NF7-S Raid Problems

Hi Chip,

Thanks for the advice.

If I focus on just the first problem to start with, my 2 SATA drives are
currently on SATA channels 1 & 2, non-RAID. If I open Device Manager, under
SCSI and RAID controllers I see Silicon Image SiI 3112 SATARaid Controller.
The driver properties for this show a version of 1.0.0.21 and a date of
10/10/2002.

If I right click on the SATARaid Controller and choose Update Driver and
browse to my floppy driver where I have a floppy with the 1.0.0.28 (or .40,
same result) then the driver update fails with a "The data is invalid"
message.

Both the .28 and .40 updates were obtained from the SI support site.

Any ideas on this? Before I Ghost to the IDE I would like to update the
drivers as, I understand from reading around the web, that either .28 or .40
will provide stability/performance improvements over the .21 drivers that
were supplied on a floppy with my mobo.

Your assistance is much appreciated.

A



"Chip" <anneonymouse.RemoveThis@virgin.net> wrote in message
news:c3eflv$26vc90$1@ID-185713.news.uni-berlin.de...
 > "Anthony" <anthony.i67.RemoveThis@ntlworld.cXoXm> wrote in message
 > news:szy6c.78$4d6.13@newsfe1-win...
  > > I've just acquired 2 Seagate 80Mb SATA drives and want to set up a
striped
  > > RAID array. System specs at end of post.
  > >
  > > Problem 1: I thought I'd image my existing setup using Ghost 2003 onto a
 > 3rd
  > > drive on an IDE channel, setup the array then image back. Before doing
so
 > I
  > > tried to update the Windows SATA Raid driver from v1.0.0.21 to latest
  > > v1.0.0.28 which seems to be regarded as the most stable even though it's
 > not
  > > the latest. Whenever I try, however, the update fails with a "The data
is
  > > invalid" error message. Googling and searching the support forums at
Abit,
  > > SI and Seagate turned up nothing.
  > >
  > > Any ideas?
 >
 > I am not entirely sure I understand how you are trying to apply the
update.
 > Anyway, are you doing this:
 >
 > 1. Ghost the working boot disk onto your spare IDE drive
 > 2. Boot from the IDE drive with this new copy and make sure its working OK
 > 3. Reboot and go into the sata bios (cntrl-S or f4 at post time)
 > 4. Setup the new raid0 array with settings you want (my recommendation is
 > 16k or 32k stripe length, others have different opinions)
 > 5. Boot up from the IDE drive and let it detect the new raid controller
 > 6. Update the raid controller drives as you wish
 > 7. Format and partition your new sata raid disk as you wish
 >
 > This should work. You should now have a working XP image booted from the
 > IDE drivers that can see the working raid array.
 >
 > 8. Ghost back from the IDE disk to the new raid array.
 >
  > >
  > > Problem 2: Sod it, thought I. I'll setup the array reinstall Windows, us
 > the
  > > latest drivers at the 'press F6' point in the install and just live with
a
  > > full reinstall. However, once the first reboot point in the install
 > routine
  > > is reached, the machine just hangs with a balnk screen after rebooting.
  > >
  > > Result: no RAID at all.
  > >
  > > Did plenty of digging yesterday, managed to find a few posts with
  > > either/both the issues above but no answers.
  > >
  > > Any light you can shed would be greatly appreciated...
  > >
 >
 > You did do steps 3 & 4, didn't you? If you boot from a dos floppy, can
you
 > see the raid array? Can you fdisk it and format it from DOS? If yes,
then
 > its working OK. If you can't see it from DOS, then its not setup
properly.
 >
 > Chip.
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: NF7-S Raid Problems 

"Anthony" <anthony.i67 DeleteThis @ntlworld.cXoXm> wrote in message
news:3Qz6c.337$du5.218@newsfe3-win.server.ntli.net...
 > Hi Chip,
 >
 > Thanks for the advice.
 >
 > If I focus on just the first problem to start with, my 2 SATA drives are
 > currently on SATA channels 1 & 2, non-RAID. If I open Device Manager,
under
 > SCSI and RAID controllers I see Silicon Image SiI 3112 SATARaid
Controller.
 > The driver properties for this show a version of 1.0.0.21 and a date of
 > 10/10/2002.
 >
 > If I right click on the SATARaid Controller and choose Update Driver and
 > browse to my floppy driver where I have a floppy with the 1.0.0.28 (or
..40,
 > same result) then the driver update fails with a "The data is invalid"
 > message.

I think you are going about things wrong. See below.

 > Both the .28 and .40 updates were obtained from the SI support site.
 >
 > Any ideas on this? Before I Ghost to the IDE I would like to update the
 > drivers as, I understand from reading around the web, that either .28 or
..40
 > will provide stability/performance improvements over the .21 drivers that
 > were supplied on a floppy with my mobo.

There are two sets of drivers for this controller: raid drivers and non-raid
drivers. And the controller can work as a raid controller or a non-raid
controller.

