).
Then setup said it couldn't find any drives, so I figured the problem was with the driver for the ICH8R intel raid controller. I downloaded drivers from MSI's website, intel's, and a bunch of others, and NONE of them worked. Setup would install the drivers, but it still could not see any hard drives attached to it. I'm not sure what caused this problem, but my best guess is that it had to do with the promise card being plugged in.
I gave up on that and figured I'd try something else, maybe the promise card was causing the problem. So I tried changing the ports that all my sata drives are plugged into. The two new 320's were on 0 and 2, and I also had a drive on 3 4 and 5. I read somewhere that intel had some array issues on 0 1 and 2, so I tried setting my 320's on 4 and 5 and moved my other drives around it. This is also when I had the idea to remove my card reader and pull out the ultra ata 133 tx2 card.
I was able then to see the dvd/cdrom in the boot sequence, put it first, and boot into vista setup. VISTA ULTIMATE DID NOT ASK ME FOR ANY DRIVERS AT THIS POINT. I'm not sure if it was the sata ports I had my drives plugged into or not, but at this point vista setup saw all my drives and I chose the 100 gb array and installation went smoothly.
Excellent… now I just have to install photoshop and see if it loads in 4 seconds like on my friends new computer with the stripe. If not, then I'll probably just cry.
Hopefully I've covered enough of the keywords in this description that anyone who has this problem will easily find this page. Remember:
JMICRON IDE DEVICES CAN BE SEEN BY THE BIOS
VISTA SETUP DOES NOT NEED ANY ADDITIONAL DRIVERS TO INTERACT WITH THE RAID CONTROLLER
SORRY IF THIS WAS A TON OF INFORMATION BUT AFTER ALL THE TIME I SPENT TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT I FEEL LIKE NO ONE HAD POSTED A FULL BLOWN SOLUTION
Hope this was helpful

I have the very same issue except two things. When I try to see why it will not load the Array I find that the first drive (Maxtor 6V160E0) is red and considered to be bad. Did you happen to notice if your system showed the same thing?
I have moved the drives around and it still corrupts the Maxtor 6V160E0. I have not tried to move them to the end of the SATA connections. I will try that and see what happens.
Other thing was the JMicron would see my NEC DVDRW, but thought it was a ACSI and it would only read at 12X. It even stated that in the OS. I then was told by the Techs that they have not had alot of luck with NEC drives. So, I purchased a LiteOn SATA II DVDRW, connected it to the JMicron SATA connector and it came alive. I then found it to turn out worthless DVD's and CD's. Not even that Drive would read them after burning. I got so ticked about the JMicron I just shut it off in the BIOS. I hooked up the drive to the #4 port and whala, no more problems with burn. Now it reads, writes, and re-writes at the stated speeds (also I needed to update the firmware twice since I purchase the drive. The MS updates did something to it and the new firmware fixed it.). I have never been able to get a drive to work correctly on the JMicron no matter who made it.
I sure hope that MSI has scraped any board that will ever use that controller. JMircon is not my friend!
I am going to get 2 more SATA II drives and try this without having to backup all my data.

Raid Setup Guide 865/875 LSR/FIS2R Rev 1.04

On-Board Raid Setup MSI 865PE/875P
Revision History
Revision 1.0 (January 2004)
- Original Raid Article
Revision 1.01 (February 2004)
- Reformatted text and fixed spelling/grammar
Revision 1.02 (October 2004)
- Added warnings to temporarily disconnect ALL drives including Zip drives during formatting Raid drives for WinXP.
Revision 1.03 (October 2005)
- Reformatted text and added links to download Promise/Intel Raid floppies if user is missing them.
Revision1.04 (February 2006)
- Minor BB reformatting
Intro
Equipment List For Tests
Description of Tests
Pre-Raid Setup Bios Tweaks
Raid Setup On Promise Controller
Raid Setup On Intel Controller
--->Intel- Migrating from single SATA to Full Raid Array
Intro
This guide is intended to help people configure their Bios and setup Windows for Raid using the Intel ICH5R controller and the Promise FastTrak 378 controller. Although all the tests were done using Raid-0 the methods described should be virtually identical to setting up Raid-1 provided the user is aware of the fundamental differences between the two. It should be useful for anyone with an MSI 865PE/875P chipset on motherboards with LSR and FIS2R suffixes. Before continuing, please read the FAQ thread posted by Maesus and the Raid manual(s) that came with your motherboard. There's also some good info regarding Raid Here and Here and Here
Keep in mind this guide is intended as a reference to help you. It is not a manual. I do not work for MSI and my equipment and time are limited. You will have different equipment and different versions of software.
