Fernando 1

Hi HHawk,don't use the DFI drivers. They were published by DFI in January 2006, but when you unzip them, you will see, that they are produced by NVIDIA in 2004. If your old mainboard and the new one have the same nForce chipset (I suppose nForce4 SLI AMD), normally the same nForce SataRaid driver package should work. Do both boards have exactly the same nForce chipset? Which driver package did you use with your Asus A8N32-SLI motherboard? What sort of problems did you have during the install on your new DFI board? CU Fernando

Please give some informations about your system (mainboard, number and sort of hdd's, Raid Bios version etc.).

That's right, but did you do it?? The Raidtool is a tool and not a driver. You don't need it at all. Open your computer case and have a look on the name of your mainboard or let a hardware diagnostic tool detect it. Then you can search via google for a handbook for your board! That would be really helpful for you.CU Fernando

How can you see that when you are at work? You don't have a Raid array, so I assume, that no Raid drivers have been installed. A lot of people say this, others say that. I have always used the nForce P-ATA (=IDE) drivers and had never any problem. The "Raidtool", which you can find within the nForce driver package, has nothing to do with the Raid creating "NVIDIA Raid Utility" which you have to use before you install any OS. While you are booting you have to press F10 or similar. Look into your mainboard book!Once more: Forget the "Raidtool" you are searching for on your hdd. If you want to create a Raid array, you need 2 or more hdd's. Then you have to do the following: a ) Format the 2 hard disk drives. b ) Enable the Raid ports in BIOS c ) Configurate your Raid by using F10 and the NVIDIA Raid Utility. d ) Enable the boot option of your Raid array. e) Set the Raid array as first bootable hard disk device within BIOS. After you have done all this and if you see "Healthy Raid Array" at the second boot screen, you can try to install Windows XP or Windows XP x64 onto your fresh created Raid array. If you do not succeed creating your Raid array, please do not reply within this thread, because we are discussing about the nForce Raid driver integration and not about the creation of a Raid array and the use of a Raidtool or the NVIDIA Raid Utilitity. Please have a look into the handbook of your motherboard or ask the producer of it, if you have any question about these things.

And what is about SCSI- and Raid Controller? What do you see there? I have never used this tool! So the lack of that tool should not be a problem for you. No, that was not a good idea if you want to use a Raid array! That's it! Conclusions: 1. If you want to create a Raid array, you need 2 or more hdd's! 2. As long as you have not configured your Raid (by hitting F10 and using the Raid Config Tool of your mainboard BIOS) you can install as many Raid drivers - you won't get a Raid to do its work!

There are so many posts of so many different people - how should I remember all these things? Where did you mention that?This is a thread dedicated for users with an nForce Raid array (look at the title of the thread). As a consequence I assume, that each poster is a user of an nForce Raid system. If I had realized, that you have no Raid, I would have given you the advice just to integrate the SATA_IDE subfolder as "normal" PnP driver and nothing else. @ all: My guide (first post) is absolutely useless for people with a non-Raid system! CU Fernando

I don't believe, that you integrated the Raid drivers (off the LEGACY folder) as PnP drivers. You can integrate Sata drivers by this method, but not Raid drivers. Otherwise your Raid array will not be recognized during TEXTMODE part of the install. For mainboards with an nForce 430/410 chipset there is a special nForce chipset driver package 8.22. The only problem is, that this package has no NVATABUS.INF (no LEGACY folder). If you want to install this driver package, give me your eMail adress and I will send you the correct IDE driver package ready for integration as TEXTMODE driver.

That is a very severe thing and possibly the main reason for all your problems. As long as yourRaid array is not bootable, you will not be able to install any OS. I would be rather astonished if you succeed this way.By the way: Have you formatted the WD hdd's before you created the new Raid array? Could you set the new Raid array (with the WD hdd's) as bootable device? If not, I would RMA the board.