Currently you have it set up as a non-raid controller yet you are trying to
load raid drivers. That's why its not working. Follow the steps I told you
and then it will work. i.e. you need to configure the raid array (s4 at
boot time etc.)*before* trying to update (or even to load) any raid drivers.

Chip

 > Your assistance is much appreciated.
 >

No probs

 >
 >
 >
 > "Chip" <anneonymouse DeleteThis @virgin.net> wrote in message
 > news:c3eflv$26vc90$1@ID-185713.news.uni-berlin.de...
  > > "Anthony" <anthony.i67 DeleteThis @ntlworld.cXoXm> wrote in message
  > > news:szy6c.78$4d6.13@newsfe1-win...
   > > > I've just acquired 2 Seagate 80Mb SATA drives and want to set up a
 > striped
   > > > RAID array. System specs at end of post.
   > > >
   > > > Problem 1: I thought I'd image my existing setup using Ghost 2003 onto
a
  > > 3rd
   > > > drive on an IDE channel, setup the array then image back. Before doing
 > so
  > > I
   > > > tried to update the Windows SATA Raid driver from v1.0.0.21 to latest
   > > > v1.0.0.28 which seems to be regarded as the most stable even though
it's
  > > not
   > > > the latest. Whenever I try, however, the update fails with a "The data
 > is
   > > > invalid" error message. Googling and searching the support forums at
 > Abit,
   > > > SI and Seagate turned up nothing.
   > > >
   > > > Any ideas?
  > >
  > > I am not entirely sure I understand how you are trying to apply the
 > update.
  > > Anyway, are you doing this:
  > >
  > > 1. Ghost the working boot disk onto your spare IDE drive
  > > 2. Boot from the IDE drive with this new copy and make sure its working
OK
  > > 3. Reboot and go into the sata bios (cntrl-S or f4 at post time)
  > > 4. Setup the new raid0 array with settings you want (my recommendation
is
  > > 16k or 32k stripe length, others have different opinions)
  > > 5. Boot up from the IDE drive and let it detect the new raid controller
  > > 6. Update the raid controller drives as you wish
  > > 7. Format and partition your new sata raid disk as you wish
  > >
  > > This should work. You should now have a working XP image booted from
the
  > > IDE drivers that can see the working raid array.
  > >
  > > 8. Ghost back from the IDE disk to the new raid array.
  > >
   > > >
   > > > Problem 2: Sod it, thought I. I'll setup the array reinstall Windows,
us
  > > the
   > > > latest drivers at the 'press F6' point in the install and just live
with
 > a
   > > > full reinstall. However, once the first reboot point in the install
  > > routine
   > > > is reached, the machine just hangs with a balnk screen after
rebooting.
   > > >
   > > > Result: no RAID at all.
   > > >
   > > > Did plenty of digging yesterday, managed to find a few posts with
   > > > either/both the issues above but no answers.
   > > >
   > > > Any light you can shed would be greatly appreciated...
   > > >
  > >
  > > You did do steps 3 & 4, didn't you? If you boot from a dos floppy, can
 > you
  > > see the raid array? Can you fdisk it and format it from DOS? If yes,
 > then
  > > its working OK. If you can't see it from DOS, then its not setup
 > properly.
  > >
  > > Chip.
  > >
  > >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: NF7-S Raid Problems 

IMPORTANT!

Anthony, make sure you ghost your XP installation over to the IDE drive
FIRST, like I told you. Do not start setting up the raid array whilst its
still your boot drive (obviously), or you could end up making your system
unbootable.

