Integration of Intel's SATA AHCI and RAID drivers

[D_TOX]

Hey Fernando, hows it going?

Well its been a few days now since installing with the slipstreamed Gigabyte drivers. I'm not liking how my computer has turned out though!

I seem to get these random system stutters now, on desktop mainly. My mouse and system stops and starts with 1 second delays in between. This can last for about 6 seconds then it will stop. Sometimes i can recreate the issue by opening up random applications, like Firefox. Or entering my hard-drive. I've noticed when these stutters occur, with every stutter, my HDD light blinks! I also observed task-manager during the issue and it seemed my CPU usage would spike up to 50% when each stutter occured, even with no applications running! I don't know what's causing it. To be honest, i think it may be some kind of driver conflict or something, i don't know. I had a lot of 'Unknown devices' and yellow exclamation marks in device-manager for a while after installing all the essential device drivers, this has never happened before aftere a format.

Another problem i worried about is perhaps an actual hardware fault? During this whole slipstream/SATA installation (Spanning over a week and a half) i was switching my PC on and off a lot, including the power at the back, so that i could switch cables around etc. Did a lot of resets and a lot of Bios fiddling. Was wondering if this could have damaged my hardware in the process, causing these issues?

I'm thinking about re-formatting again, this time being more careful during the device-update process etc, just wanted your advice beforehand in case its not necessary. Another format is not a problem, so dont worry about that.

Cheers.

[Fernando 1]

Well its been a few days now since installing with the slipstreamed Gigabyte drivers. I'm not liking how my computer has turned out though!

I seem to get these random system stutters now, on desktop mainly. My mouse and system stops and starts with 1 second delays in between. This can last for about 6 seconds then it will stop. Sometimes i can recreate the issue by opening up random applications, like Firefox. Or entering my hard-drive. I've noticed when these stutters occur, with every stutter, my HDD light blinks! I also observed task-manager during the issue and it seemed my CPU usage would spike up to 50% when each stutter occured, even with no applications running! I don't know what's causing it. To be honest, i think it may be some kind of driver conflict or something, i don't know. I had a lot of 'Unknown devices' and yellow exclamation marks in device-manager for a while after installing all the essential device drivers, this has never happened before aftere a format.

Another problem i worried about is perhaps an actual hardware fault? During this whole slipstream/SATA installation (Spanning over a week and a half) i was switching my PC on and off a lot, including the power at the back, so that i could switch cables around etc. Did a lot of resets and a lot of Bios fiddling. Was wondering if this could have damaged my hardware in the process, causing these issues?

I'm thinking about re-formatting again, this time being more careful during the device-update process etc, just wanted your advice beforehand in case its not necessary. Another format is not a problem, so dont worry about that.

If I were you, I would do exactly what you are thinking about.

Hopefully all your troubles are gone after having done a fresh reinstall of the OS and selecting carefully the best suitable device drivers. I experienced this very often.

Furthermore you will get this way more assurance, if all your devices are still working properly.

Good luck!

Fernando

[pkulk]

fernando

thank you for a very detailed and informative post. I am following step by step with the exception that I am downloading the latest storage manager from intel website applicable for windows 2000. do you think this may cause some problems if i apply the same procedure for win2K?

FYI I have a new PC I am trying to build on a ECS G31T-M board which has the ICH7 (no R or M) southbridge. That means no AHCI. When I first tride a W2K slipstream with SP4, the isntall starts off, 'successfully' formats 131GB of a 320GB drive and there I get a blue screen.

At the moment, I am going with the assumption that this is a drivers problem and I am going to try and install with a slip-stream version of the right drivers as you described.

thanks

edits for spelling.

Edited December 16, 2007 by pkulk

[Fernando 1]

I am following step by step with the exception that I am downloading the latest storage manager from intel website applicable for windows 2000.

I doubt, that you really got the right ones. Where did you find Intel Matrix Storage Manager drivers suitable for Windows 2000? AFAIK these drivers are only usable for Windows XP and later Operating Systems.

do you think this may cause some problems if i apply the same procedure for win2K?

If you want the full performance of your S-ATA hdd's, you should not install Windows 2000. Windows 2000 has only poor support for S-ATA Controllers.

My suggestion: You should install Windows XP.

FYI I have a new PC I am trying to build on a ECS G31T-M board which has the ICH7 (no R or M) southbridge. That means no AHCI.

You are right and that is the reason why you don't need to integrate any Intel TEXTMODE driver, if you would use Windows XP instead of Windows 2000.

[pkulk]

I am following step by step with the exception that I am downloading the latest storage manager from intel website applicable for windows 2000.

I doubt, that you really got the right ones. Where did you find Intel Matrix Storage Manager drivers suitable for Windows 2000? AFAIK these drivers are only usable for Windows XP and later Operating Systems.

do you think this may cause some problems if i apply the same procedure for win2K?

If you want the full performance of your S-ATA hdd's, you should not install Windows 2000. Windows 2000 has only poor support for S-ATA Controllers.

My suggestion: You should install Windows XP.

FYI I have a new PC I am trying to build on a ECS G31T-M board which has the ICH7 (no R or M) southbridge. That means no AHCI.