All the data below is based on tests that I ran and I tried to avoid using any theory that I did not test. If you feel I’ve missed something obvious or if you have something you feel should be added to make this guide clearer or simpler, please PM me with your thoughts. If you have a specific problem that this guide does not help you with, post a detailed thread in the forum on the main page.
Equipment List For Tests
MSI 875P FIS2R Motherboard
Bios 1.8
Enermax EG365P-VE (350w) PSU
P4 2.6c CPU
Kingston KHX-3200A2 2x512MB Memory
Radeon 9800Pro AIW Video Card
WD 400JB 40GB/8MB cache IDE Hdd
2-Seagate 80GB 7200.7 SATA Hdd's
Liteon 52x32x52 CDRW
Floppy Drive
Tests
Generally, tests were as follows:
Configure 2 SATA on Promise controller(serial3&4) as Raid0 and install WindowsXP Home SP1a on Raid
Configure 2 SATA on Promise controller(serial3&4) as Raid0 and add Raid to an existing WindowsXP installation on IDE drive(IDE1)
Configure 2 SATA on Intel Raid controller(serial1&2) as Raid0 and install WindowsXP Home SP1a on Raid
Configure 2 SATA on Intel Raid controller(serial1&2) as Raid0 and add Raid to an existing WindowsXP installation on IDE drive(IDE1)
Configure 1 SATA on Intel Raid controller(serial1) and install WindowsXP Home SP1a on it. Then add 2nd SATA on Intel Raid controller(serial2) and migrate to Raid0 using Intel Application Accelerator-Raid edition.
IDE drive used in these tests was pre-installed with a fresh copy of WinXP Home SP1a using default settings and the following drivers all from MSI setup CD and Raid Floppy Disks that came with motherboard:
Intel INF files - version 1002
Gigabit Lan drivers - 7.0.37.0
SoundMax drivers - 5.12.1.3538
Catalyst 3.7 & Multimedia Center drivers from standard ATI CD came with video card.
Pre-Raid BIOS Tweaks
Before I continue, I'd like to point out a few changes from the defaults that I alway make to Bios before I attempt a WinXP install or hardware change. I can't guarantee that they all apply to you but none should make things worse. If anything differs from a setting that you feel is fixing another problem you're having, by all means leave at your prefferred setting. Anything related to performance and overclocking can be raised again AFTER the Raid is all setup and everything is running smoothly.
Standard Cmos Features
The only thing I change here is to enable "32bit transfer mode" whenever I connect new devices to the Intel IDE controller.
Note: Devices attached to the Promise controller and the Intel Raid(when it is enabled) will NOT appear in the standard Cmos page
Advanced Bios Features
Everything on defaults is usually fine except I always change the following for WinXP:
APIC ACPI SCI IRQ - Enabled
Boot Device select is also on this page and you'll be changing it after all the hardware is setup; more later.
Advanced Cipset Features
Confirm that the memory timing "by SPD" is enabled
PNP/PCI Configurations
Clear NVRam option I always set to "YES" before the first boot after making hardware changes. I'm not sure how important this is but I understand that's what you're supposed to do. I believe it forces the motherboard to detect hardware changes. It reverts to "NO" after the reboot.
PCI/IDE Busmaster set to "enabled" to speed things up outside of Windows.
Integrated Peripherals (Before Raid for most flexibilty)
Onboard Promise IDE - Disabled if you have nothing attached to IDE3 and Serial 3&4
ON-Chip IDE Configuration:
Native Mode (Supported by WinXP- Allows all devices connected to IDE 1&2 and Serial 1&2 to be detected)
SATA Only or PATA Only (select the one that you boot XP with)
Keep SATA Active - Yes (if option available)
Keep PATA Active - Yes (if option available)
PATA Channel selection - Both (if option available)
Configure SATA as Raid - No (if option available)
Leave other settings here at default
Note: Some older Bios versions may appear different than above
Frequency/Voltage Control
Dynamic Overclocking - Disabled
Performance Mode - Slow
Dram Frequency - Auto
Adjust CPU Bus - 201 (for "c" type cpu's)
DDR Voltage - 2.65 (minimum for Dual-Channel Mem stability)
AGP Voltage - 1.55
Note: some features above may not appear with your Bios
Note: performance & overclocking features can be increased again AFTER the Raid array has been setup and is stable with Windows.