Chip

"Chip" <anneonymouse RemoveThis @virgin.net> wrote in message
news:c3ejc7$27lcbn$1@ID-185713.news.uni-berlin.de...
 >
 > "Anthony" <anthony.i67 RemoveThis @ntlworld.cXoXm> wrote in message
 > news:3Qz6c.337$du5.218@newsfe3-win.server.ntli.net...
  > > Hi Chip,
  > >
  > > Thanks for the advice.
  > >
  > > If I focus on just the first problem to start with, my 2 SATA drives are
  > > currently on SATA channels 1 & 2, non-RAID. If I open Device Manager,
 > under
  > > SCSI and RAID controllers I see Silicon Image SiI 3112 SATARaid
 > Controller.
  > > The driver properties for this show a version of 1.0.0.21 and a date of
  > > 10/10/2002.
  > >
  > > If I right click on the SATARaid Controller and choose Update Driver and
  > > browse to my floppy driver where I have a floppy with the 1.0.0.28 (or
 > .40,
  > > same result) then the driver update fails with a "The data is invalid"
  > > message.
 >
 > I think you are going about things wrong. See below.
 >
  > > Both the .28 and .40 updates were obtained from the SI support site.
  > >
  > > Any ideas on this? Before I Ghost to the IDE I would like to update the
  > > drivers as, I understand from reading around the web, that either .28 or
 > .40
  > > will provide stability/performance improvements over the .21 drivers
that
  > > were supplied on a floppy with my mobo.
 >
 > There are two sets of drivers for this controller: raid drivers and
non-raid
 > drivers. And the controller can work as a raid controller or a non-raid
 > controller.
 >
 > Currently you have it set up as a non-raid controller yet you are trying
to
 > load raid drivers. That's why its not working. Follow the steps I told
you
 > and then it will work. i.e. you need to configure the raid array (s4 at
 > boot time etc.)*before* trying to update (or even to load) any raid
drivers.
 >
 > Chip
 >
  > > Your assistance is much appreciated.
  > >
 >
 > No probs
 >
  > >
  > >
  > >
  > > "Chip" <anneonymouse RemoveThis @virgin.net> wrote in message
  > > news:c3eflv$26vc90$1@ID-185713.news.uni-berlin.de...
   > > > "Anthony" <anthony.i67 RemoveThis @ntlworld.cXoXm> wrote in message
   > > > news:szy6c.78$4d6.13@newsfe1-win...
   > > > > I've just acquired 2 Seagate 80Mb SATA drives and want to set up a
  > > striped
   > > > > RAID array. System specs at end of post.
   > > > >
   > > > > Problem 1: I thought I'd image my existing setup using Ghost 2003
onto
 > a
   > > > 3rd
   > > > > drive on an IDE channel, setup the array then image back. Before
doing
  > > so
   > > > I
   > > > > tried to update the Windows SATA Raid driver from v1.0.0.21 to
latest
   > > > > v1.0.0.28 which seems to be regarded as the most stable even though
 > it's
   > > > not
   > > > > the latest. Whenever I try, however, the update fails with a "The
data
  > > is
   > > > > invalid" error message. Googling and searching the support forums at
  > > Abit,
   > > > > SI and Seagate turned up nothing.
   > > > >
   > > > > Any ideas?
   > > >
   > > > I am not entirely sure I understand how you are trying to apply the
  > > update.
   > > > Anyway, are you doing this:
   > > >
   > > > 1. Ghost the working boot disk onto your spare IDE drive
   > > > 2. Boot from the IDE drive with this new copy and make sure its
working
 > OK
   > > > 3. Reboot and go into the sata bios (cntrl-S or f4 at post time)
   > > > 4. Setup the new raid0 array with settings you want (my recommendation
 > is
   > > > 16k or 32k stripe length, others have different opinions)
   > > > 5. Boot up from the IDE drive and let it detect the new raid
controller
   > > > 6. Update the raid controller drives as you wish
   > > > 7. Format and partition your new sata raid disk as you wish
   > > >
   > > > This should work. You should now have a working XP image booted from
 > the
   > > > IDE drivers that can see the working raid array.
   > > >
   > > > 8. Ghost back from the IDE disk to the new raid array.
   > > >
   > > > >
   > > > > Problem 2: Sod it, thought I. I'll setup the array reinstall
Windows,
 > us
   > > > the
   > > > > latest drivers at the 'press F6' point in the install and just live
 > with
  > > a
   > > > > full reinstall. However, once the first reboot point in the install
   > > > routine
   > > > > is reached, the machine just hangs with a balnk screen after
 > rebooting.
   > > > >
   > > > > Result: no RAID at all.
   > > > >
   > > > > Did plenty of digging yesterday, managed to find a few posts with
   > > > > either/both the issues above but no answers.
   > > > >
   > > > > Any light you can shed would be greatly appreciated...
   > > > >
   > > >
   > > > You did do steps 3 & 4, didn't you? If you boot from a dos floppy,
can
  > > you
   > > > see the raid array? Can you fdisk it and format it from DOS? If yes,
  > > then
   > > > its working OK. If you can't see it from DOS, then its not setup
  > > properly.
   > > >
   > > > Chip.
   > > >
   > > >
  > >
  > >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: NF7-S Raid Problems 

WHICH driver are you using? I see several possible drivers at
http://snipurl.com/si3112 under the SiI3x12 node in their download tree.
Are you sure you picked the correct one? Presumably you aren't trying
to use the Linux drivers. But are you sure that you didn't download the
64-bit driver when you should be using their 32-bit driver? If you are
sure that you download the 32-bit version, are you sure that you got the
RAID version and *not* the IDE-only, non-RAID version?

I know is sounds insulting to ask if you got the correct driver but
there are 64- and 32-bit versions and there are RAID and non-RAID
versions. They really need to provide a unified driver install program.

I don't use Ghost. I trialed it awhile back when it came included in
Norton Systemworks 2002 Pro but I didn't like some of its behavior. It
defaulted to a logical backup where it was reading the files instead of
a physical read of the sectors. This meant the restore failed on
EFS-protected files. When I used the option to make it do a physical
image, it included empty sectors in the image file so it was huge.
Another option later and the empty sectors got skipped (DriveImage does
this automatically). It came with IBM-DOS for booting from a floppy.
That DOS is known to have compatibility problems even with really old
hardware when that DOS was one of the prime operating systems. Symantec
recommended creating an image or file store for MS-DOS that then could
be selected in Ghost to use that, but that requires you buy yet another
operating system, a requirement that is NOT listed on the box!
DriveImage uses CalderaDOS for its bootable floppies.