Some Maxtor Sata2 hdd's can't work with nForce4 chipsets. If you don't find a firmware update, you can simply remove the problem by setting the jumpers of the hdd's to Sata1.EDIT: You may ask Maxtor for a firmware update by using this link: https://maxtor.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/maxtor....dlPTE*&p_srch=1 No, nLite does not create that folder. This folder is not necessary, because nLite prevents the install of the wrong MS IDE drivers by another method.

The connection between your floppy and SataRaid controllers is your mainboard! I am nearly sure, that there is something wrong with your board.Please report here again, if you get any news about your issues. CU Fernando

My first question: Do you have stable RAM BIOS settings (no overclocking)?Next: Do you have Maxtor Sata2 hdd's? If yes, you should flash the new firmware downloadable at Maxtor homepage. If you have a floppy drive, do the following: Download the x64 nForce chipset driver package 6.56 from Guru homepage and copy all files you find within the IDE\WinXP folder onto an empty formatted floppy disk (don't copy the Raidtool subfolder). Then try to install XPx64 by F6 method (without using nLite) using your just prepared floppy. If you don't succeed this way you won't ever succeed by using nLite. Please report if a ) your Raid array was correctly detected (as 1 drive) during TEXTMODE part of installation and b ) the install succeeded this way.

Thanks for your reply.Are you really sure, that your mainboard and especially your floppy port is OK? In other newsgroups I saw a lot of posts from owners of an ASUS A8N32 Sli Deluxe with a lot of hardware troubles. That is why I am unsure, if your findings have anything to do with nLite. So I would like to encourage other nLite users with an nForce4 SLI x16 mainboard to report about their experiences using my guide and especially about the best driver folder choice.

OK, this belongs to the other (x64) thread, but once mor my question:Did you ever try to integrate the LEGACY folder of the 6.85 package during your tests with 32-bit XP?

That is interesting. So the nForce Sata driver NVATABUS.SYS will not be installed unless you have integrated the SATA_RAID folder, which contains this driver? Have you ever tried to integrate just the LEGACY folder? If yes, what was the result?

Hi DarqAngels,thank you for your post, unless it is not easy to understand, because a ) INF files are no drivers (you can point at any INF file and you will get all files of that INF file folder onto your nLited CD) and b ) the SMBus has nothing to do with Sata drivers. So I try to resume for owners of an Asus A8N32 SLI Deluxe, who want to integrate the nForce Sata drivers for a non-Raid-system into a bootable XP CD: For the successful integration you have to integrate the LEGACY and SATA_IDE subfolder of the 6.85 package as PnP drivers - that's all. Is this correct? Or did you mean, that the LEGACY folder has to be integrated as TEXTMODE and the SATA_IDE as Pnp driver? Or did you mix both folders before you began the integration? Please clarify this if possible. CU Fernando

Good idea! You can get crazy with these damned nForce Sata drivers, because there are big differences not only between the chipsets, but also between different boards with the same chipset.Good luck! Fernando

I just had a look into your earlier post within another thread to realize, that you have a board with an nForce SLI x16 chipset and a SATA II harddrive disk.At first you have to look into your mainboard handbook if you have to enable nVRaid within BIOS (unless you don't use it). If you have a Maxtor hdd you may look for a new firmware (some Maxtor Sata2 hdd's have trouble with nForce4 chipsets). At least I would recommend to integrate the SATA_IDE subfolder off the nForce chipset package 6.85 as PnP driver by using nLite. Please report here, if it worked or not (unless this thread was only dedicated for users with nForce Raid systems). EDIT: 1. I agree with Blank - the installation should work without any extra drivers during install, if you have XP with integrated SP2. 2. What is about your BIOS? Can't you get a newer one which totally supports ACPI? So to resumeraid0 set on sata port 1/2 + 3° drive on sata 3 + floppy enable in bios = boot ok raid0 set on sata port 1/2 + 3° drive on sata 3 + floppy disable in bios = bsod raid0 set on sata port 1/2 + no drive on sata 3/4 + floppy disable in bios = boot ok raid0 set on sata port 1/2 + 3° drive on sata 3 + floppy enable in bios = boot ok that's really awesome If these findings are true, I would bring the board back to the vendor.By the way: What is the difference between the first and the forth alternative?

