NF3 driver corrupts Windows XP in Raid 0 mode

[Rocketman6800]

I cant't figure this one out. My RAID and Windows XP setup went very well. But when I try to install the NForce 3 motherboard driver my computer restarts and no longer wants to boots into Windows. Any idea on what I am doing wrong?

This is what I done in detail:

1. Turn on RAID in the BIOS.
2. Set clock setting setting to default in BIOS.
3. Went to NVRAID utility (F10) and setup my two 300GB Maxtor drives to RAID 0. Cleared all disk information.
4. Installed Windows XP with RAID floppy (F6). Installed both the NV RAID controller driver and the NV RAID Disk driver.
5. Boot into Windows.
6. Install NForce 5.11 driver and ...WINDOWS XP DIES!!:. The driver installation never completes.

[wild_andy_c]

Try to use version 4.xx driver, otherwise you will have to load windows using last known good configuration. Its a limitation of the flexibility in those very old NF3 chipsets and raid drivers. If it isn't media shiled enabled, its good, but not so flexible with driver revisions.

[jnansley]

Originally Posted by wild_andy_c

If it isn't media shiled enabled, its good, but not so flexible with driver revisions.

[Rocketman6800]

Originally Posted by wild_andy_c

Try to use version 4.xx driver, otherwise you will have to load windows using last known good configuration. Its a limitation of the flexibility in those very old NF3 chipsets and raid drivers. If it isn't media shiled enabled, its good, but not so flexible with driver revisions.

Thanks wild andy!! You nailed the problem.

I was able to use the motherbaod CD drivers (version 5.03?). Work perfectly! I had only tried with the 5.10 and 5.11 before and it will simply will not load correctly. This caused Windows to get corrupted and not boot. It looks like I can only use the 5.11 driver when the RAID controller is off.

thanks again!

[wild_andy_c]

6 years at manufacturer level helps! Glad you nailed it

[Finetobe]

I have the 9nda3+ but it the same.
NForce 5.11 i not good ( dont work) . use 5.10 and dont install the ide driver or firewall software.

[Rocketman6800]

5.10 was no different than the 5.11 for me. It currupted Windows the same way as the 5.11 drivers did. Only the CD drivers (5.03) worked for me.

Yesterday I installed the 5.11 drivers over the 5.03 drivers. I was expecting the same problem but to my surprise the driver install without a problem. It appears that I must install all the motherboard driver from the CD first before I use the updated drivers. Very weird.

Anyway, I still have the backup with the old drivers just in case Windows dies on me again. It seems that once I get pass this problem my 9NDA3J worked perfectly fine.

[alienwarealxx2]

I'm planning to go RAID as well.

I've recently salvaged 3 40gig IDE HDs and I'm planning to go for a fresh install.

Would somebody kindly point me in the right direction? A step-by-step procedure would be nice (especially for which drivers to use).

Many thanks.

[Rocketman6800]

I am not an expert on this but this is what I suggest you to do. Remember to backup everything first in case your setup goes bad.

First of all you mentioned you have 3 40GB drive. The 9NDA3J does not support RAID 5 so you can only use the third drive an JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disk) RAID or maybe just an extra drive outside of the RAID setup. I like RAID 0 because it double the capacity and almost double the speed as well. However, you don't get any redundency so if you lose one drive, you will lose all your data.

Steps

1. You need to create a RAID floppy disk first. To do this just select the "RAID Floppy" option in the CD menu (tab)

2. Boot into your BIOS (DEL key). "Integrated Peripherals" -> IDE Function Setup -> RAID IDE. Enable this option. Also enable each IDE drive that you want to include in the RAID setup. Save BIOS setting.

3. When computer boot will need to press F10 to the RAID utility. In the RAID utility select the Type of RAID (Stripping or Mirror). Add both drives to the right window. Press Finish and clear the disk data.

4. Boot with your Windows CD and press F6 when asked to do so in the Winodws setup. Place the floopy in the drive and install both driver (NV Controller and IDE RAID disk).

5. Format drives and continue to setup Windows as normal.

6. Once Windows is done installing you can install the CD motherboard drivers. ONLY INSTALL THE CD motherboard DRIVER. After the CD motherboard driver are installed you can try updating those driver with the newer 5.11 drivers if you wish.

Your Done!

I hope this helps.

[alienwarealxx2]

Uh oh.

I was just in the process of getting those 3 drives ready.

So you mean that I cannot 'stripe' 3 drives in a RAID 0 array? Is this peculiar to 9nda3j?

I remember reading in an Maximum PC article way back that 3 drive RAID 0 was pretty quick and 'saturated' the pci bus...

Oh well, 2 drives then...

Thanks!

[Gizmo]

In theory, RAID 0 should be able to support an arbitrary number of drives, but as I refuse to use RAID 0 I really can't speak from experience. RAID 1 can only use 2 drives.

However, you should really seriously think about whether or not you want to run RAID 0 on the three drives. You are reducing your system reliability to 1/3 by running those drives in RAID 0, because if any of those drives fails ALL of your data will be lost.

[alienwarealxx2]

Thanks for your insights and advice. I really appreciate the concern that pervades in this forum. Unlike other sites, I'm so glad that some people still give a damn...

I'm going to try the 3 drive RAID 0 on my 9nda3j. Well, with the very least, I should end up with a 2 drive set-up.

Would somebody kindly recommend a hard disk benchmarking utility? Preferrably free, simple and reliable?

I'll be posting my successes or failures here within the next two weeks...

Thanks!

[Rocketman6800]

Originally Posted by gizmo

In theory, RAID 0 should be able to support an arbitrary number of drives, but as I refuse to use RAID 0 I really can't speak from experience. RAID 1 can only use 2 drives.

However, you should really seriously think about whether or not you want to run RAID 0 on the three drives. You are reducing your system reliability to 1/3 by running those drives in RAID 0, because if any of those drives fails ALL of your data will be lost.

Your right about the >2 drive for RAID 0. I was thinking only about the S-ATA port which the 9NDA3J only has 2 port. I forgot that that you add more drives using the P-ATA port in RAID 0 SETUP. Thanks for pointing that out!

I do regular full image backups in case one of my drives fail. I love the speed boost from RAID 0. The speed increase is very noticeable specially when loading games.