Integration of NVIDIA's nForce RAID and AHCI drivers

[Fernando 1]

do i have to edit shutdown -r everetime i have to restart ???

No, that is not the normal way. You must have a problem with your OS or with your PSU.

If you don't want to install XP again, search for a tool called "Shutdown now". After the install of this tool you can shutdown your pc very easy by hitting a desktop button.

CU

Fernando

[Thorgal]

that tool can it allso restart my OS ??

[Fernando 1]

that tool can it allso restart my OS ??

Obviously yes. Look here: http://www.freshee.info/shutdown_reboot_restart_12762.html

But I would recommend to search for the reason of your shutdown/restart problem.

Maybe you find it here: http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm

Good luck!

Fernando

Edited May 5, 2006 by Fernando 1

[SINasTER]

Hi Fernando 1...

Im newbie here and I wanted to know if its possible to "repair" the nvraid without doing a full reinstallation of WinXP...

I keep getting an error message when I boot up saying that the nvraidservice is closing and I fear that my raid setup is no longer running to full speed because of this! (boot ups takes an eternity since the service is not starting and performance in many games are very poor even with my machine)

And is it possible to "integrate" the SP2 with the nvraid integration as well??

I have a:

3800+ AMD64

GIGA K8NSC-939

BFG 7800GS 256

2Gb "kit" OCZ 667mhz ram

2 80Gb SATA-RAID for OS, install files and games

1 250Gb WD for multimedia

1 40Gb for BACKUPs of the OS partition

Please help me with this one... I need my RAID running smoothly!!!

TNX

Edited May 5, 2006 by SINasTER

[Fernando 1]

I keep getting an error message when I boot up saying that the nvraidservice is closing and I fear that my raid setup is no longer running to full speed because of this! (boot ups takes an eternity since the service is not starting and performance in many games are very poor even with my machine)

The NVRAIDSERVICE.EXE is part of the so-called RAIDTOOL, which is not needed at all.

Do the following:

Start > Run > edit "msconfig" (without quotation marks)

Within the System Configuration Utility open the "Startup" menue and look for NVRAIDSERVICE > disable this service

After a reboot your problem should be gone.

And is it possible to "integrate" the SP2 with the nvraid integration as well??

Yes, nLite can do it at once. At the end you will have a Windows XP with integrated SP2 and integrated nForce SataRaid drivers (no F6, SP2 is totally included).

CU

Fernando

[The Glimmerman]

@Fernando 1

Maybe a stupid question, but 'm trying to understand it.

If I integrate the nvsata and nvraid drivers, the necessary changes

will be applied to txtsetup.sif.

nvatabus.sys and nvraid.sys will be copied to the I386 dir.

Untill this I understand. What I don't understand is the following.

A dir is created in I386 with the nForce drivers.

In the txtsetup.sif nLite is making extra "dirs" (1883,1884)

which point to the driver-dir in the I386 Folder.

Then under the file section i see this.

nvcoi.dll = 1883,,,,,,,,1883,,,,0,0

This means that nvcoi.dll is in the dir 1883 and copied to 1883.

My question is.

Is the extra directory in the I386 folder with the integrated drivers necessary?

I didn't find any connections to this folder and it's file

Thx

[Fernando 1]

Maybe a stupid question, but 'm trying to understand it.

If I integrate the nvsata and nvraid drivers, the necessary changes

will be applied to txtsetup.sif.

nvatabus.sys and nvraid.sys will be copied to the I386 dir.

Untill this I understand. What I don't understand is the following.

A dir is created in I386 with the nForce drivers.

In the txtsetup.sif nLite is making extra "dirs" (1883,1884)

which point to the driver-dir in the I386 Folder.

Then under the file section i see this.

nvcoi.dll = 1883,,,,,,,,1883,,,,0,0

This means that nvcoi.dll is in the dir 1883 and copied to 1883.

My question is.

Is the extra directory in the I386 folder with the integrated drivers necessary?

I didn't find any connections to this folder and it's file

As I am not an expert in TXTSETUP.SIF, I am not sure, that I can give you a satisfactory answer.

The first step during the Windows Setup is the detection of the mass storage devices. If you want do avoid F6/floppy method, you have to integrate these unknown drivers (in this case the drivers NVATABUS.SYS and NVRAID.SYS) as textmode drivers. During the first (=TEXTMODE) part of the installation Windows Setup does not look into the driver folders (i386\NLDRV subfolders), but only into the TXTSETUP.OEM and some entries of the TXTSETUP.SIF (not the one you mentioned). The needed mass storage controller drivers (only the SYS files) have to be in the root of i386. Otherwise Setup would not find them.

During the second (=GUIMODE) part Windows Setup looks again into TXTSETUP.SIF, but now it uses all NLDRV driver subfolders.

That is the reason, why you find the compressed drivers NVATABUS.SY_ and NVRAID.SY_ twice within your nLited CD (within the i386 root and within one of the i386\NLDRV subfolders).

The files IDECOI.DLL and NVCOI.DLL are necessary Co-Installer files for the driver NVATABUS.SYS. You will find these entries within the NVATABUS.INF. All these files (SYS=drivers, INF=information files and DLL=coinstallers) have to be within the same folder. Otherwise the driver would not be installed during GUIMODE part of the Setup.

