Integration of NVIDIA's nForce RAID and AHCI drivers

[RickSteele]

@Fernando 1

Where do you have a folder called "NVRAID"? Do you mean the SATARAID subfolder?

Yes

[RickSteele]

@dale5605

Creative drivers simply do not integrate properly..

Never had a problem with the others-only the SBA2_PCDrvBeta_LB_2_08_0002

just use the "legacy" folder from the 6.67 drivers, don't mess with the 6.66 or sataraid folders, it will only cause pointless problems...

The inf's are different and reference different coinstallers etc., but I will make a fresh ISO and try with only the Legacy drivers integrated and try it on a fresh install. Keep in mind that this nvraid.inf references the cat file in the sataraid folder...which means only manual install will render them WHQL; until nvidia's setup routine is deciphered.

this is unrelated to the nvidia integration...

????-never said different

[RickSteele]

@Fernando 1

I am waiting for your next report.

Could not wait 'till Sunday and have just finished a complete fresh install.

Copied the nvata.cat, nvcoi.dll and nvatabus.inf to the sataraid folder prior to integration with nlite and let nlite create the initial answer file in the process, using his own OEMinf customization. The ATA/ATAPI drivers only showed up unsigned still, all others show WHQL as before so, nothing changed; has to be something in the way setup.exe registers the files because, as before, manual install rendered all drivers WHQL.

The Creative SBA2_PCDrvBeta_LB_2_08_0002 drivers still exhibit the same behaviour-no console, no sound, the older ones integrated successfully every time for me. Had to manually install the sound drivers again.

[dale5605]

The Creative SBA2_PCDrvBeta_LB_2_08_0002 drivers still exhibit the same behaviour-no console, no sound, the older ones integrated successfully every time for me. Had to manually install the sound drivers again.

I have tried integrating the 2.08, the 2.05, and the 1.84 drivers. Every time the same thing as happened to me like you said. I will be really curious if you know of a way to integrate these drivers because they have never worked for me to date, nuhi even said not to integrate creative drivers.

[RickSteele]

@dale5605

I have tried integrating the 2.08, the 2.05, and the 1.84 drivers..

I don't remove much using nlite-just the eye candy; screen savers, msn, colour schemes, images, display drivers etc. I use a common sense approach to spanking XP-pro sp2. For instance, I cannot remove sound devices in the drivers section; I forget why now-tried it once-way back-created all kinds of problems in many of my apps etc.

The 2.08 drivers integrated correctly using nlite 1.0b6 with the exception of the ctac32K.sys file in the original SBA2_PCDrvBeta_LB_2_08_0002\Drivers\wdm\win2k_xp\i386 folder-nlite b6 did not even cab/copy this file or the win2k_xp\i386 folder during integration; resulting in a file copy error during GUI setup. I just cabbed it and created the folder in I386 in NLDRV\win2k_xp, then modified the dosnet and txtsetup accordingly to point to this driver and voila-for me anyways.

Creative's 1.50 always integrated no problem, but the 1.55 had to be installed manually after setup and reboot was complete because the 1.50 was prerequisite. the manual update is done in Device Manager-right click and update driver, point to the extracted 1.55 folder...and so on-never using Creative's setup.

nuhi even said not to integrate creative drivers..

new to me

[Fernando 1]

Could not wait 'till Sunday and have just finished a complete fresh install.

Copied the nvata.cat, nvcoi.dll and nvatabus.inf to the sataraid folder prior to integration with nlite and let nlite create the initial answer file in the process, using his own OEMinf customization. The ATA/ATAPI drivers only showed up unsigned still, all others show WHQL as before so, nothing changed; has to be something in the way setup.exe registers the files because, as before, manual install rendered all drivers WHQL.

As you have seen yourself, there is no reason to copy these files into the SATARAID subfolder prior to integration. It is easier and at least safer to integrate just the LEGACY (package 6.67) or the PATARAID (package v. 6.66) subfolder without any changes.

With no kind of mixture of these files you will manage it, that the Windows XP Setup routine accepts the NVATABUS.SYS and NVRAID.SYS as WHQL-certified drivers. You can verify this at the end of the installation, when you have a look into the file SETUPAPI.LOG (you find it within the Windows folder) and search for those nForce drivers.

CU

Fernando

[RickSteele]

@ Fernando 1

As you have seen yourself, there is no reason to copy these files into the SATARAID subfolder prior to integration.

