Fernando 1

1. Try the nForce3 Raid drivers off the chipset driver package 5.10 or 5.11.2. The nVRaid BIOS is a part of the mainboard BIOS. So you have to flash the newest mainboard BIOS to get the chance of a newer nVRaid BIOS version. CU Fernando

Have you tried to boot in safe mode? 1. Both CAT files are within the driver package I have sent to you.2. You should not remove the SCSI/RAID drivers.

That is not a bug, but a feature. All "hot plugging" devices are shown in the systray as "safely removable hardware". As SATA drives are hot plugging devices, you have this icon. You can hide it by changing the properties of the task bar. CU Fernando

Maybe your CD-ROM drive is not supported by the nForce4 Parallel ATA Controller driver.You can fix this problem either by an update of the firmware for your CD-ROM drive or by replacing the nForce P-ATA (=IDE s/w) driver by the MS IDE Standard driver. Do the following: 1. Open the device manager 2. Open the section IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers 3. Right click on nForce4 Parallel ATA Controller 4. Click on "update driver software" 5. Choose "manual install" 6. Choose "let me pick from a list of device drivers" 7. Enable "Show compatible hardware". Now you can see the "MS Dual Channel IDE Bus Controller". 8. Choose it and install it. After a reboot you will see your CD-ROM drive. CU Fernando

A screenshot is not necessary. If you have an extra sound card, you can integrate the newest driver for it (if you have on-board-sound, you should disable it within BIOS).Now start your work and let me know if everything worked.

I would integrate the other nForce drivers too (SMBus, Ethernet, Audio) - as "normal" PnP drivers. If you want, you can integrate also the latest NVIDIA Forceware drivers (take the WHQL-certified). You did not read exactly what I have written: For the integration of the SataRaid or PataRaid drivers I propose to take the new official 32-bit NVIDIA nForce chipset driver package v. 6.70 (you may download it here, then extract the content). Fortunately NVIDIA has established a subfolder named LEGACY within the IDE\WinXP directory of this package. As this subfolder contains all necessary files, for most of the users any further preparations of this package are dispensable. The other possibility with moving around some files is only for purists or for people with problematic mainboards. Everything clear now? CU Fernando

Just read the first post of this thread and do what I have written. It's very easy.Good luck! Fernando

Hi Venomous,there is no Gigabyte mainboard named gn-k8n pro-sli. If you have the K8N PRO-SLI, I suppose, that you have a "normal" nForce4 AMD chipset. Take the nForce chipset driver package 6.70. There is no need for you to move files around - just integrate the LEGACY subfolder as TEXTMODE driver and you will succeed. CU Fernando

Any other ideas?If you really want to integrate the nVRaid and the Fasttrek drivers by modifying the TXTSETUP.SIF, you have to copy all drivers (SYS files) of both driver folders (the directories where the TXTSETUP.OEM are) into the i386 directory of your CD.That means, that the following files have to be in the root of the i386 folder of your CD: NVRAID.SYS, NVATABUS.SYS and FASTTX2K.SYS. The NVIDIA Filter driver NVCCHFLT.SYS should only be added, if it is really a component of the used nForce SataRaid driver package. Much easier would be an integration of both TEXTMODE drivers by using nLite. Look here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&sho...ndpost&p=484420 CU Fernando

I think so, but I never tried it. You have to use the W2k drivers instead of the XP ones. This didn't seem to work for me. I just tested the integration of the nForce SataRaid drivers into Windows 2000 by using nLite 1.0 RC7 according my guide (see post 1 of this thread). It worked flawlessly.The only difference concerning the integration was, that I integrated the IDE\Win2k drivers instead of the IDE\WinXP ones. As I have an nForce4 chipset, I took the LEGACY subfolder off the nForce chipset driver package 6.70. So I suppose, that your problem has something to do with your Promise ATA Card. CU Fernando

The nVRaid Controller uses the Raid driver NVRAID.SYS, the NVIDIA Sata Controller uses the Sata driver NVATABUS.SYS. If NVIDIA brings new chipset drivers, there is no problem to update the installed ones. I think so, but I never tried it. You have to use the W2k drivers instead of the XP ones. Try to install XP by using the F6/floppy method and take the SataRaid drivers off the 6.53 chipset driver package (content of the IDE\WinXP folder without the raidtool subfolder). If the install fails, you really have a problem, which has nothing to do with this thread.

Congratulations, Rick, that you found at least the reason for your oroblems. Other people had already given up a while ago, but you tested it again and again until your search was successfull. It seems to me, that we are like twins. At first I have 2 questions:1. Did you read my first post of this thread? There is the answer. 2. Do you have an nForce4 board (as you have written in this post) or an nForce3 board (as your signature in DFI-Street forum says)? The problem, that the XP setup installs the wrong MS IDE bus drivers instead of the correct new nForce Sata drivers (off the packages 6.66 and higher) during the GUIMODE part of the installation, is not solved by just slipstreaming the nForce drivers, but by the combination of slipstreaming and modification of the MS IDE drivers done automaticly by nLite. No, the last posts had nothing to do with your linked thread.