In earlier versions of nLite all PnP and textmode drivers were put into one folder (named NLDRV or OEMDIR). Since nLite RC7 each driver is stored within a separate subfolder. Other CD creating tools store the drivers within the $OEM$\§1\drivers folder.

So the answer to your question, if a separate folder for the integrated drivers is necessary, must be a "Yes!", but only for the GUIMODE part of the installation. The separation of each driver within the driver folder is not really necessary, but more clearly laid out for the user.

Is this answer satisfying for you?

Edited May 5, 2006 by Fernando 1

[The Glimmerman]

@Fernando

Fernando your'e the best.

Thanx for the quick reply.

[Tamerz]

Excellent guide Fernando. I have a question that may have been answered already (I didn't find it). Is there any reason not to use the newest drivers? I have an Intel nForce4 SLI chipset and there are 7.15 drivers now.

[Fernando 1]

I have a question that may have been answered already (I didn't find it). Is there any reason not to use the newest drivers? I have an Intel nForce4 SLI chipset and there are 7.15 drivers now.

You can take them, because they have a LEGACY subfolder. Just integrate this folder as TEXTMODE driver.

Thank you for the post. As a consequence I have just added these drivers to my guide (first post of this thread).

CU

Fernando

Edited May 6, 2006 by Fernando 1

[Lou Jacob]

Hello -

I have an ASUS A8N-SLI DELUXE and have ensured the latest BIOS release has been flashed, as well as verified that the NVRAID BIOS is at 4.78 or higher.

I have followed the instructions in the first post of this thread, and tried each of the methods listed in section 1, 2, and 4 of that post (recommendation: please number these methods) and each time have gotten the same results when attempting to boot windows install CD creating from the resulting ISO:

When the CD boots, I get the normal "blue screen" that shows that the CD is booting and that the windows installation is being started. After all the drivers are loaded/reviewed at the bottom of the screen, the very last message displayed is "running windows" and what typically follows is another blue screen that has a license agreement/disclaimer before proceeding with the installation.

Instead, what is displayed, after 10 minutes of what appears to be "loading" is just a bunch of === characters, not many. It almost appears that the standard input from the keyboard might work, if one knew what to type, but instead, it is just a blank screen.

I have meticulously followed the instructions, ensured that no other devices are plugged into the PC (all other hard drives are disconnected except for the 2 WD SATA drives configured on the NVRAID controller.

I have kept the nlite installation to a bare minimum - I've slipstreamed SP2 and incorporated the aforementioned drivers as documented. And with each attempt, I've started from scratch with a fresh copy of the XP CD in a new subdirectory on my hard drive (which I also disconnected prior to attempting the installation).

Any thoughts on what I might be overlooking here?

[Fernando 1]

I have an ASUS A8N-SLI DELUXE and have ensured the latest BIOS release has been flashed, as well as verified that the NVRAID BIOS is at 4.78 or higher.

What you probably need, if you want to integrate the newest nForce Raid drivers, is a RAID BIOS version 4.84 or higher.

I have followed the instructions in the first post of this thread, and tried each of the methods listed in section 1, 2, and 4 of that post (recommendation: please number these methods)

There is only one single method used by nLite (it's the "Driver suppression method"). If you want to test the other method (called "OemInfFiles method") you should use the tool CD Creator. What you certainly mean are the different ways to integrate the needed driver files. If you have an nVRaid BIOS v. 4.84 or higher, I recommend the easiest way by integrating the LEGACY subfolder of the nForce chipset package v. 6.70.

When the CD boots, I get the normal "blue screen" that shows that the CD is booting and that the windows installation is being started. After all the drivers are loaded/reviewed at the bottom of the screen, the very last message displayed is "running windows" and what typically follows is another blue screen that has a license agreement/disclaimer before proceeding with the installation.

Instead, what is displayed, after 10 minutes of what appears to be "loading" is just a bunch of === characters, not many. It almost appears that the standard input from the keyboard might work, if one knew what to type, but instead, it is just a blank screen.

I have meticulously followed the instructions, ensured that no other devices are plugged into the PC (all other hard drives are disconnected except for the 2 WD SATA drives configured on the NVRAID controller.

I have kept the nlite installation to a bare minimum - I've slipstreamed SP2 and incorporated the aforementioned drivers as documented. And with each attempt, I've started from scratch with a fresh copy of the XP CD in a new subdirectory on my hard drive (which I also disconnected prior to attempting the installation).

The nForce SataRaid driver integration method I have desribed in my first post is approved on nearly every mainboard with an nForce Raid controller. If users have problems with my guide unless they have all done what I have written, this is mostly due to a hardware problem which has to be solved first.

My suggestion:

Try to install Windows XP by F6/floppy method. Before you do that, copy the content of the IDE\WinXP folder of the old nForce chipset driver package v. 6.53 onto a formatted floppy disk. If you don't have a floppy drive, create a new nLited CD and do nothing else but integrate the just mentioned SataRaid driver files as TEXTMODE driver. Burn the ISO and try to install XP this way.