Because Ghost, by default, uses IBM-DOS then it won't be able to read
NTFS partitions if you created a logical disk image (i.e., it read
files, not sectors). Neither would CalderDOS (don't recall seeing them
load a driver to let them at least read NTFS). Since DriveImage is
doing a physical sector read and writes, it doesn't care about the file
system used. Since Ghost can't read the NTFS partition, and if you are
using the latest version, then it appears Ghost is still dumbass in
defaulting to logical images instead of physical images. You'll need to
read Ghost's docs to see what are the command-line switches you can use
to force Ghost to create a physical disk image file.

I don't remember if I had to use the -clone switch (doesn't sound
familiar) or the -ia switch. There is an alphabetical listing of
switches at http://snipurl.com/5755 but it seems incomplete as it
doesn't include the -clone switch (which another KB article there
mentions). The -ia switch does a physical read of sectors but
unfortunately is also includes empty (unused) sectors which makes for a
huge image file with lots of worthless empty sectors recorded in it.
Maybe another switch can override that stupidity but I didn't see one.
Unless your backup drive where you are storing the image file is larger
than the partition you are recording, see if using the -Z9 switch will
compress the image file.

I've never had a problem restoring NTFS partitions using DriveImage
which uses CalderaDOS for its bootable floppy since it always does a
physical sector-by-sector copy (skipping the unused ones). The unused
sectors still get written that way so a restore is an exact image of the
original. There's just no point in including them in the image file.
Because it is a physical restore (by sector) instead of a logical
restore (by default in Ghost which means it actually reads the files), I
don't run into problems with the partition being NTFS or when using EFS.
DriveImage (latest version, maybe the prior one, too) supports RAID-0
(because it really probably doesn't have to do anything). I would
similarly suspect that Ghost supports RAID-0. Ghost can be made to
perform a sector-by-sector or physical image of the disk but I don't
know if you can keep its image file small with an option or command to
skip unused sectors.




--
____________________________________________________________
*** Post replies to newsgroup. E-mail is not accepted. ***
____________________________________________________________
 >> Stay informed about: NF7-S Raid Problems 

OK, here's where I am.

Existing install Ghosted to the IDE drive.
Disabled SATA controller, booted from IDE drive - all fine.
Reboot - enable SATA/RAID - created SATA RAID 0, 16K stripe
Boot to Win XP on IDE
Use Disk Manager to format RAID array, 16k cluster

Reboot to Ghost from floppy to image XP from IDE drive to array - NO GO

The Ghost background screen displays, but no menu appears.

OK, tried to boot from DOS floppy (created by XP) and it can't see any
drives other than the floppy itself. (ie. I can't change to any other drive
letter than A

Clearly, I'm doing something wrong or I've missed something...