Raid On Promise Controller
This procedure should work for anyone adding a Raid array to a system already having XP installed on another drive on the Intel controller or intending to install Windows XP on the new Raid array.
Note: IDE 3 and Serial 3&4 connectors are controlled by the Promise controller.
Note: It is possible to setup Raid arrays using 2 IDE drives on IDE3 or even 2 SATA & 2 IDE drives. I only tested 2 SATA drives on Serial 3&4 connectors.
Note: It is possible to setup Raid 0+1 using 2 IDE drives on IDE3 and 2 SATA drives on Serial 3&4. See HERE for a related thread.
Note: It is possible to setup SATA or IDE drives on the Promise controller as separate drives NOT using Raid but I did not test this. See your manual.
- Attach the SATA drives to Serial 3&4 connectors and ensure that both power and data cables are securely connected. Most SATA drives do NOT need any changes to default jumper positions if any(check Hdd installation instructions).
- Boot into Bios
Integrated Peripherals:
Set Onboard Promise IDE - As Raid
- Save and reboot computer
- Use control-F keys during the boot(when prompted-goes by quickly) to enter the Promise Raid Bios.
Note: You will only be able to enter the promise Bios if you have set the Promise controller to "As Raid" AND there are devices connected and detected by the Promise Bios.
- Use the menus to configure the Raid for your preferences.
Note: I can't say which settings you should use for creating the Raid. It depends on many things. Do some research.
- After saving the Raid array, reboot to Bios.(you should see the configured array for a second or two during the post and it should be "functional")
- In Advanced bios Features>>Boot Device Select:
Set the order you prefer to boot from
- If you already have XP installed on another drive and are just adding the Raid for an extra drive, Ensure that the list is still appropriate and includes your XP drive.
- If you will be installing XP on the new Raid, make sure the new Raid array is in the boot list and any other hard drives are NOT.
Note: Typically, I put the disk with XP first and use F11 key during post to boot from another device. This is not required though.
- Save bios
Important!: If you are installing XP on the new Raid array, you should now shutdown and either disconnect or disable any other drives connected until AFTER XP is installed. This includes USB/Zip drives.(See "Bugs" below).
If Installing XP On The New Raid Array(others skip to below):
- Boot from the Windows XP Setup CD and use F6 key when prompted(at the beginning).
- Follow prompts to load the WinXP Promise FastTrack 376/378 Controller from the floppy that came with motherboard(If Required Download Floppy Here). There are a number of different choices on the floppy. PICK THE RIGHT ONE.
Note: if using Win2K with the floppy, you can scroll down to get more driver options on this screen. It's not readily apparent on the screen.
- Continue setup and Windows should now show you the new Raid array as a single drive available to install to. If it shows other drives that you have connected, re-read the "important" note above and the related section on "Bugs" below.
- When XP setup makes its first re-boot, make sure the floppy has been removed or depending on your settings it may give you a scary moment. Yes I did this(tries to boot from floppy).
- After XP is up and running, you can re-connect/re-enable any drives you disconnected earlier. If they have been formatted, they should show up immediately and be assigned letters after your CD/DVD drives.
- You can also install the Promise Array Manager software(from MSI CD utilities tab or download) which adds some array management settings.
If XP Already Installed On Another Drive(and you're just adding the Raid as an extra storage disk):
- Boot into WindowsXP.
- As Windows starts, it should detect a new Raid device and offer to install drivers.
- Select Cancel. It will tell you that it was unable to install new device. If you want you can confirm the new device is present by checking Windows device Manager. It should show the new device with a yellow exclamation mark beside it since the drivers aren't installed yet.
- Download the appropriate drivers or use the MSI CD that came with motherboard.
Note: The MSI CD detects devices connected and shows available drivers/utilities depending on what it sees. You might not have seen the Promise drivers when using the CD before but now that you have a Raid array connected to it, the drivers will be availble from the MSI setup CD.
- Install the drivers and re-boot
- Device Manager should now show the Raid properly identified by XP.
- If the Raid array was not previously formatted, you can now use Windows Disk Manager (Start > Run and type diskmgmt.msc) to Initialize and then format the Raid array.
- The Raid array should now show in Windows Explorer with it's own drive letter.
Bugs/Surprises
- Trying to install WinXP on the Promise Raid while my IDE drive was connected to the Intel IDE connector resulted in Windows installing boot files to the IDE drive and the rest on the Raid drives. This was especially bad since I had another installation of XP on the IDE drive which was overwritten. The work-around was to disable the IDE drive until AFTER XP was setup on the Raid array.
Update: There have been a few posts on the forum since I wrote this guide where people installing XP have had problems similar to the one above with USB/Zip drives connected so i am adding them to the list of drives to disconnect while installing XP.
- When setting "Boot Device Select", if I selected "NO" for "boot from other devices", the motherboard would ignore my selection and still boot from other devices if the ones in the list were unusable.
- Be gentle with SATA connectors on the motherboard. They can stand firm downward pressure but not a lot of side-to-side pressure.
Raid On Intel Controller
This procedure should work for anyone adding 2 SATA hard drives for a Raid array on a system already having XP installed on another drive or intending to install XP on the new Raid array.
Note: IDE 1&2 and Serial 1&2 connectors are controlled by the Intel ICH5R controller. Only Serial 1&2 can be configured for Raid arrays.
You can also install a single SATA drive and configure the system for Raid BEFORE installing XP on this drive if you intend to add another SATA drive later to form a Raid array. This method was also tested. I will refer to this for the rest of the thread as the Raid-Ready Method.
Note: If you install WinXP on a single SATA drive without enabling Raid and loading Raid drivers, you will NOT be able to migrate the XP disk to a Raid array at a later date. Reinstalling XP would be required.
Note: There is no performance advantage to having a single drive with Raid enabled. But doing so makes the disk Raid-ready and XP reinstall unnecessary.
- Attach the SATA drive(s) to Serial 1&2 connectors and ensure that both power and data cables are securely connected. Most SATA drives do NOT need any changes to default jumper positions if any(check Hdd installation instructions).
- Boot into Bios
- In "Integrated Peripherals>>On-Chip IDE Configuration" set:
Native Mode (Supported by WinXP- Allows all devices connected to IDE 1&2 and Serial 1&2 to be detected)
SATA Only (Even if you will be booting XP from a PATA drive)
Keep PATA Active - Yes
PATA Channel selection - Both
Configure SATA as Raid - Yes
Leave other settings here at default
Note: Some older Bios versions may appear different than above.
- Save Bios and reboot computer
- Use control-I keys during post(when prompted-goes by quickly) to enter the Intel Raid Bios Utility.
Note: If you are using the single SATA Raid-Ready Method, you can skip the steps involving the Intel Raid utility. Go to the step for setting Boot device select in main Bios.
Note: You will only be able to enter the Intel Raid Bios if you have set the "Configure SATA as Raid" option to "YES" AND there are devices connected and detected by the Intel Raid Bios.
- Use the menus to configure the Raid for your preferences.
Note: I can't say which settings you should use for creating the Raid. It depends on many things. The Intel utility does describe the different options well though.
- After saving the Raid array, reboot to Bios.(you should see the configured array for a second or two during the post and it should be "functional")
- In Advanced bios Features>>Boot Device Select:
Set the order you prefer to boot from;
If you already have XP installed on another drive and are just adding the Raid for an extra drive, Ensure that the list is still appropriate and includes your XP drive.
If you will be installing XP on the new Raid or using Raid-Ready Method, make sure the new Raid array or raid-ready drive is in the boot list and any other hard drives are NOT.
Note: Typically, I put the disk with XP first and use F11 key during post to boot from another device. This is not required though.
- Save bios
Important!: If you are installing XP on the new Raid array or using the Raid-Ready Method, you should now shutdown and either disconnect or disable any other hard drives connected until AFTER XP is installed. This includes Zip/USB drives. (See "Bugs" below).
If Installing XP On The New Raid Array Or Using Raid-Ready Method(others skip to below):
- Boot from the Windows XP Setup CD and use F6 key when prompted(at the beginning).
- Follow prompts to load the IAA Raid Driver for ICH5R (If Required Download Floppy Here) from the floppy that came with motherboard. I only had 1 driver to choose from on my floppy but if you have more, CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE!
- Continue and Windows Setup should now show you the new Raid array or Raid Ready drive as a single drive available to install to. If it shows other drives that you have connected, re-read the "important" note above and the related section on "Bugs" below.
- When XP setup makes its first re-boot, make sure the floppy has been removed or depending on your settings it may give you a scary moment. Yes I did this(tries to boot from floppy).
- After XP is up and running and INF files and other important drivers installed, you can re-connect/re-enable any hard drives you disconnected earlier. If they have been formatted, they should show up immediately and be assigned letters after your CD/DVD drives.
