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Cliff161524

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--I have been using SATA drives on my last 2 systems. The first one supported SATA from the BIOS, but needed Silicon Image drivers installed with the Windows XP operating system. They worked fine.

My new system has a Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-9 64-bit motherboard with 2 SATA / RAID onboard controllers. One, Silicon Image, and one, NVidia G-Force-4.

I hooked up the 2 drives from my old system, and found that the BIOS would not recognise them - even using exactly the same drivers from the Gigabyte system disk. I get an "invalide disk" message from the BIOS on boot-up.

Just to complicate matters, the user manual indicates, buried away on page 38, that single SATA drives have to be initialised as JBOD disks. It also states that you can only use 1 JBOD drive in an installation.
Does this refer to SATA only, or SATA / RAID installations?

The two drives I wish to install are 250 and 200 Gig. Drive 1contains the Primary Actiive partition where Windows XP-SP-2 is installed. Drive 2 has all inactive logical partitions.

I have always thought that the SATA specification was standard no matter what motherboard was present. Appreciate feedback.
Cliff Perrin
 
THAT is EXACTLY the motherboard I have been waiting for.

From emailing questions to Gigabyte, I have been told this motherboard would not be available until late April.
So, how did you gat one?

And, if your email address is not available, would you be amenable to emialing your email address to me so I can ask some questions directly?
Thanks, Cliff.
Steve
 
Are you trying to move SYSTEM hard drives from one system to a completely DIFFERENT new system? Do it right -- save your data to an external drive and then format the internal drives, install the OS, drivers, and software again from scratch. THEN loan your data.
Cliff said:
--I have been using SATA drives on my last 2 systems. The first one
supported SATA from the BIOS, but needed Silicon Image drivers
installed with the Windows XP operating system. They worked fine.
My new system has a Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-9 64-bit motherboard with 2
SATA / RAID onboard controllers. One, Silicon Image, and one,
NVidia G-Force-4.
I hooked up the 2 drives from my old system, and found that the
BIOS would not recognise them - even using exactly the same drivers
from the Gigabyte system disk. I get an "invalide disk" message
from the BIOS on boot-up.
Just to complicate matters, the user manual indicates, buried away
on page 38, that single SATA drives have to be initialised as JBOD
disks. It also states that you can only use 1 JBOD drive in an
installation.
Does this refer to SATA only, or SATA / RAID installations?
The two drives I wish to install are 250 and 200 Gig. Drive
1contains the Primary Actiive partition where Windows XP-SP-2 is
installed. Drive 2 has all inactive logical partitions.
I have always thought that the SATA specification was standard no
matter what motherboard was present. Appreciate feedback.
Cliff Perrin
Click to expand...
 
SATA standard -- yes. BUT...

Think about what you are trying to do:

Move an operating system from one system to a totally differnt one. What happens the first time you ATTEMPT to boot? The OS doesn't have the drivers to talk to even the CPU or chipsets on the mobo. It still thinks it is booting your old computer.

Do it right. Build the OS foundation from scratch on formatted drives.
 
Hi Steve

They are available in Australia, and are distributed through the local Gigabyte agents, Symmex. They are bloody expensive -and so far mine hasn't operated theway it was intended because of this SATA problem. It does work perfectly with PATA drives, and runs a very low core temperature around room temperature + about three degrees C. Once I get the 2 SATA drives working corrctly, I think it will be a real winner.
Cheers

--
Cliff Perrin
 
Hi Martin

I thought I might short circuit the whole process by just swapping the drives over to the new system - considering they are SATA, and run on the same drivers in windows XP-Sp-2 as required for the new required for the new installation.

It would now appear, that this is a bad move looking at the internal changes between both Si 114 chipsets.
--
Cliff Perrin
 
Hi Martin
I've reluctantly have to reformat the drives and completely reinstall again.

However, this does not solve the riddle of why I have to install the drive through the Silicon Image RAID controller as a JBOD drive - even though I don't want to use RAID. I should be able to simply deselect the RAID options in the Award BIOS and install using the Si114 SATA only drivers. I did try this, and wound up with an "invalide drive" message on first boot.
--
Cliff Perrin
 
It appears to me that you could just hook a single drive up to the NForce4 SATA connectors.

If you intend to setup RAID then DO A CLEAN INSTALL. You cannot just port the OS on a hard drive into an entirely different system of harware.

Save your data. Format the drives. Put them in in a pair. Go into the RAID boot utlity. Setup the array. Turn off computer. Boot from the Windows XP CD and PRESS F6 at the beginning to give XP your mobo RAID drivers.
Cliff said:
Hi Martin
I've reluctantly have to reformat the drives and completely
reinstall again.
However, this does not solve the riddle of why I have to install
the drive through the Silicon Image RAID controller as a JBOD
drive - even though I don't want to use RAID. I should be able to
simply deselect the RAID options in the Award BIOS and install
using the Si114 SATA only drivers. I did try this, and wound up
with an "invalide drive" message on first boot.
--
Cliff Perrin
Click to expand...
 
Hi Martin...

Cliff is telling us he does NOT want to use the SATA drives connedted to the SI controller in a RAID format.

I also, when I am able to purchase this MOBO, wish to use SATA drives connected to the SI controller in a non-RAID format.

Cliff, I read the info at the link recommended by Dan and it says you will have to have different drivers, different drivers from the RAID drivers, to use the SI controller in a non-RAID format.

Interestingly, I believed the three hard drive controllers each had their own bus. If the SI SATA controller is using the PCI bus, I could most likely use a motherboard with only the PATA and SATA controllers as there is no gain from the third hard drive controller of the GA-K8NXP-9 MOBO.

Thanks, Martin and Cliff.
Steve
 
skeys said:
THAT is EXACTLY the motherboard I have been waiting for.
From emailing questions to Gigabyte, I have been told this
motherboard would not be available until late April.
So, how did you gat one?
And, if your email address is not available, would you be amenable
to emialing your email address to me so I can ask some questions
directly?
Thanks, Cliff.
Steve
Click to expand...
Newegg.com shows them as being in stock as of today.
 
Just curious....why not talk about the NForce4 chipset SATA controller since you are avoiding RAID. (It has RAID ability but is the standard SATA controller for the board too.)
 
Martin

There is no mention in the Gigabyte handbook about the NForce-4 chipset being the primary SATA / RAID controller, although the chip is 4 times the size of the Silicon Image one. The schematic of the board layout shows just about everything hanging of this chipset. They do mention that it is used for SATAII standard (?) with blazing performance. There is also a difference in the SATA lead connectors for the NForce chipset. I don't have SATAII drives - that is why I used the SI chipset and drivers. There is no real information on the chipset, except under RAID usage. My previous system used Silicon Image controllers and drivers, so I naturally thought this would be the right thing to do on the new system.

If you have info that I don't, please don't hestitate to let me know, as it is really difficult getting anything out of Gigabyte.

--Cliff Perrin
 
chtgrubbs said:
Newegg.com shows them as being in stock as of today.
Click to expand...
I have searched newegg.com several times and the only Mobo that comes close is the Gigabyte GA-k8nxp-sli in two versions: new and refurbished.

If you have a link for the GA-k8nxp-9 at newegg.com, I would appreciate your posting it.
Thanks, chtgrubbs.
Steve
 
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