Cheers,
Anthony



"Chip" <anneonymouse.RemoveThis@virgin.net> wrote in message
news:c3ejpl$27uk3s$1@ID-185713.news.uni-berlin.de...
 > IMPORTANT!
 >
 > Anthony, make sure you ghost your XP installation over to the IDE drive
 > FIRST, like I told you. Do not start setting up the raid array whilst its
 > still your boot drive (obviously), or you could end up making your system
 > unbootable.
 >
 > Chip
 >
 > "Chip" <anneonymouse.RemoveThis@virgin.net> wrote in message
 > news:c3ejc7$27lcbn$1@ID-185713.news.uni-berlin.de...
  > >
  > > "Anthony" <anthony.i67.RemoveThis@ntlworld.cXoXm> wrote in message
  > > news:3Qz6c.337$du5.218@newsfe3-win.server.ntli.net...
   > > > Hi Chip,
   > > >
   > > > Thanks for the advice.
   > > >
   > > > If I focus on just the first problem to start with, my 2 SATA drives
are
   > > > currently on SATA channels 1 & 2, non-RAID. If I open Device Manager,
  > > under
   > > > SCSI and RAID controllers I see Silicon Image SiI 3112 SATARaid
  > > Controller.
   > > > The driver properties for this show a version of 1.0.0.21 and a date
of
   > > > 10/10/2002.
   > > >
   > > > If I right click on the SATARaid Controller and choose Update Driver
and
   > > > browse to my floppy driver where I have a floppy with the 1.0.0.28 (or
  > > .40,
   > > > same result) then the driver update fails with a "The data is invalid"
   > > > message.
  > >
  > > I think you are going about things wrong. See below.
  > >
   > > > Both the .28 and .40 updates were obtained from the SI support site.
   > > >
   > > > Any ideas on this? Before I Ghost to the IDE I would like to update
the
   > > > drivers as, I understand from reading around the web, that either .28
or
  > > .40
   > > > will provide stability/performance improvements over the .21 drivers
 > that
   > > > were supplied on a floppy with my mobo.
  > >
  > > There are two sets of drivers for this controller: raid drivers and
 > non-raid
  > > drivers. And the controller can work as a raid controller or a non-raid
  > > controller.
  > >
  > > Currently you have it set up as a non-raid controller yet you are trying
 > to
  > > load raid drivers. That's why its not working. Follow the steps I told
 > you
  > > and then it will work. i.e. you need to configure the raid array (s4 at
  > > boot time etc.)*before* trying to update (or even to load) any raid
 > drivers.
  > >
  > > Chip
  > >
   > > > Your assistance is much appreciated.
   > > >
  > >
  > > No probs
  > >
   > > >
   > > >
   > > >
   > > > "Chip" <anneonymouse.RemoveThis@virgin.net> wrote in message
   > > > news:c3eflv$26vc90$1@ID-185713.news.uni-berlin.de...
   > > > > "Anthony" <anthony.i67.RemoveThis@ntlworld.cXoXm> wrote in message
   > > > > news:szy6c.78$4d6.13@newsfe1-win...
   > > > > > I've just acquired 2 Seagate 80Mb SATA drives and want to set up a
   > > > striped
   > > > > > RAID array. System specs at end of post.
   > > > > >
   > > > > > Problem 1: I thought I'd image my existing setup using Ghost 2003
 > onto
  > > a
   > > > > 3rd
   > > > > > drive on an IDE channel, setup the array then image back. Before
 > doing
   > > > so
   > > > > I
   > > > > > tried to update the Windows SATA Raid driver from v1.0.0.21 to
 > latest
   > > > > > v1.0.0.28 which seems to be regarded as the most stable even
though
  > > it's
   > > > > not
   > > > > > the latest. Whenever I try, however, the update fails with a "The
 > data
   > > > is
   > > > > > invalid" error message. Googling and searching the support forums
at
   > > > Abit,
   > > > > > SI and Seagate turned up nothing.
   > > > > >
   > > > > > Any ideas?
   > > > >
   > > > > I am not entirely sure I understand how you are trying to apply the
   > > > update.
   > > > > Anyway, are you doing this:
   > > > >
   > > > > 1. Ghost the working boot disk onto your spare IDE drive
   > > > > 2. Boot from the IDE drive with this new copy and make sure its
 > working
  > > OK
   > > > > 3. Reboot and go into the sata bios (cntrl-S or f4 at post time)
   > > > > 4. Setup the new raid0 array with settings you want (my
recommendation
  > > is
   > > > > 16k or 32k stripe length, others have different opinions)
   > > > > 5. Boot up from the IDE drive and let it detect the new raid
 > controller
   > > > > 6. Update the raid controller drives as you wish
   > > > > 7. Format and partition your new sata raid disk as you wish
   > > > >
   > > > > This should work. You should now have a working XP image booted
from
  > > the
   > > > > IDE drivers that can see the working raid array.
   > > > >
   > > > > 8. Ghost back from the IDE disk to the new raid array.
   > > > >
   > > > > >
   > > > > > Problem 2: Sod it, thought I. I'll setup the array reinstall
 > Windows,
  > > us
   > > > > the
   > > > > > latest drivers at the 'press F6' point in the install and just
live
  > > with
   > > > a
   > > > > > full reinstall. However, once the first reboot point in the
install
   > > > > routine
   > > > > > is reached, the machine just hangs with a balnk screen after
  > > rebooting.
   > > > > >
   > > > > > Result: no RAID at all.
   > > > > >
   > > > > > Did plenty of digging yesterday, managed to find a few posts with
   > > > > > either/both the issues above but no answers.
   > > > > >
   > > > > > Any light you can shed would be greatly appreciated...
   > > > > >
   > > > >
   > > > > You did do steps 3 & 4, didn't you? If you boot from a dos floppy,
 > can
   > > > you
   > > > > see the raid array? Can you fdisk it and format it from DOS? If
yes,
   > > > then
   > > > > its working OK. If you can't see it from DOS, then its not setup
   > > > properly.
   > > > >
   > > > > Chip.
   > > > >
   > > > >
   > > >
   > > >
  > >
  > >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: NF7-S Raid Problems 

Found this in an error file

*********************************
Date : Fri Mar 19 13:42:38 2004
Error Number: (29004)
Message: Read sector failure, result = 1, drive = 1, sectors 6291519 to
6291521
Version: 2003.793 (Dec 17 2003, Build=793)

produced by Ghost.exe when I try and start it up to image RAID array from
IDE WinXP system disk.

Can see, use and bench the array from within XP fine.

?



