Hardware GURU's, Help Pls.

LaRoacha · 06-12-2001, 06:01 PM

OK, Let’s see if any of you hardware guru’s can help me out with this. When I built my computer I used an Abit KT7A Raid motherboard. I intended to use a couple of nice IBM 20 gig drives in it as one logical 40 gig drive, but at the end, I got impatient and went to CompUSA and bought 2 Western Digital 20 gig drives. Right after that, I read somewhere on the net that my motherboard and WD drives didn’t get along well in a raid configuration. Well, I tried and tried to get it working in raid, but to no avail, so I just hooked up the 2 hardrives to one IDE channel and the DVD and CDRW to the other channel. To this day, the bios, nor windows seem to see the second hardrive, yet Ive had several programs that seem to see it, i.e. VIA bussmaster PCI IDE utility. What brings about my question today is, when I was installing Linux, the install program saw that 2nd drive and gave me the option to install to it. I did and the install program formatted the disk and did a successful install to it. After installation, which by the way required exactly “0” reboots, I then enter the OS and dicked around with it for about 2 hours, all the while thinking in the back of my head, what if the bios still refuses to see the 2nd disk when I reboot? Well, I finally went for it and rebooted and nothing I can do will get the bios to see it. I even unhooked every other drive i.e. CD DVD and the winME drive and just left the one with Linux on in and all I got was a no boot drive available error.
Linux worked perfectly once I installed it with no errors of any kind occurring, so I know the drive works and all. Im kinda confused about this whole deal. Can anyone give me some guidance on this other than the typical “Reformat, Fdisk, et al? If not, I guess Ill just go out and buy another HD this weekend.

Darkhorse · 06-13-2001, 06:54 AM

Usual questions:

What Bios version?
What jumpers are set on the HD?
Have you tried a different IDE cable?

Sorry if these seem stupid questions but we need as much info as poss.

TGEN · 06-17-2001, 08:47 AM

I think Windows wasn't able to see it because you hadn't partitioned it. I'd say you go stand in the corner and be ashamed of yourselves

.

TGEN

Darkhorse · 06-17-2001, 01:25 PM

OK TGEN,

While I'm standing in the corner do you want to explain why the bios can't see the drive as that has nothing to do with partitioning?

melvyn · 06-17-2001, 03:04 PM

This might be stating the obvious, but have you checked the drive jumpers with what's listed in the manual? A friend of mine recently bought a WD 40Gb drive and couldn't get it to initialize with a second drive on the same controller channel. Turned out there were TWO settings for master, one for single drive, one for dual (master & slave) drives. Only the single drive was printed on the drive itself.

Atomicmoose · 12-27-2001, 09:46 AM

Western Digitals are known for hating slave drives. What are your Jumper settings? If you have the master drive on cable select it won't always work. Set it to slave and mater and try it... If you do have it set this way and it still won't work, then change one of the drives to the second IDE controller and try and setup your RAID. If that doesn't work, send back your WD drives and get IBM's!

[ 12-27-2001: Message edited by: Atomicmoose ]

Lonely Raven · 01-27-2002, 09:55 AM

LINUX would NOT have seen the second drive nor installed
to it if the BIOS wouldn't see it!!

That's about as likely as LINUX installing to a hard drive that's in
a shoe box in your closet.

When I get into odd situations like that, I usually find my mistakes
by dissasembling the whole damn system, and starting over.

Starting from the bottom always seems to flush out mistakes,
errors, and bad hardware.

mx-6* · 02-06-2002, 04:12 PM

Well, if he had a very long IDE cable going to that drive in the shoe box in the closet then it might still work tho.

But yeah, I'm thinking that starting over might be a good idea as well. And maybe knowing the correct jumper positions would be helpful too.