Hi Eric,I am sorry for my late answer, but I was not at home for some days. Your problem has definitely nothing to do with my guide (post 1 of this thread). As you already supposed, you probably have a hardware problem. Try the following: 1. Test your hdd's with the Seagate hdd test tool. 2. If the hdd test is ok, create the partition C: and format it by using a partition tool like Partition Magic or Acronis Disk Director Suite (take the newest version). 3. If you succeed with point 2, retry the install of your nLited XPx64 CD. Good luck! CU Fernando

Hi Rick,thank you for your detailed post. Your interesting advices may help other members who have the same board and the same problems as you. What I do not understand is the relationship between the nForce SataRaid drivers and the Local Area Connection. I cannot believe, that this has something to do with the method how you integrate the SataRaid drivers (F6 or by using nLite). How do you explain your findings? Did you integrate all nForce drivers (SataRaid, SMBus, Ethernet, Audio) by using nLite? Did you take them all off the package 6.85? CU Fernando

Have you ever tried to install the orinal XP version by using the F6/floppy method and the 6.53 driver package?

If you are not able to install the nForce SataRaid drivers from the IDE\WinXP folder of the chipset package 6.53 via F6/floppy by using the original XP CD, you definitively have a problem with your system.EDIT: Look at posts from RickSteele and Blank within the last pages (ca. 45-51) of this thread.

Hi icroyal,as I know from other nLite members, the Asus A8N32-SLI DeLuxe is not very cooperative with nForce SataRaid drivers. You may have a look at the last sites of this thread. On the other side your experience, that your keyboard stopped working after you have hit "S", astonished me. You may have a real hardware problem. Here are my my questions: 1. Is your system stable (no overclocking during the install of an OS)? 2. Do you have a really healthy Raid array and only a single MBR? 3. What version has your nVRaid BIOS (second boot screen)? 4. Have you tried to unplug all unneeded hardware and RAM sticks (only 1 left) during the install of XP? CU Fernando Hi Ben, you may be right. I have read about the same problems in other forums. Some people with similar issues succeeded by changing the SATA ports. Have you tested your SATA drives by the Seagate utility? Did you try to enable SATA1 instead of SATA2? CU Fernando

Hi Ben,if you don't have a Raid array, you should not follow my guide (first post of this thread), because this is only useful for SataRaid systems. The best way to install Windows XP onto a SATA drive is to use a slipstreamed XPSP2 CD and to integrate no SATA driver during the install (even no F6 and no floppy). Normally XP detects the SATA drive and gets correctly installed. After the successful setup of the OS you can install all needed nForce chipset drivers inclusive the SATA ones by running the setup of the chipset driver package. CU Fernando

Yes! If you want to integrate the SATA drivers by using nLite, I would take the SATA_IDE subfolder (as PnP driver), but if you want to install those drivers after you have finished the installation of Windows XP, I would just run the setup of the chipset driver package und choose those drivers which you want.CU Fernando

MS has no SATA drivers, the MS setup routine is only able to detect SATA drives. So the nFoce SATA driver is really necessary for you after you have completed the setup. Just ignore it - as Blank has written. The LEGACY folder contains TEXTMODE drivers because it has a TXTSETUP.OEM file and it has an information file (NVATABUS.INF) for the nForce SATA driver.CU Fernando

My guide was not written for users with a non-Raid system.Windows XP with integrated SP2 normally needs no extra drivers to detect SATA drives. If you want to slipstream the nForce SATA drivers, just integrate the SATA_IDE subfolder as PnP driver (not as Textmode). If your SATA drives are detected during TEXTMODE part of the installation, you don't need to hit F6 and no floppy is necessary. Everything is detected automaticly. You can test it by just booting off your XP CD with integrated SP2. If your SATA drives are not detected, you really have to integrate the nForce SATA driver (but only this one, not the NVIDIA RAID driver) by integrating the LEGACY subfolder as TEXTMODE driver. When you use nLite, you can integrate as many drivers as you want (especially if you use RC7, because they are now stored in different folders). But it normally makes no sense to integrate drivers you don't need.You have to decide prior to the installation , if you want to use the nForce or the Sil Sata controllers and you have to choose the correct Sata mainboard ports and BIOS settings. CU Fernando

Buy a second computer or hdd's with more space!

Why do you think, that you get a larger capacity by building a Raid array? I have never heard about that.

Yes, have a look into your BIOS, if you find any Sil Raid controller. If yes, enable them and create a new Sil Raid array.Do not touch the nForce Raid array where you are booting from (with MBR). EDIT: It seems, that you are not able to create a third nForce Raid array. Why is this so important for you to have 3 Raid arrays? I have only 1 single Raid array with 2 Sata hdd's and I don't even think about more of them.Here is the description about the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum: On-Board SATA • NV RAID supports 4 SATA II ports(SATA 1 to 4). Transfer rate is up to 300MB/s. NV RAID (Software) • Supports up to 4 SATA and 4 ATA133 Hard drives[/b] - RAID 0 or 1, 0+1, JBOD is supported - RAID function available for ATA133+SATA H/D drives Silicon Image's SATARAID5™ (Software) • RAID 0 or 1, RAID5, RAID10, and JBOD groups are supported • Support up to 4 SATA devices connected to a single controller So if you have this mainboard, you can only create a Sata Raid array with your Sil Raid controller.

Please write, what exactly you are trying to do.As far as I understand, you want to rebuild your nForce Raid array (by adding 2 IDE hdd's) on a running system, although you are booting from the Raid. If this is correct, I would not suggest to try it. I would never touch a running Raid system. Why don't you create a new Raid array with your Silicon Image Raid Controllers? And why can't you add non-Raid IDE hdd's?