- You can also install the Intel IAA-Raid Program(from MSI CD utilities tab or download) which gives some info and adds the array management settings(Not many. Just the enable/disable cache setting and the migrate to raid option).
If XP Already Installed On Another Drive(and you're just adding the Raid as an extra storage disk):
- Boot into WindowsXP.
- As Windows starts, it should detect a new Raid device and offer to install drivers. Select Cancel. It will tell you that it was unable to install new device. If you want you can confirm the new device is present by checking Windows device Manager. It should show the new device with a yellow exclamation mark beside it since the drivers aren't installed yet.
- Download the appropriate drivers or use the MSI CD that came with motherboard.
Note: The MSI CD detects devices connected and shows available drivers/utilities depending on what it sees. You might not have seen the IAA Raid drivers when using the CD before but now that you have a Raid array connected to it, the drivers will be availble from the MSI setup CD.
- Install the drivers and re-boot
Note: If the IAA Raid program detects that the Raid controller is not enabled or no device is present, it will NOT allow you to install the drivers/utility.
- Using Windows Device Manager should now show the Raid device properly with no problems.
- If the Raid array has not been formatted, you can now use Windows Disk Manager (Start > Run and type diskmgmt.msc) to Initialize and then format the Raid array.
- The new drive should now appear in Windows Explorer with it's own drive letter.
Bugs/Surprises
- Trying to install WinXP on the Promise Raid while my IDE drive was connected to the Intel IDE connector resulted in Windows installing boot files to the IDE drive and the rest on the Raid drives. This was especially bad since I had another installation of XP on the IDE drive which was overwritten. The work-around was to disable the IDE drive until AFTER XP was setup on the Raid array. It is safe to assume this can occur with the Intel controller as well since I believe the problem occurs because of how WinXP setup addresses the hard drives.
Update: There have been a few posts on the forum since I wrote this guide where people installing XP have had problems similar to the one above with USB/Zip drives connected so i am adding them to the list of drives to disconnect while installing XP.
- Be gentle with SATA connectors on the motherboard. They can stand firm downward pressure but not a lot of side-to-side pressure.
Migrating XP System Disk To Raid On Raid-Ready System
This part describes how to use the Intel Application Accelerator-Raid edition to migrate an existing WinXP system disk (1-SATA) to a 2-SATA Raid array.
This procedure is actually very well documented in the last part of the Intel SATA Raid manual that ships with the motherboard but I thought I’d add it to make this thread more complete.
Please note that to use this feature of the Intel raid software the disk you are migrating FROM must have been made Raid-Ready as described above. Basically, this means that Raid should have been enabled in the Bios and the drivers installed from floppy during the WinXP install.
Note: I tested this by migrating to a Raid0 array but Raid1 should work also if the latest Bios and version of Intel-Raid application used.
- Open the Intel Application Accelerator Raid utility.
- With the “Raid” tab window open, right-click on “Raid volume” and select “Create from Existing Disk” as seen below.
- Follow the next several steps to choose the type of Raid array and the strip size.
Note: 64kb strip size is good for general purpose and 128kb best for most desktops and work stations according to Intel. Anything smaller is for specialized purposes. You should research this a little because you can’t change it after easily.
- After configuring the array for your preferences, you will face a couple of warnings telling you that “All data will be deleted from the Raid-controlled drive(s) and is unrecoverable” and ask if you want to continue. Obviously all data(if any) on the new drive you’re adding will be lost but the OS and other data on the disk you’re migrating FROM will be striped to the new array and will remain intact.
Note: Any complex disk procedure such as this carries the risk of losing data. A backup of the disk is important BEFORE beginning the migration process. Don't say I didn't warn you.
- The migration process can take a long time. You should see the window below during the operation.
Note: With just a default WinXP installation, migrating to 2-80Gb drives took about an hour for me.
- After the migration is complete, you will be prompted to re-boot to complete the process.
- During the reboot, as the Intel Bios comes up for a couple of seconds(don’t blink) you will see the 2 drives configured as an array and they will be listed as “functional”.
- After the reboot, you should have a fully functional Raid array with 2 SATA drives and all data from the single drive will have been striped or mirrored into the second one. Check Windows Disk manager(Start > Run and type diskmgmt.msc) to see the status of the new drive. See bugs/surprises below.
