windows xp not allowing raid driver install

atocp

atocp

atocp

Associate
Joined
16 Dec 2007
Posts
76
Hello all,

I have a wee problem with a new computer im building. I've just bough 2x250gb WD HDD's and I have set them up to be raid-0. I am running them off a Gigabyte GA-M68M-S2P in ports sata-0 and sata-1. Both of these are enabled in the bios under NV Raid options, and all sata controllers are enabled.

The problem starts when i am trying to install windows xp professional 32-bit. I have included the sata raid drivers for winxp32bit onto the windows installation disc (using nLite) which also has SP3 added into it. Those are the only two changes.
When i get to the install prompt saying "Press F6 to install third party raid.....etc" it wont let me press F6. It wont let me press anything. Sorry, it wont register anything. I mashed every key on the keyboard but nothing. Then when the next prompt ("Press F2 for Automated System Recovery") springs up, it will let me press F2 with no problems at all.

Does anyone know why this is happening?

When it skips these two prompts and starts loading the windows executive, it then goes on to say that it does not recognise what type of computer i have, "Please select 'Standard PC with C-Step on i486' or 'Other'". Once this is done and it finishes loading, it then tells me that it doesn't recognise my mass storage, obviously because i couldn't install the raid drivers.

Can anyone help me solve this one? Im not new to building computers, or installing windows xp, but this is the first time i've decided to start with raid0 from scratch.

Cheers for any help on this,
atocp
 
Isnt the whole point of putting the drivers onto the windows cd with nlite so you dont need to press f6? - sounds very dodgy though with the whole keyboard situation though. keyboard via usb i take it? check in the bios that usb keyboard is on dos support, that may help.
 
hi there,
thanks for the quick reply.

it's a ps2 keyboard, and i have a floppy drive in the computer, but it's not connected up. and neither is the one in the computer im using to burn the new nLite discs. come to think of it, i dont know if i've got any floppy discs in my house any more, binned them all.

using nLite (from what i gather), allows you to use the windows xp install disc as the media which contains the drivers, instead of having to use a floppy disc. i believe you still have to press F6, so you can select which driver you are wanting, but instead of it reading the floppy for the files, it reads them and copies them from the cd, then carries on the install.

I just don't understand why it wont let me press F6. Im going to connect up the floppy in that computer tomorrow, not this one, and see if having a floppy is what is stopping me using F6. The thinking behind that is that 'Maybe windows wont let me proceed to that screen because it detects i've got no way of loading any raid driver files, because i've not got a floppy connected'.

only a theory, and no doubt i'll be back on.

cheers,
atocp
 
hmm, very odd though, I have to admite my memory of xp installs is near enough nothing now ever since vista and whatnots not needing this kinda trouble.
i dont want to sound silly but, would it not just be easier to install a nice simple windows 7 on it? :)
 
kristain, thanks, but i thought the whole point of a community based computing forum was to bring together experiences and knowledge to share it. don't think i'll pay for tech support when it would be just as easy to buy windows 7.

Theguy, i have installed vista a few times, but i have not tried windows 7...to install. unfortunately, this is for my dad's company, and as such, there are a few of issues with cost, legacy support and the fact that every other computer in the office would be running windows xp pro.
i know its annoying, as running a nice new quad core amd athII on windows xp just seems cruel, but really, this issue shouldn't happen. i just can't figure out why.
i am working right now. well, im spending my day browsing the internet, but im in work right now, so i will update you when i get home and connect up the floppy drive later on.

thanks again for the help,

atocp
 
incidentally, i was just google-ing this problem and came up with this post. It is to techspot.com (so apologies), and it's quite old, but the guy was having the same problem.
it appears my perception of the TIME LINE is wrong. I was led to believe that when you press F6, a new screen would come up relatively quickly to select the driver. However, it 'appears' that in fact it will continue to load as normal, and when prompted to 'Specify additional' stuff, thats when you select the correct drivers.
Same problem still exists tho, it wont find the drivers on the cd. I'd be forced to use a floppy in this case.

Anyone else able to confim this theory, that a new screen doesn't pop up straight away?
And does anybody else use nLite, and know why it wont recognise the drivers on the cd. I read somewhere that it was because windows install window could only display 4 drivers on screen, and doesn't have the option to scroll, but im weary of that one.

Cheers again,
atocp
 
From memory it doesn't prompt you straight away but it does before you have to choose a drive to install onto etc. If you're using an nlite CD, I'd be tempted to grab a bog standard disk instead, seeing as it hasn't slipstreamed your drivers anyway!
 
The F6 key doesn't immediately bring up the load additional drivers window but should pause after the initial loading drivers blue screen.

If you've integrated the drivers then unless you've integrated the wrong versions then just let it carry on till you get to the disk partition stage, this will confirm if the installer has loaded the drivers and can see the RAID 0 set.
 
I guess what u could try is to burn another CD double checking correct drivers and that the CD isn't been currupted. Home a long shot though tbh.
 
thanks for the replies,

I am using 3 cd's, and they all stall at the same stage.
1. Bios set as per motherboard manual instructions.
2. Array created as per motherboard manual.
3. Insert any one of the following CD's
a) Windows XP Pro with SP3
b) Windows XP Pro with SP3 and sataraid drivers
c) Windows XP Pro with SP3 and 'other' raid drivers found on the mobo cd

They all go through the same process and stall when it asks for 'Press S for other specified' stuff. When i press S, it then just says 'Cannot detect floppy drive, press F3 to exit'

I was following a guide from somewhere, which told me to integrate drivers using the "Select Multiple Driver Folder" in nLite. But after reading the nLite instructions, it says to "Select Single driver". I wonder if this is the problem. I wouldn't have thought so, but i've got a few dics left, so im only wasting 10p a time really. Better than giving up on raid.

Has anyone else used nLite to integrate the drivers for sata? can you tell me if you use the select single driver or multiple folder option? Here's yet another theory to test tonight.

thanks again for the help,
atocp
 
FIIIXED

hey guys, here's an update

thanks to all who came up with suggestions. here is how i fixed it.

YOU DON'T NEED TO PRESS F6!!!!! Whod've thunk it!

The problem was the disc. nLite does not allow you to use a previouse nLite disc as a source cd. You need the original WINDOWS SOURCE CD. Which means, when i was integrating win xp SP3 into my disc, to save time, i was inadvertantly co*king it up. You have to have an un-edited source. Which means using the disc I bought years ago, and the only change to it was adding in the sata raid drivers.
Additionally, i don't know if it helped, but i also made sure i included the sata_ide drivers, but i don't think they were needed.

When it prompts you to press F6, it then goes on to ask for additional media (by pressing <s>), which it can't do because i didn't connect the floppy. It just goes through to partitioning and installing by recognising the 2x250 drives as 1 500gb drive.

Thanks again for the help,
but consider this problem now solved.
(unless i mess up somewhere and come back on grovelling for more help)

atocp
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom