booting from IDE SATA disk

[dannyh]

Not sure how to best ask the question because it is something I'm not familiar with. So I'll describe the scenario:

Have a new DELL Optiplex 9800, Intel i5 dual core processor, don't know the specific motherboard. I can figure it out if needed. I suspect not needed.

I have a number of machines of older vintages which have SATA drives which I suspect were not set up as RAID. They were simply installed, hooked up, formatted, and OS loaded (WXP).

I installed a swap-bay for SATA drives in my new machine. The intent being to be able to take the SATA drives from the older machines and run them on my new machine. The point being that each of these older machines has unique configurations/applications/setups which I want to be able to run on my single machine when needed, instead of reloading/reconfiguring/ my new machine every time I have to test features in the older machines. The goal being to just swap out my SATA drive and reboot into the target machine's environment.

Problem -- New machine wont' boot up with the old machine SATA drives. I am suspecting it is because new machine controller HD controller (?) is expecting RAID configured SATA drive (the new machine original drive is set up as RAID).

When I go to BIOS, with older SATA drive inserted, and attempt to change the drive to Legacy (I assume I am actually chaning the contorller on motherboard to be Legacy, not the HD itself), I am confronted with a frightening warnign that the drive may become unbootable and will need re-installatio of the OS. This of course would defeat the purpose entirely. Further, I want to be able to put the older SATA drive back into its respective original machine and have it boot as before.

Soooo...is it actually safe to switch back-and-forth between RAID and LEGACY (if Legacy is the appropriate choice) each time I go swap between a SATA which was RAID and one which is not? The procedure therefore being: 1) Swap the SATA drive, 2) Go to BIOS and set that drive as Legacy. 3) conduct my testing, 4) swap back to original drive, 4) Go to BIOD and set that drive/controlle to RAID, etc..

Update: I could not hold off -- I went ahead and crossed my fingers and tried all options of drive configuration in BIOS and none of them worked. In BIOS, Drives/SATA Operation/ options are "RAID Autodetect/AHCI", "RAID Autodetect/ATA", "RAID on", "Legacy". Regardless of which configuration I select, the 'other' drives won't boot on this new machine. These 'other' drives boot fine on their original machines (P4 processors, Intel Motheboards of an older vintage) and can be swapped between three of these machines fine. It is just this new machine that doesn't allow them to boot.

So the question is same -- How the heck do I get this new machine (DELL Optiplex 9800) to boot from drives other than what it was originally set up with? Is there some sort of signature/system-hash/etc. (security)?

Edited May 13, 2011 by dannyh

[jaclaz]

Let's (for the moment) assume that you have NOT this problem.

What makes you think that an OS like (I presume) XP (or anyway any of the NT family) will be able to boot on different hardware without SERIOUS changes to it's settings (drivers)?

Normally an OS configured on a given hardware CANNOT be booted successfully on different hardware.

When it happens, IF it happens it is more a "collision" or coincidence than anything else.

More over there are high probabilities that once an attempt to boot has been made on the "new" hardware, the OS won't be able to boot again on the "old" hardware.

You might need (as said set apart the problem you are currently facing) a completely different approach.

jaclaz

[Ponch]

How the heck do I get this new machine (DELL Optiplex 9800) to boot from drives other than what it was originally set up with?

To complete Jaclaz's post, you seem to see the problem the wrong way around. It is not the computer that boot "a" drive, it is a drive that is installed (means an OS is installed onto a drive) to boot "a" computer and if put in an other computer doesn't have the good configuration to run the hardware. A bit like .... you don't ask "how do I get a Formula1 to be driven by my very efficient truck driver". You don't, you need a Formula1 driver.

[dannyh]

OK, I think perhaps I'll buy the argument. It does make sense. Interesting that I can boot from these drives on three other machines but perhaps they are alike enough that it just works out.

Thanks.

[cdob]

Remember:

request is not supported by OS.

Final result is unknown.

Intel i5 dual core processor

Assumption: a current driver iastor.sys supports mass storage controller.

older vintages which have SATA drives

Which driver does support this mass storage controller?

They were simply installed, hooked up, formatted, and OS loaded (WXP).

Which OS did you load? Do you use a plain XP?

Do you use a OEM version? Any mass storage drivers included to installation CD?

You may have to activate again.

New machine wont' boot up with the old machine SATA drives.

What happens if you boot?

Which pictures and messages do you get?

Press F8 at boot and disable automatic reboot. Which BSOD do you get?

I am suspecting it is because new machine controller HD controller (?) is expecting RAID configured SATA drive (the new machine original drive is set up as RAID).

Boot old machine, add new RAID drivers.

Read 1st and #194 message. Copy a current iastor.sys and apply registry settings

page__view__findpost__p__823883

These 'other' drives boot fine on their original machines (P4 processors, Intel Motheboards of an older vintage)

Which old machines do you use?

Do you use hyper threading?

[jaclaz]

OK, I think perhaps I'll buy the argument. It does make sense. Interesting that I can boot from these drives on three other machines but perhaps they are alike enough that it just works out.

Thanks.

I'll try to clarify the extents of my previous posts.

There are mainly three "vital" sets of drivers in a NT system:

1. Mass Storage drivers
   
2. Video drivers
   
3. Chipset/processor drivers
   

Once upon a time:

• there were NO Sata disks and *all* (or most) PC's used "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller" driver
  
• the drivers for existing video cards were included in the set of "built-in" drivers.
  
• a "same family" of motherboards/processors used the same chipset/processor drivers
  

In most cases you could "move" NT systems with a few very simle steps.

Nowadays, since:

• each SATA controller has it's own drivers
  
• each video card has it's own dirver
  
• each motherboard/chipset has it's own driver
  

the "move" has become much more complex (still possible, but complex in most cases).

Anyway, unless we are talking of so-called "volume License" OS, it is likely that you will need reactivation for XP.

Here is the "old way":

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

SInce then, some new techniques/approaches have been developed, including that of "injecting" drivers on the offline image/disk (and much more):

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showforum=43

jaclaz