Bugs/Surprises
The only problem I had with this test came in the form of a small surprise after everything was completed and the computer had rebooted. Although the Intel Application Accelerator showed everything functioning normally, Windows explorer showed my Raid drive as 74Gb in size instead of the 150Gb or so that I expected. After checking Windows disk Manager (Start > Run and type diskmgmt.msc), I found that the missing GB’s were in fact there but were unformatted. Unfortunately, Disk Manager does not seem to allow merging or extending partitions so I ended up using Partition Magic 8 to format the empty space and merge it with the rest of the partition. This seemed to work fine and I ended up with a single 150Gb drive showing up in Windows Explorer. I also briefly tested the performance to confirm that it was operating as a Raid array.
I know there is a utility for Win2K called DiskPart.exe that is run from command console to extend NTFS partitions but if anyone knows of an easier way or a FREE utility that will format/merge NTFS partitions that they have confirmed works, please PM me so that I can include a reference to it here.
All the data above is based on tests that I ran and I tried to avoid using any theory that I did not test. If you feel I’ve missed something obvious or if you have something you feel should be added to make this guide clearer or simpler, please PM me with your thoughts. If you have a specific problem that this guide does not help you with, post a detailed thread in the forum on the main page.
Vango44

Great work vango44!
Here are some RAID performance statistics I gathered while testing RAID on my system. The testing software was Winbench 99. The hard drives tested were new Seagate ST380013AS drives, formatted NTFS. Winbench was running on a third drive that is not included in the tests and should not affect the results.
The drives were reformatted between tests and chkdsk'ed to try and keep things "apples to apples".
No hardware or software changes other than the RAID setup/connections were made between tests.
Higher numbers mean better performance.
I also ran the same tests on the newish WD Raptor 10K drives:
I couldn't stand all the noise the Raptors made, so I returned them.
On my motherboard:
SATA 1 & 2 = Intel RAID controller
SATA 3 & 4 = Promise RAID controller
If the test title does not include "RAID", then it was a single drive test.
Unfortunately, I don't have a spreadsheet version of the above stats. Otherwise I'd create nice bar charts for us and it's would be easier to deduce performance.
Perhaps some kind reader will OCR the pictures, put them into Excel, and make some nice bar charts for us?
Hope the info helps.

Neo4 Plat SLI using SATA Raid cannot install WinXP 32

I recently purchased the neo4 platinum and was quite amazed what all comes with the board. However, I have spent quite a while trying unsuccessfully to get winxp installed. I was previously using a pci rocketraid card to run my 2 maxtor drives as a stripped raid.
Before doing the final shutdown and swap, I went into the rocketraid and deleted the array. Swapped boards (raid card did not follow), plugged in the 2 maxtors into sata ports 1 and 2. Configured nvidia raid bios settings to enable raid on sata ports 1 and 2. Entered nvidia raid bios, and created a stripped raid array with the 2 maxtors. Boot to winxp install, f6 and installed both drivers on included nvidia diskette. When I get to the partition selection, I have nothing but 'Unknown disk' listed several times. If I try to access one of these 'partitions' by either deleting or selecting, the system crashes (blue screen).
So, I deleted the nvidia array, the reinstalled my rocketraid card, and created an array on it. Went through the same install sequence, and am able to see the array as a selectable drive, and am able to install winxp on it. So, I am a bit lost on where to go from here.. I tried searching both here and google and I didnt see anyone with this particular problem. Id really love to get this bad boy running (a good upgrade for me), but it seems I am destined not to. Please, someone help!

Quote from: syar2003 on 09-July-05, 18:10:53
Inside the nvraid rom bios make sure to clear disk data and set raid bootable .
gah, sorry, I should have put that in my original post (did those).
So, a bit of an update... after a bit more futzing around, I have tried multiple times on deleting, recreating (and clearing data) arrays, trying with and without setting to boot. After the 2nd or so array creation, my problem has slightly changed. Now, windows install does not recognize any hdd's present and wont continue.
Out of curiosity, I blasted the array from the nvidia bios, then went into main bios, disabled nvidia raid, and enabled sil raid. Hooked up the drives to sil raid, and created an array. Windows install see's the array, and is currently installing to it. Now, while this may function as a work aorund (if it completes) I think I read somewhere the nvidia raid is not on the pci bus, but the sil raid is (which is why I want to use the nvraid). So, aside from any input or suggestions about resolving the problem I am having, any input on the differences between the two raid setups?
edit- windows successfully installed on the sil raid array, but I still would like a fix for the nvraid

TS130 On board RAID

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