06-12-2001, 06:01 PM	#1
LaRoacha Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 3	Hardware GURU's, Help Pls. OK, Let’s see if any of you hardware guru’s can help me out with this. When I built my computer I used an Abit KT7A Raid motherboard. I intended to use a couple of nice IBM 20 gig drives in it as one logical 40 gig drive, but at the end, I got impatient and went to CompUSA and bought 2 Western Digital 20 gig drives. Right after that, I read somewhere on the net that my motherboard and WD drives didn’t get along well in a raid configuration. Well, I tried and tried to get it working in raid, but to no avail, so I just hooked up the 2 hardrives to one IDE channel and the DVD and CDRW to the other channel. To this day, the bios, nor windows seem to see the second hardrive, yet Ive had several programs that seem to see it, i.e. VIA bussmaster PCI IDE utility. What brings about my question today is, when I was installing Linux, the install program saw that 2nd drive and gave me the option to install to it. I did and the install program formatted the disk and did a successful install to it. After installation, which by the way required exactly “0” reboots, I then enter the OS and dicked around with it for about 2 hours, all the while thinking in the back of my head, what if the bios still refuses to see the 2nd disk when I reboot? Well, I finally went for it and rebooted and nothing I can do will get the bios to see it. I even unhooked every other drive i.e. CD DVD and the winME drive and just left the one with Linux on in and all I got was a no boot drive available error. Linux worked perfectly once I installed it with no errors of any kind occurring, so I know the drive works and all. Im kinda confused about this whole deal. Can anyone give me some guidance on this other than the typical “Reformat, Fdisk, et al? If not, I guess Ill just go out and buy another HD this weekend.

12-27-2001, 09:46 AM	#6
Atomicmoose Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5	Western Digitals are known for hating slave drives. What are your Jumper settings? If you have the master drive on cable select it won't always work. Set it to slave and mater and try it... If you do have it set this way and it still won't work, then change one of the drives to the second IDE controller and try and setup your RAID. If that doesn't work, send back your WD drives and get IBM's! [ 12-27-2001: Message edited by: Atomicmoose ] __________________ AtomicMoose --- I used to be schizophrenic, but we're ok now. :o)~

01-27-2002, 09:55 AM	#7
Lonely Raven Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 69	LINUX would NOT have seen the second drive nor installed to it if the BIOS wouldn't see it!! That's about as likely as LINUX installing to a hard drive that's in a shoe box in your closet. When I get into odd situations like that, I usually find my mistakes by dissasembling the whole damn system, and starting over. Starting from the bottom always seems to flush out mistakes, errors, and bad hardware. __________________ The Lonely Raven Jack of All Trades, Master of None IT Samurai

06-13-2001, 06:54 AM	#2
Darkhorse Cooling Savant Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: UK Posts: 103	Usual questions: What Bios version? What jumpers are set on the HD? Have you tried a different IDE cable? Sorry if these seem stupid questions but we need as much info as poss.

06-17-2001, 08:47 AM	#3
TGEN Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Odoorn, DR, Netherlands Posts: 2	I think Windows wasn't able to see it because you hadn't partitioned it. I'd say you go stand in the corner and be ashamed of yourselves . TGEN

06-17-2001, 01:25 PM	#4
Darkhorse Cooling Savant Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: UK Posts: 103	OK TGEN, While I'm standing in the corner do you want to explain why the bios can't see the drive as that has nothing to do with partitioning?

06-17-2001, 03:04 PM	#5
melvyn Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 69	This might be stating the obvious, but have you checked the drive jumpers with what's listed in the manual? A friend of mine recently bought a WD 40Gb drive and couldn't get it to initialize with a second drive on the same controller channel. Turned out there were TWO settings for master, one for single drive, one for dual (master & slave) drives. Only the single drive was printed on the drive itself.

02-06-2002, 04:12 PM	#8
mx-6* Cooling Savant Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 165	Well, if he had a very long IDE cable going to that drive in the shoe box in the closet then it might still work tho. But yeah, I'm thinking that starting over might be a good idea as well. And maybe knowing the correct jumper positions would be helpful too.

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