Wrong; doing so integrates the NVIDIA sw drivers for my DVD/CDROM or ATA drives instead of allowing the generic MS ones-a performance bonus for me-and all ATAPI drives are properly recognized and useable within Windows Explorer during GUI setup and onwards-which was not the case before except through command line execution; also important for my personal setup routine; ie:during command file setup for app installs-mine is user attended and DVDROM recognition in Explorer is required. Finnally, these are not true SATA_RAID drivers and manual install does not install these for SATA drives.

NVATABUS.SYS and NVRAID.SYS as WHQL-certified drivers...

Refer the jpegs in my previous posts to you-they already are integrating the sata_raid folder as discussed-only the ATA/ATAPI are not showing signed, but, are stable and completely functional.

[stinart]

Hey i'm a newbie here but i can't figure out what i'm doing wrong.I followed exactly the steps of the guide (edit the oem file,intergrade drivers,unattended setup with oem preinstall) but when the cd starts loading the drivers in the very first steps(blue screen),i always get the message 'nvrdx64.sys not found' and the setup ends there.Is something wrong with the nlite process?(i get a "p11" error message when i intergrade the drivers but i checked that they are in the cd after the process).Any ideas?

I have a raid+0 setup on a msi k8nNeo2 Plt.

Edited October 7, 2005 by stinart

[Fernando 1]

Hey i'm a newbie here but i can't figure out what i'm doing wrong.I followed exactly the steps of the guide (edit the oem file,intergrade drivers,unattended setup with oem preinstall) but when the cd starts loading the drivers in the very first steps(blue screen),i always get the message 'nvrdx64.sys not found' and the setup ends there.Is something wrong with the nlite process?(i get a "p11" error message when i intergrade the drivers but i checked that they are in the cd after the process).Any ideas?

Either you are in the wrong thread (the theme here is the integration of the nVRaid drivers into the 32bit OS Windows XP) or you have taken the wrong driver package (the file NVRDX64.SYS is a 64bit driver and only dedicated for Windows XP x64 Edition).

If you want to see the method how to integrate the drivers into a Windows XP x64 CD, look here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&sho...ndpost&p=352404

As you have seen yourself, there is no reason to copy these files into the SATARAID subfolder prior to integration.

Wrong; doing so integrates the NVIDIA sw drivers for my DVD/CDROM or ATA drives instead of allowing the generic MS ones-a performance bonus for me-and all ATAPI drives are properly recognized and useable within Windows Explorer during GUI setup and onwards-which was not the case before except through command line execution; also important for my personal setup routine; ie:during command file setup for app installs-mine is user attended and DVDROM recognition in Explorer is required. Finnally, these are not true SATA_RAID drivers and manual install does not install these for SATA drives.

Since I started this thread, my only intention was to give all users with an nForce SataRaid system an as-easy-as-possible guide how to integrate these weird drivers into a bootable CD without BSOD and reboot loopings at the end. The main thing is the result (that the integration succeed and the OS works) and not the way to go. Maybe your method (copying a lot of files into the SATARAID subfolder instead of just using the PATARAID subfolder) is better for you or shortens the installation time of the OS (I need 7-10 minutes with my system), but this might not be important for other users and especially for newbies.

NVATABUS.SYS and NVRAID.SYS as WHQL-certified drivers...

Refer the jpegs in my previous posts to you-they already are integrating the sata_raid folder as discussed-only the ATA/ATAPI are not showing signed, but, are stable and completely functional.

Your jpegs in your previous posts are made after the complete installation of the OS (and a safe mode manual reinstall of the drivers?), but the problem occurs during the hardware detection at the beginning of the GUIMODE part of the installation. MS does not trust the NVIDIA drivers (look into the SETUPAPI.LOG).

@ RickSteele:

Let us stop this academic and totally useless discussion.

Be happy with your special and maybe better way to integrate the nForce SataRaid drivers and enforce your efforts to find a way to integrate the Creative Audio drivers.

But this is another theme and has nothing to do with this thread.

Good luck!

Fernando

P.S.: If you want to answer by quoting, you only have to cklick on the "Quote"-button with the yellow balloon on the right hand bottom place of the post.

Edited October 7, 2005 by Fernando 1

[bdunn13]

Fernando,

This worked perfectly with an EPoX EP-9NPAJ on 2 SATA drives running in RAID 0.

Thanks alot,

BD

[RickSteele]

@Fernando 1

Let us stop this academic and totally useless discussion.

OK

[Fernando 1]

This worked perfectly with an EPoX EP-9NPAJ on 2 SATA drives running in RAID 0.