If the installation fails even by doing this safe way, you have a hardware problem.

Good luck!

Fernando

[hip]

Greetings Fernando,

I performed the nLite nVRaid as clearly stated at the begining of this thread and I believe it worked as intended. Since I haven't installed all my hard drives yet I am not completely sure if it worked as I only installed with minimum hardware (video, ram, dvd, memory).

However, I did notice after booting into WinXP the device manager indicated several items with yellow exclamation marks next to them. I didn't write them down but as I recall there were about 4, one had "bridge" in it and another one may have had "smbus" and one with an "unknown device."

The good news is I manually installed the "nForce4_amd_6.70_winxp2k_english.exe" driver along with the "84.21_forceware_winxp2k_english_whql.exe" and all the exclamation marks disappeared.

At the end of your Driver-Integration-Method process you state; "Then you can integrate the other nForce drivers (SMBus, Ethernet etc.) as "normal drivers". Only users with an nForce4 system may take them out of the same NVIDIA chipset package they used for the integration of the SataRaid drivers."

Question, would the integration of these other nForce drivers eliminate the exclamation marks and the need for manual installation of the drivers?

If so, could you either list the directories and the proper nLite integration procedure, such as integrate drivers using the "multiple or single driver folder" option or possibly point me where I can find it?

I would guess one sub folder should include the \LAN\Ethernet but since some files were pulled from the Legacy and SATA_IDE subfolders (as stated in the procedure) I am not sure to include them?

Grateful for your help.

Edited May 10, 2006 by hip

[PVU]

Fernando, this maybe slightly off topic, but when I'm using the Windows Unattended CD Creator to add the Intel iaStor storage driver, the program asks me to pick one. Does it matter? Because the $OEM$ file that is created shows all of them, and the WINNT.SIF just makes reference to the file name.

I ask this because I have 2 machines I want the install disk to be good for. Both machines would pull from the same storage file, but one is a ICH6R - 82801FR, and the other is a ICH7R/DH - 82801GR/GH.

nLite would pull them all in. You would just have to pick one. Does the Windows Unattended CD Creator work the same way?

Thanks again

[Fernando 1]

At the end of your Driver-Integration-Method process you state; "Then you can integrate the other nForce drivers (SMBus, Ethernet etc.) as "normal drivers". Only users with an nForce4 system may take them out of the same NVIDIA chipset package they used for the integration of the SataRaid drivers."

Question, would the integration of these other nForce drivers eliminate the exclamation marks and the need for manual installation of the drivers?

Yes! You should integrate all needed nForce chipset drivers and - if you use a NVIDIA graphic adapter - the last WHQL-certified Forceware driver at once.

If so, could you either list the directories and the proper nLite integration procedure, such as integrate drivers using the "multiple or single driver folder" option or possibly point me where I can find it?

When you have unzipped the 6.70 chipset driver package, you have the following folders: AudioDrv, AudioUtl, Ethernet, IDE and SMBus. After having integrated the IDE\WinXP\LEGACY subfolder (or the SATARAID + extra files) as textmode, you should integrate the other nForce4 chipset drivers as PnP. Not the easiest, but the safest method to integrate the different chipset drivers is the "single driver" option. Just point nLite - one after the other - to the AudioDrv, Ethernet and SMBus folder and integrate in each case any (doesn't matter which) INF file of the different folders. If you have done it this way, you get automaticly all needed nForce4 chipset drivers installed by your nLited XP CD.

Additionally you should integrate the NVIDIA Forceware driver 84.21. Before you can do it, you have to unzip the EXE file by using WinRar or WinZip.

I would guess one sub folder should include the \LAN\Ethernet but since some files were pulled from the Legacy and SATA_IDE subfolders (as stated in the procedure) I am not sure to include them?

As I have written above, you should integrate the Ethernet folder to get the nVLAN drivers installed by using the nLited CD. Don't do any file or folder mixture! The sequence of my guide concerning the transfer of some files into the SATARAID subfolder instead of just taking the LEGACY subfolder is only for purists or people, who had problems with the easy LEGACY subfolder integration of the nForce SataRaid drivers.

Fernando, this maybe slightly off topic, but when I'm using the Windows Unattended CD Creator to add the Intel iaStor storage driver, the program asks me to pick one. Does it matter? Because the $OEM$ file that is created shows all of them, and the WINNT.SIF just makes reference to the file name.

I ask this because I have 2 machines I want the install disk to be good for. Both machines would pull from the same storage file, but one is a ICH6R - 82801FR, and the other is a ICH7R/DH - 82801GR/GH.

nLite would pull them all in. You would just have to pick one. Does the Windows Unattended CD Creator work the same way?

The integration of TEXTMODE and PnP drivers is done in a similar way. The difference is the method to enforce the installation of not or not correctly digitally signed mass storage controller drivers. If you are using the CD Creator, all files of the driver subfolder are copied and usable for Windows setup (as with nLite), but additionally you have the possibility to enhance the installation of a critical textmode driver by flag him as "bad" controller driver. After having done this, the "bad" controller driver is something like "privileged" during the later OS install. Edited May 11, 2006 by Fernando 1