Maybe I am wrong, but I suppose, that this is the reason for all your troubles. If you want to create a new Raid array with 3 instead of 2 hdd's, it is not enough to enable the 3rd SataRaid port within BIOS, you have to add the new hdd to the array by nForce Raid utility.Before you do that, I would recommend a backup of your important datas. CU Fernando

@ daph4ntom,good to see, that you got it to work. Thank you for this reply. Many people who have posted their problems did not write again, if and how they solved them, especially they don't when they did something wrong themselves. Your post verifies how important it is to read my guide with accuracy. Windows XPx64 is very sensitive to overclocking! Exactly this is the reason why I wrote this into my post No 1: Important requirements You only will succeed with the integration of the nForce SataRaid drivers, if you have - a stable system (proper RAM modules and safe BIOS settings, no overclocking) Thanks again Fernando

It is not easy to understand.Do you mean that you integrated the SATA_RAID subfolder as TEXTMODE driver using nLite and additionally presented the same drivers by using F6/floppy method during TEXTMODE part of the installation? You did not answer to these questions.EDIT: I have read, that you worked with Windows XP SP1a. There are other users which had problems trying to integrate the nForce SataRaid drivers into a bootable XP CD by using SP1a. Please try to get a clean XP CD without SP1a or XP with integrated SP2. Maybe the install works this way without any floppy use!

When did you plug the 3rd hdd (before or after the install)? Did you use the nVRaid utility? Hi Blank,your findings may be important for other users with nForce4 SLI x16 mainboard. Just to clarify: 1. How did you get your Raid array to work "without driver integration"? 2. So you recommend for this special chipset just to integrate the SATA_RAID subfolder as TEXTMODE driver and nothing else? Or did this only work with more than 2 hdd's? CU Fernando

Have you ever tried to integrate the 6.67 drivers (64-bit) into W2k3 without R2?Since W2k3 R2 is rather new I don't know, if nLite supports the 64-bit version of it. Does nLite recognize Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 at the beginning of its processing? As you have exactly the same mainboard as me, there should be no problem for you 1. to create a bootable W2k3 x64 CD with integrated SataRaid drivers and then 2. to update to R2 after you completed the install of the OS. CU Fernando

Hi Blank,are you sure, that Rick will read all posts of this thread, unless he succeeded with the integration of the nForce SataRaid drivers? You probably will have more chance to get an answer, if you send him a PM. CU Fernando

1. You can create a bootable "unattended install" XP CD with integrated nForce SataRaid or Pata(=IDE-)Raid drivers by using nLite, but you cannot create a Raid array by using a tool like nLite. Before you can install an OS onto a Raid array you have to create the array by activating Raid within BIOS and using a special NVIDIA Raid utility (F10 or similar).2. It is no problem to create a new partition with an nLited CD during XP setup, even if you have chosen "fullunattended" install. Shortly after the beginning of the install you will be asked where you want to install XP or if you want to create a new partition. CU Fernando

If you have an nForce SataRaid system, you have to install the NVATABUS.SYS and this is the S-ATA and P-ATA (=IDE) driver at the same time. If you don't want to use the NVATABUS.SYS as P-ATA (= IDE s/w) driver anymore, you can change the use of the nForce Parallel ATA Controller against the use of the MS Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller, but you should do it only after the successful install of Windows XP.These are the steps: Device manager > IDE ATA/ATAPI-Controller > right click on the NVIDIA nForce4 Parallel ATA Controller > udate driver > manual update > show compatible drivers > then choose the MS one). But I confirm what RickSteele wrote - I would not recommend to take the MS IDE drivers unless you get problems with one of your IDE (CD ROM or DVD) devices. Thank you for your post!CU Fernando