"Anthony" <anthony.i67 DeleteThis @ntlworld.cXoXm> wrote in message
news:B2C6c.12$Kj7.4@newsfe1-win...
 > OK, here's where I am.
 >
 > Existing install Ghosted to the IDE drive.
 > Disabled SATA controller, booted from IDE drive - all fine.
 > Reboot - enable SATA/RAID - created SATA RAID 0, 16K stripe
 > Boot to Win XP on IDE
 > Use Disk Manager to format RAID array, 16k cluster
 >
 > Reboot to Ghost from floppy to image XP from IDE drive to array - NO GO
 >
 > The Ghost background screen displays, but no menu appears.
 >
 > OK, tried to boot from DOS floppy (created by XP) and it can't see any
 > drives other than the floppy itself. (ie. I can't change to any other
drive
 > letter than A
 >
 > Clearly, I'm doing something wrong or I've missed something...
 >
 > Cheers,
 > Anthony
 >
 >
 >
 > "Chip" <anneonymouse DeleteThis @virgin.net> wrote in message
 > news:c3ejpl$27uk3s$1@ID-185713.news.uni-berlin.de...
  > > IMPORTANT!
  > >
  > > Anthony, make sure you ghost your XP installation over to the IDE drive
  > > FIRST, like I told you. Do not start setting up the raid array whilst
its
  > > still your boot drive (obviously), or you could end up making your
system
  > > unbootable.
  > >
  > > Chip
  > >
  > > "Chip" <anneonymouse DeleteThis @virgin.net> wrote in message
  > > news:c3ejc7$27lcbn$1@ID-185713.news.uni-berlin.de...
   > > >
   > > > "Anthony" <anthony.i67 DeleteThis @ntlworld.cXoXm> wrote in message
   > > > news:3Qz6c.337$du5.218@newsfe3-win.server.ntli.net...
   > > > > Hi Chip,
   > > > >
   > > > > Thanks for the advice.
   > > > >
   > > > > If I focus on just the first problem to start with, my 2 SATA drives
 > are
   > > > > currently on SATA channels 1 & 2, non-RAID. If I open Device
Manager,
   > > > under
   > > > > SCSI and RAID controllers I see Silicon Image SiI 3112 SATARaid
   > > > Controller.
   > > > > The driver properties for this show a version of 1.0.0.21 and a date
 > of
   > > > > 10/10/2002.
   > > > >
   > > > > If I right click on the SATARaid Controller and choose Update Driver
 > and
   > > > > browse to my floppy driver where I have a floppy with the 1.0.0.28
(or
   > > > .40,
   > > > > same result) then the driver update fails with a "The data is
invalid"
   > > > > message.
   > > >
   > > > I think you are going about things wrong. See below.
   > > >
   > > > > Both the .28 and .40 updates were obtained from the SI support site.
   > > > >
   > > > > Any ideas on this? Before I Ghost to the IDE I would like to update
 > the
   > > > > drivers as, I understand from reading around the web, that either
..28
 > or
   > > > .40
   > > > > will provide stability/performance improvements over the .21 drivers
  > > that
   > > > > were supplied on a floppy with my mobo.
   > > >
   > > > There are two sets of drivers for this controller: raid drivers and
  > > non-raid
   > > > drivers. And the controller can work as a raid controller or a
non-raid
   > > > controller.
   > > >
   > > > Currently you have it set up as a non-raid controller yet you are
trying
  > > to
   > > > load raid drivers. That's why its not working. Follow the steps I
told
  > > you
   > > > and then it will work. i.e. you need to configure the raid array (s4
at
   > > > boot time etc.)*before* trying to update (or even to load) any raid
  > > drivers.
   > > >
   > > > Chip
   > > >
   > > > > Your assistance is much appreciated.
   > > > >
   > > >
   > > > No probs
   > > >
   > > > >
   > > > >
   > > > >
   > > > > "Chip" <anneonymouse DeleteThis @virgin.net> wrote in message
   > > > > news:c3eflv$26vc90$1@ID-185713.news.uni-berlin.de...
   > > > > > "Anthony" <anthony.i67 DeleteThis @ntlworld.cXoXm> wrote in message
   > > > > > news:szy6c.78$4d6.13@newsfe1-win...
   > > > > > > I've just acquired 2 Seagate 80Mb SATA drives and want to set up
a
   > > > > striped
   > > > > > > RAID array. System specs at end of post.
   > > > > > >
   > > > > > > Problem 1: I thought I'd image my existing setup using Ghost
2003
  > > onto
   > > > a
   > > > > > 3rd
   > > > > > > drive on an IDE channel, setup the array then image back. Before
  > > doing
   > > > > so
   > > > > > I
   > > > > > > tried to update the Windows SATA Raid driver from v1.0.0.21 to
  > > latest
   > > > > > > v1.0.0.28 which seems to be regarded as the most stable even
 > though
   > > > it's
   > > > > > not
   > > > > > > the latest. Whenever I try, however, the update fails with a
"The
  > > data
   > > > > is
   > > > > > > invalid" error message. Googling and searching the support
forums
 > at
   > > > > Abit,
   > > > > > > SI and Seagate turned up nothing.
   > > > > > >
   > > > > > > Any ideas?
   > > > > >
   > > > > > I am not entirely sure I understand how you are trying to apply
the
   > > > > update.
   > > > > > Anyway, are you doing this:
   > > > > >
   > > > > > 1. Ghost the working boot disk onto your spare IDE drive
   > > > > > 2. Boot from the IDE drive with this new copy and make sure its
  > > working
   > > > OK
   > > > > > 3. Reboot and go into the sata bios (cntrl-S or f4 at post time)
   > > > > > 4. Setup the new raid0 array with settings you want (my
 > recommendation
   > > > is
   > > > > > 16k or 32k stripe length, others have different opinions)
   > > > > > 5. Boot up from the IDE drive and let it detect the new raid
  > > controller
   > > > > > 6. Update the raid controller drives as you wish
   > > > > > 7. Format and partition your new sata raid disk as you wish
   > > > > >
   > > > > > This should work. You should now have a working XP image booted
 > from
   > > > the
   > > > > > IDE drivers that can see the working raid array.
   > > > > >
   > > > > > 8. Ghost back from the IDE disk to the new raid array.
   > > > > >
   > > > > > >
   > > > > > > Problem 2: Sod it, thought I. I'll setup the array reinstall
  > > Windows,
   > > > us
   > > > > > the
   > > > > > > latest drivers at the 'press F6' point in the install and just
 > live
   > > > with
   > > > > a
   > > > > > > full reinstall. However, once the first reboot point in the
 > install
   > > > > > routine
   > > > > > > is reached, the machine just hangs with a balnk screen after
   > > > rebooting.
   > > > > > >
   > > > > > > Result: no RAID at all.
   > > > > > >
   > > > > > > Did plenty of digging yesterday, managed to find a few posts
with
   > > > > > > either/both the issues above but no answers.
   > > > > > >
   > > > > > > Any light you can shed would be greatly appreciated...
   > > > > > >
   > > > > >
   > > > > > You did do steps 3 & 4, didn't you? If you boot from a dos
floppy,
  > > can
   > > > > you
   > > > > > see the raid array? Can you fdisk it and format it from DOS? If
 > yes,
   > > > > then
   > > > > > its working OK. If you can't see it from DOS, then its not setup
   > > > > properly.
   > > > > >
   > > > > > Chip.
   > > > > >
   > > > > >
   > > > >
   > > > >
   > > >
   > > >
  > >
  > >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: NF7-S Raid Problems 