OK

I thank you both for your post!

CU

Fernando

[swemson]

I used the nlite method to incorporate the sataraid drivers and managed to install. However I 'm getting the strangest error. I have two IDE HD's as well as a mirrored SATA raid disk. I had already installed XP PRO onto one of the ide drives.

If I make the raid HDD to boot device then i get 'DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER'

If I make the IDE HD the boot device I cget the select menu from BOOT.INI, when I select the version on the raid device, I get 'WINDOWS COULD NOT START BECAUSE THE FOLLOWING FILE IS MISSING OR CORRUPT: hal.dll' (note the ide xp pro can be selected ok)

If I make the dvd/cd the boot device ignore the 'press any key to boot from cd' I can then select either of the xp pro systems. The raid xp pro work oks but I dont want this to be my permenant config

I have re-installed but get the same result.

One strange thing the root directory of the raid disk did not get ntldr, ntdetect.com and of *.sys files, nor boot.ini. I've manually copied these from the other install.

I've tried BIOS versions 1012 1013 and 1014. I've installed the chipset stuff from 665

I've also tried the recovery console fixmbr and fixboot

I 've tried different copies of hal.dll, nothing seems to make any difference.

Sorry about the English/grammer it 4 in the morning, I need to get to bed after another long and fruitless n ight with this motherboard(ASUS A8N-SLI deluxe). This motherboard is going to find it self in a bin somewhere!

[Fernando 1]

I used the nlite method to incorporate the sataraid drivers and managed to install. However I 'm getting the strangest error. I have two IDE HD's as well as a mirrored SATA raid disk. I had already installed XP PRO onto one of the ide drives.

If I make the raid HDD to boot device then i get 'DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER'

If I make the IDE HD the boot device I cget the select menu from BOOT.INI, when I select the version on the raid device, I get 'WINDOWS COULD NOT START BECAUSE THE FOLLOWING FILE IS MISSING OR CORRUPT: hal.dll' (note the ide xp pro can be selected ok)

If I make the dvd/cd the boot device ignore the 'press any key to boot from cd' I can then select either of the xp pro systems. The raid xp pro work oks but I dont want this to be my permenant config

I am not an expert in manipulating boot managers and MBR's trying to combine several Operating Systems laying on different SATA (as Raid) and IDE hard disk drives, but AFAIK your problems have nothing to do with your mainboard and nothing to do with the integration of the nForce SataRaid drivers into a bootable CD.

The boot order is layed down in your BIOS (first boot device: X, second boot device: Y etc.). According to those BIOS settings your system searches for the first hard disk device with a Master Boot Record (MBR), which normally is the partition with the letter "C:\". It is impossible to have 2 MBR's onto 2 different partitions named C:\ parallel and to switch from the one to the other.

If you want to use your 2 Raid array HDD's (which should always be detected as 1 HDD!) with the option to switch via Windows Boot Manager to your IDE HDD's, you should do the following:

1. Configure your Raid array as you want and take the Raid array as first bootable hard disk boot device (or as the second, if you take the CDROM as the first one) .

2. If you cannot boot into your Raid array (as active boot partition C:\), repeat the installation of the OS onto the Raid array using your nLited CD with integrated nForce SataRaid drivers. After the successfull installation of the OS your IDE HDD's should be detected as well.

3. Now you have the possibility to create as many partitions as you want onto your IDE HDD's (but no disk device C:\) and to install the OS you want onto the newly created partitions of your IDE HDD's.

At the end of the procedure you have 1 MBR (on C:\, which is within your Raid array) and several partitions within and without your array.

Everything clear? If not, please ask an expert within an ASUS newsgroup or google around.

CU

Fernando

[ZenLord]

Small question:

I managed to integrate these drivers perfectly (6.67) with nLite 1.0RC1, but as I'm a big fan of the BTS driverpacks, I wanted to add these packs to my cd. I did think integrating the masstorage drivers and the chipset drivers might mess up the installation, so I chose _not_ to integrate these packs.

However, when using the install cd I got an error message very quickly stating nvataraid.sys was missing. So I guess I shouldn't have integrated these packs.

Is there a way to integrate the 6.67 with nLite AND using the BTS driver packs (or some of them) without breaking the install? (f.e. by manually re-adding some lines in TXTSETUP after BTS integration has finished maybe?)

I hope BTS is able to tackle the problem with his (masstorage or chipset-)pack himself, because they are really priceless - my cd's however turn up worthless when I use them on an nForce4-platform

THX in advance!

Zl.