You are right and that is the reason why you don't need to integrate any Intel TEXTMODE driver, if you would use Windows XP instead of Windows 2000.

Fernando

when I searched the intel website, it took me to the latest file to download. reason I am not installing XP directly - I have obtained an XP upgrade disk through my school but it is not recognized as a boot disk when I put it into the CD. instead, if I put it in after win2k is installed, it recognizes fine and asks if i need to upgrade my OS.

btw, the problem turned out to be one of the 2 mem sticks i was trying to put in. working on RMA for that but things are working on 1GB DDR2 at the moment.

thanks for your comments.

[Fernando 1]

Fernando

when I searched the intel website, it took me to the latest file to download. reason I am not installing XP directly - I have obtained an XP upgrade disk through my school but it is not recognized as a boot disk when I put it into the CD. instead, if I put it in after win2k is installed, it recognizes fine and asks if i need to upgrade my OS.

btw, the problem turned out to be one of the 2 mem sticks i was trying to put in. working on RMA for that but things are working on 1GB DDR2 at the moment.

thanks for your comments.

Thanks for your reply.

So I assume, that everything is fine now.

CU

Fernando

[scl205]

Fernando,

Thank you so much for your post. It worked perfectly. My problem was with Fedora core 8 installed for some reason XP just stalled at the first install screen. As soon as I removed the Fedora partition all worked perfect. Then after XP I installed Fedora now my laptop runs Vista, XP & Fedora. I can select which one at boot time through the grub bootloader and Vista's bootloader. Only one hitch remains with the "FN" key in XP. I can not change the backlight brightness. Gateway offered to sell me for $200 a "special" version of XP with all the drivers. But declined to offer me the keyboard drivers. Next time I'll be getting another brand thanks to all their help.

Thank-you once again for your instruction page.

Steve

[-.-PhanTom-.-]

Just tried your wellwritten guide.

I have the Asus Maximus Formula motherboard, which has an ICH9R controller.

I selected it as textmode driver (that and it's driver twin) in the list of avaiable drivers from your rar file.

Unattended nLited install went fine, but when I check Device Managger, there are two "unknown" devices for the ICH9R controller.

Checking properties I found out that they are for "ICH9R LPC controller 2", but in the list of installed system devices, this also appear once.

I then tried selecting ALL the listed textmode drivers from your rar, same thing.

Any ideas?

[Fernando 1]

Just tried your wellwritten guide.

I have the Asus Maximus Formula motherboard, which has an ICH9R controller.

I selected it as textmode driver (that and it's driver twin) in the list of avaiable drivers from your rar file.

Unattended nLited install went fine, but when I check Device Managger, there are two "unknown" devices for the ICH9R controller.

Checking properties I found out that they are for "ICH9R LPC controller 2", but in the list of installed system devices, this also appear once.

I then tried selecting ALL the listed textmode drivers from your rar, same thing.

The "unknown devices" shown within your Device Manager have nothing to do with the Intel SataRaid drivers (of the Intel Matrix Storage Manager), but with the missing Intel chipset drivers.

You should just install the actual "INF update utility" package.

[-.-PhanTom-.-]

The "unknown devices" shown within your Device Manager have nothing to do with the Intel SataRaid drivers (of the Intel Matrix Storage Manager), but with the missing Intel chipset drivers.

You should just install the actual "INF update utility" package.

Should have written that I also integrated the chipset drivers (as PNP) in the same "nliteazation".

And if I try to install Intel chipset drivers from the orig exe file aftewards, nothing changes...

Edited December 31, 2007 by -.-PhanTom-.-

[Fernando 1]

Should have written that I also integrated the chipset drivers (as PNP) in the same "nliteazation".

And if I try to install Intel chipset drivers from the orig exe file, nothing changes...

Have you tried to manually install the drivers of the "unknown devices" by pointing to the Intel chipset (INF) drivers?

[-.-PhanTom-.-]

Should have written that I also integrated the chipset drivers (as PNP) in the same "nliteazation".

And if I try to install Intel chipset drivers from the orig exe file, nothing changes...

Have you tried to manually install the drivers of the "unknown devices" by pointing to the Intel chipset (INF) drivers?

Yes. They were not recognised.

[Fernando 1]

Have you tried to manually install the drivers of the "unknown devices" by pointing to the Intel chipset (INF) drivers?

Yes. They were not recognised.

Try to delete the "unknown devices" and reboot.

[-.-PhanTom-.-]

Have you tried to manually install the drivers of the "unknown devices" by pointing to the Intel chipset (INF) drivers?

Yes. They were not recognised.

Try to delete the "unknown devices" and reboot.

I did try that. They just re-appear after rebooting.

I will try to install the nLited iso again, and try to install the Intel storage drivers from the orig exe file.

The one thing I didn't try...

Ok, that did not help. So the issue is prob not the Intel Storage drivers.

Must be Intel Chipset driver integration somehow then.... hmmmm. Would just think, that installing them afterward from the original exe would fix that...

Edited December 31, 2007 by -.-PhanTom-.-

[Fernando 1]

Try to delete the "unknown devices" and reboot.

I did try that. They just re-appear after rebooting.

Have a look into the "properties" of the "unknown devices" to get some more informations about them.