Hi,

Thanks - yes, I am using the right driver...it's described as SiI3x12:
Serial ATA (SATA) Windows RAID Driver - Released on the Silicon Image
website. It's also the driver referred/linked to by all the NF7-S sepcific
posts I've read in various forums.

It'll take me some time to work through the rest of your post...in detail.

Cheers,
Anthony



"*Vanguard*" <no-email.TakeThisOut@post-reply-in-newsgroup.invalid> wrote in message
news:0qidnVyNKeAqocbd4p2dnA@comcast.com...
 > WHICH driver are you using? I see several possible drivers at
 > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://snipurl.com/si3112" target="_blank">http://snipurl.com/si3112</a> under the SiI3x12 node in their download tree.
 > Are you sure you picked the correct one? Presumably you aren't trying
 > to use the Linux drivers. But are you sure that you didn't download the
 > 64-bit driver when you should be using their 32-bit driver? If you are
 > sure that you download the 32-bit version, are you sure that you got the
 > RAID version and *not* the IDE-only, non-RAID version?
 >
 > I know is sounds insulting to ask if you got the correct driver but
 > there are 64- and 32-bit versions and there are RAID and non-RAID
 > versions. They really need to provide a unified driver install program.
 >
 > I don't use Ghost. I trialed it awhile back when it came included in
 > Norton Systemworks 2002 Pro but I didn't like some of its behavior. It
 > defaulted to a logical backup where it was reading the files instead of
 > a physical read of the sectors. This meant the restore failed on
 > EFS-protected files. When I used the option to make it do a physical
 > image, it included empty sectors in the image file so it was huge.
 > Another option later and the empty sectors got skipped (DriveImage does
 > this automatically). It came with IBM-DOS for booting from a floppy.
 > That DOS is known to have compatibility problems even with really old
 > hardware when that DOS was one of the prime operating systems. Symantec
 > recommended creating an image or file store for MS-DOS that then could
 > be selected in Ghost to use that, but that requires you buy yet another
 > operating system, a requirement that is NOT listed on the box!
 > DriveImage uses CalderaDOS for its bootable floppies.
 >
 > Because Ghost, by default, uses IBM-DOS then it won't be able to read
 > NTFS partitions if you created a logical disk image (i.e., it read
 > files, not sectors). Neither would CalderDOS (don't recall seeing them
 > load a driver to let them at least read NTFS). Since DriveImage is
 > doing a physical sector read and writes, it doesn't care about the file
 > system used. Since Ghost can't read the NTFS partition, and if you are
 > using the latest version, then it appears Ghost is still dumbass in
 > defaulting to logical images instead of physical images. You'll need to
 > read Ghost's docs to see what are the command-line switches you can use
 > to force Ghost to create a physical disk image file.
 >
 > I don't remember if I had to use the -clone switch (doesn't sound
 > familiar) or the -ia switch. There is an alphabetical listing of
 > switches at <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://snipurl.com/5755" target="_blank">http://snipurl.com/5755</a> but it seems incomplete as it
 > doesn't include the -clone switch (which another KB article there
 > mentions). The -ia switch does a physical read of sectors but
 > unfortunately is also includes empty (unused) sectors which makes for a
 > huge image file with lots of worthless empty sectors recorded in it.
 > Maybe another switch can override that stupidity but I didn't see one.
 > Unless your backup drive where you are storing the image file is larger
 > than the partition you are recording, see if using the -Z9 switch will
 > compress the image file.
 >
 > I've never had a problem restoring NTFS partitions using DriveImage
 > which uses CalderaDOS for its bootable floppy since it always does a
 > physical sector-by-sector copy (skipping the unused ones). The unused
 > sectors still get written that way so a restore is an exact image of the
 > original. There's just no point in including them in the image file.
 > Because it is a physical restore (by sector) instead of a logical
 > restore (by default in Ghost which means it actually reads the files), I
 > don't run into problems with the partition being NTFS or when using EFS.
 > DriveImage (latest version, maybe the prior one, too) supports RAID-0
 > (because it really probably doesn't have to do anything). I would
 > similarly suspect that Ghost supports RAID-0. Ghost can be made to
 > perform a sector-by-sector or physical image of the disk but I don't
 > know if you can keep its image file small with an option or command to
 > skip unused sectors.
 >
 >
 >
 >
 > --
 > ____________________________________________________________
 > *** Post replies to newsgroup. E-mail is not accepted. ***
 > ____________________________________________________________
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: NF7-S Raid Problems 

