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How will I know if integrated driver will be used?

rpelletier

By rpelletier
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rpelletier

rpelletier

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I just got a brand new HP server. It has a SATA RAID controller (on-board), which has its own driver, but will also use a standard atapi driver. Instructions say to use a floppy disk (you know, Press F6...) to install during setup, but the blasted server has no floppy drive. (Stupid HP!) And HP, in their infinite wisdom, shipped the server withonly one drive (contrary to the specs on the web site) with a partially preloaded install script. I can't just add a second drive, becasue the SATA controller won't retain the ionformation on the existing drive - it wipes it out completely!

So, I have resigned myself to redoing from the beginning...

If I use the atapi driver, I get no RAID. Without a floppy drive, I gotta use nLite to create an install Disk1 with the driver integrated. How will I know (before I reformat the blasted thing) if it actually is using the driver I integrated or if it's using the standard atapi driver?

Can anyone advise me?

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Speeddymon

Speeddymon

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I just got a brand new HP server. It has a SATA RAID controller (on-board), which has its own driver, but will also use a standard atapi driver. Instructions say to use a floppy disk (you know, Press F6...) to install during setup, but the blasted server has no floppy drive. (Stupid HP!) And HP, in their infinite wisdom, shipped the server withonly one drive (contrary to the specs on the web site) with a partially preloaded install script. I can't just add a second drive, becasue the SATA controller won't retain the ionformation on the existing drive - it wipes it out completely!

So, I have resigned myself to redoing from the beginning...

If I use the atapi driver, I get no RAID. Without a floppy drive, I gotta use nLite to create an install Disk1 with the driver integrated. How will I know (before I reformat the blasted thing) if it actually is using the driver I integrated or if it's using the standard atapi driver?

Can anyone advise me?

Without reformatting there isn't a way. However if you integrate the driver, and make your CD, then when you pop it in and boot from it, look for the name of the controller along the bottom. If you see it, then you know it is using the driver. If you get an error before you get to the reformat section then the driver didnt integrate properly, and if you get prompted for the disc for your "devices that could not be identified" then it didnt integrate at all.

However in order to make sure that it does NOT use the atapi driver, edit your txtsetup.sif file and go to the [sCSI] and [sCSI.Load] sections and remove the lines starting with atapi. Of course if you do this, it may still not work, as the SATA RAID controller may still need the ATAPI driver in order to read the CD and the driver you are trying to integrate may work in conjunction with the ATAPI driver, I am not sure.

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Fernando 1

Fernando 1

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How will I know (before I reformat the blasted thing) if it actually is using the driver I integrated or if it's using the standard atapi driver?
Open the device manager and look into the section "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller". There you can find the running IDE/S-ATA Controllers and the drivers which they currently are using. I am nearly sure, that you only will find the following hardware components: MS Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller and the Channels of your IDE ports, all of them using the MS standard ATAPI drivers.

If you want any further help, you should give us some details about the RAID chipset your system is using (nForce, Silicon Image, Intel etc.).

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rpelletier

rpelletier

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Thanks for your replies...

It's been a messy day with this server. HP shipped it with only one of the two RAID hard disks, and I went ahead and prepped it, thinking I could just add the other disk later and synch it up. Wrong - with this particular SATA RAID controller, the RAID configuration wipes out all existing data on the disks.

That's how I discovered that the drives are currently using the controller as a standard atapi drive.

Anyway, it's an HP ML150 G3 server with an on-board SATA RAID controller. The textsetup.oem file calls it:

"Adaptec SATA Drive v1.00 (Windows 32 bit for 2000/XP/2003)"

I figured if it was being loaded, I could press F6 anyway, and before I put the disk in the A: drive it would show the drivers already loaded and offer to load more. However, the list of drivers loaded was empty - the atapi driver wasn't there either. I'm wondering if the RAID actually has to be enabled in order for this thing to reject the atapi drive and look for something else...

No matter what, I will need to install the driver. I'm trying to do it without having to try it first (using the nLite CD) and then running out to find a floppy drive just to install the driver...

This nLite looks great for this sort of thing - I'm eager to play around with it and see what it can do. While the integrated driver feature brought me here, there are lots of interesting features...

**** UPDATE ****

I figured I had to reformat anyway, so I ran through the install. While formatting, it said "Formatting DISK 1 on atapi..." or something to that affect. So, I guess these disks appear like a standard disk drive unless the RAID is created first in the BIOS.

I'll know more when I get the second drive.

Thanks for your replies...

Edited by rpelletier
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Speeddymon

Speeddymon

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Thanks for your replies...

It's been a messy day with this server. HP shipped it with only one of the two RAID hard disks, and I went ahead and prepped it, thinking I could just add the other disk later and synch it up. Wrong - with this particular SATA RAID controller, the RAID configuration wipes out all existing data on the disks.

That's how I discovered that the drives are currently using the controller as a standard atapi drive.