Hey Chip, wonder if you can answer this. In the BIOS, if you disable
the SATA controller, can you still use the SATA device in XP? I
tried, and failed. I only have 1 device using the converter, and if I
disable the SATA controller in the BIOS, then I can't load any
drivers? I want to disable it in the BIOS, since I don't want to see
the sata boot screen where it checks for drives. I am not using RAID,
and am using the "SiI3x12A: Serial ATA (SATA) Windows IDE Driver -
Released" drivers from Si.



On Fri, 19 Mar 2004 10:53:07 -0000, "Chip" <anneonymouse DeleteThis @virgin.net>
wrote:
[snip]

 >
 >There are two sets of drivers for this controller: raid drivers and non-raid
 >drivers. And the controller can work as a raid controller or a non-raid
 >controller.
 >
 >Currently you have it set up as a non-raid controller yet you are trying to
 >load raid drivers. That's why its not working. Follow the steps I told you
 >and then it will work. i.e. you need to configure the raid array (s4 at
 >boot time etc.)*before* trying to update (or even to load) any raid drivers.
 >
 >Chip
 >
  >> Your assistance is much appreciated.
  >>
 >
 >No probs <!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: NF7-S Raid Problems 

Thanks to all who posted...FWIW, here are the answers I found.

1. I couldn't upgrade the Windows RAID driver due to a failed
download/install of a later driver (1.0.0.47) from Windows Update. I rolled
my system back using sytem restore to a point prior to the attempted update
to .47, then found I could update in the usual way.

2. Ghost 2003 does recognise NTFS and my problems here were related to the
latest SATA bios included in the latest NF7-S bios from Abit. I solved this
by using the modded bios posted by Equito on the abit.com forums - identical
to the latest Abit release except that the SATA bios is an earlier,
allegedly more stable version. Fixed my problems anyway.

Hope that helps.

A
 >> Stay informed about: NF7-S Raid Problems 

"Anthony" said in news:AWs7c.154$Gr.20@newsfe3-win.server.ntli.net:
<snip>
 > 2. Ghost 2003 does recognise NTFS and my problems here were related
 > to the latest SATA bios included in the latest NF7-S bios from Abit.
 > I solved this by using the modded bios posted by Equito on the
 > abit.com forums - identical to the latest Abit release except that
 > the SATA bios is an earlier, allegedly more stable version. Fixed my
 > problems anyway.

Wouldn't have reverting to a prior version of Abit's system BIOS also
have reverted to a prior version of the SATA BIOS?

Got a link to where you found the info in Abit's forums? I did a short
check but couldn't find anything specific (that would've also related to
your problem). I didn't look for more than 5 minutes. They don't have
a search that lets you span forums, and searching in each forum is
tedious.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: NF7-S Raid Problems 

On Sun, 21 Mar 2004 23:08:21 -0600, "*Vanguard*"
<no-email DeleteThis @post-reply-in-newsgroup.invalid> wrote:

 >"Anthony" said in news:AWs7c.154$Gr.20@newsfe3-win.server.ntli.net:
 ><snip>
  >> 2. Ghost 2003 does recognise NTFS and my problems here were related
  >> to the latest SATA bios included in the latest NF7-S bios from