Anyway, it's an HP ML150 G3 server with an on-board SATA RAID controller. The textsetup.oem file calls it:

"Adaptec SATA Drive v1.00 (Windows 32 bit for 2000/XP/2003)"

I figured if it was being loaded, I could press F6 anyway, and before I put the disk in the A: drive it would show the drivers already loaded and offer to load more. However, the list of drivers loaded was empty - the atapi driver wasn't there either. I'm wondering if the RAID actually has to be enabled in order for this thing to reject the atapi drive and look for something else...

No matter what, I will need to install the driver. I'm trying to do it without having to try it first (using the nLite CD) and then running out to find a floppy drive just to install the driver...

This nLite looks great for this sort of thing - I'm eager to play around with it and see what it can do. While the integrated driver feature brought me here, there are lots of interesting features...

**** UPDATE ****

I figured I had to reformat anyway, so I ran through the install. While formatting, it said "Formatting DISK 1 on atapi..." or something to that affect. So, I guess these disks appear like a standard disk drive unless the RAID is created first in the BIOS.

I'll know more when I get the second drive.

Thanks for your replies...

Based on your description of it, that is correct. RAID cannot be enabled unless you have 2 disks in the machine (on any RAID controller). Well it can be enabled, but it wont let you use the drives if there is only 1 drive in there. So while the drive is in IDE mode it will function like a normal ATA controller, however when you add the other hard drive, and enable RAID, you will _have_ to reformat again. Since you dont have a floppy drive, I recommend going ahead and nliting your CD so that the RAID controller drivers are on there for when you do have to reinstall.

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Sneakyghost

Sneakyghost

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bledd your comment throws up a question for me now. maybe if you come across this thread again you may want to answer this (or someone else who knows).

why do you believe one should refrain from using nLite on Business Computers?

is it because MS does not offer support for nLited systems?

or is there a severe consequence in some way to be expected?

please do not complain about this sort of question. I just figured i should maybe think about this issue since i haven't done this yet. I am actually using nLite on a business machine, well did use since its setup and working now ;-)

thx for your time...

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Speeddymon

Speeddymon

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bledd your comment throws up a question for me now. maybe if you come across this thread again you may want to answer this (or someone else who knows).

why do you believe one should refrain from using nLite on Business Computers?

is it because MS does not offer support for nLited systems?

or is there a severe consequence in some way to be expected?

please do not complain about this sort of question. I just figured i should maybe think about this issue since i haven't done this yet. I am actually using nLite on a business machine, well did use since its setup and working now ;-)

thx for your time...

Because the nlite license strictly forbids it. It is free for personal use, but use in any type of business environment is not allowed.

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rpelletier

rpelletier

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Well I guess that answers that. I had no idea that use on a business system was forbidden...

Floppy drives are cheap - that is true. However, many new computers (servers and workstations alike) are being shipped without them.

That's not to say you can just grab one and install it - there is no floppy controller on the motherboard. Sure, you can get a USB floppy drive, but there's no telling until you get it whether the system's BIOS will recognize it and give it that all-important A:\ label that Windows OS's need to install the Third-party driver.

(Sigh!)

This business really sux sometimes!!

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Speeddymon

Speeddymon

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Well I guess that answers that. I had no idea that use on a business system was forbidden...

Floppy drives are cheap - that is true. However, many new computers (servers and workstations alike) are being shipped without them.

That's not to say you can just grab one and install it - there is no floppy controller on the motherboard. Sure, you can get a USB floppy drive, but there's no telling until you get it whether the system's BIOS will recognize it and give it that all-important A:\ label that Windows OS's need to install the Third-party driver.

(Sigh!)

This business really sux sometimes!!

I agree. Perhaps you could send a PM to nuhi and explain your situation and get his agreement to let you use the program even though it is a business environment.

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rpelletier

rpelletier

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While that might be an easy way out, I think I'll contact the server manufacturer first and ask them how the heck they expect a guy to set this thing up without a floppy drive. For all I know, they may have already integrated the required driver into their DISK1 (it's a branded DISK1, so who knows?).

If that doesn't work, I'll contact the owner of nLite, as you suggest...

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bledd

bledd

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its just the way it is

basically if something was to go wrong with the install, you could get in trouble with your boss and nuhi has no obligation to support you, its like a safety net

it does state in the licence for nlite that at this time, use in business is not permitted; you'll hardly get arrested for using it, but that is what the licence states

if you still dont want to get a floppy, then manually integrate the driver, there are plenty of guides

or ask that guy who makes the 'RAID Slipstreamer' -device drivers forum, to add support for your device

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Sneakyghost

Sneakyghost

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Oh well didnt expect an answer that soon. i actually remember the forums being quite slow. but on the other hand- havnt been here for quite a while.

so thx bledd for pointing out a stupid thing i somehow never really noticed even though i'm rather sure i've read the darn license more than once.

Of course i saw it at once when i checked back after getting your answer. as it is with people- sometimes we're having a blind spot just where we should have a closer look.

thank god i'm not in a situation as desperate as the above mentioned... i just did it because its easy and comfy to prep a business sys with nLite.

:whistle:

guess i'll have to do it the ordinary way in future then. :boring:

cheers.

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