P5W DH Issues

[Dan_D]

Well, the P5W DH is in and working. I do have one issue though. I can't make the EZ Backup ports work at all. The software doesn't detect my drives, and I have tested both drives on other SATA ports and each of them works perfectly.

I have two identical Maxtor Diamond Max 10 7200RPM 16MB SATA 150 drives that I am trying to put in RAID 1.

I've had these drives on other controllers in RAID1 in the past.

I've also tried various SATA cables which hasn't helped either. I've also tried updating the EZ-Backup application. Supposedly this is a hardware RAID solution, but there is no configurable BIOS. I like the board, and ultimately I won't be hurt if I can't use these two ports, but I think that it is kind of a crappy implementation on ASUS's part.

 

[vanilla_guerilla]

jumpers set?
ez backup raid mode change set to disabled in bios?

i dicked around with this controller when i first got my board and it stoked right up. bad board?

have you tried to connect these drives, then start an xp install to see if they are recognized by the install?

 

[Dan_D]

jumpers set?
ez backup raid mode change set to disabled in bios?

i dicked around with this controller when i first got my board and it stoked right up. bad board?

have you tried to connect these drives, then start an xp install to see if they are recognized by the install?

I haven't tried to install an OS to it, but the EZ-Backup utility won't see them. Yes the EZ-Backup RAID mode is set to disabled in BIOS. Additionally, the jumpers are set for RAID-1 operation, which is the default setting.

I'll pull my Raptors and try to run a temp install to the drives connected to the EZ-Backup ports and see what happens.

 

[jacuzz1]

I would not be surprised if you had a bad board. My first board was flaky, wifi did not work , on board sound would only work in 2 channel mode and firewire would not work, and the thing would just turn on by itself roflma. I purchased a new board and rma 'ed my first one. My new one is working perfectly so far with the exception of the firewir. I will not be able to test that until i get my rig back home where my DCC is.

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

2x74GB, 2x320GB, 2x300GB SATA drives in various forms of RAID
Plextor 716SA DVD-R/RW Drive
"Like maple syrup, Canada is evil."

Could you remove that last part of your sig. It's very insulting. Wouldn't want to have to refer it to the admins. That's hate filled rhetoric. (Yes I realize you're an admin which makes it worse).


(1) Absolutely NO FLAMING, NAME CALLING OR PERSONAL ATTACKS. Mutual respect and civilized conversation is the required norm.

 

[revenant]

^^ hi kettle, you're black (Elmo is evil???) ... Anyways, he's just quoting a line from "Canadian Bacon" ..simmah dawn nah..


As for the EZ backup ports, could be a bad board.. also, try the Raptors, as you were saying you would.. if those work, check the Seagates over for a little jumper which sets them at SATA 150 rather than SATA 300.. I heard some of the drives came that way default.. a very small white jumper was on the pins.... shorted = 150, open = 300.. I doubt that's it but stranger things.. you know.. anyways.

 

[Dan_D]

Could you remove that last part of your sig. It's very insulting. Wouldn't want to have to refer it to the admins. That's hate filled rhetoric. (Yes I realize you're an admin which makes it worse).


(1) Absolutely NO FLAMING, NAME CALLING OR PERSONAL ATTACKS. Mutual respect and civilized conversation is the required norm.

Simmer down man. I've removed it. It's a line from a movie, and I was inspired to put it in there because of the massive problems I have had with my new X1950XTX. Relax, there is nothing to get bent out of shape about. I didn't mean to offend anyone with it.

^^ hi kettle, you're black (Elmo is evil???) ... Anyways, he's just quoting a line from "Canadian Bacon" ..simmah dawn nah..


As for the EZ backup ports, could be a bad board.. also, try the Raptors, as you were saying you would.. if those work, check the Seagates over for a little jumper which sets them at SATA 150 rather than SATA 300.. I heard some of the drives came that way default.. a very small white jumper was on the pins.... shorted = 150, open = 300.. I doubt that's it but stranger things.. you know.. anyways.

Well all the drives I have are SATA 150. The new Seagates I was sent were wrong. They are PATA and I am having to RMA them and I'll buy some new ones. Anyway, I am still working on the problem, and hopefully I'll figure it out.

For the record, I am not a fan of how this particular controller works. It should have been made more like the rest of them.

 

[Dan_D]

Good news! I did some Windows updates, (I hadn't done them due to having just built the machine and working on other issues) and BAM! My drives showed up and everything is working perfectly.

 

[revenant]

Nice... SP1 fit it? I guess it was a driver then.. those ports are on an SI controller, no? anyways, it's pretty lame that base XP is so crippled until you patch the hell out of it.. I wish I had a fully pacthed (up to SP2) copy... installing XP is fast and easy on good hardware.. but doing all the crazy patching afterwards is not largest slice of fun.. gah!

 

[Dan_D]

Nice... SP1 fit it? I guess it was a driver then.. those ports are on an SI controller, no? anyways, it's pretty lame that base XP is so crippled until you patch the hell out of it.. I wish I had a fully pacthed (up to SP2) copy... installing XP is fast and easy on good hardware.. but doing all the crazy patching afterwards is not largest slice of fun.. gah!

Actually my disk is a fully integrated SP2 disk. You can make one yourself with a copy of NLite and ISOBuster.

You slipstrem the SP2 contents using the directions on Microsoft's website, then you can also add other drivers and hot fixes as well. Then you take the slip streamed installation folders and then burn them to CD. ISOBuster is used to make an image of the Windows XP CD's boot code. Then you add that to your final image. Then you burn the disk, and you are done.

The ports were the orange EZ-Backup ports attached to the hardware based Silicon Image 4723 Controller.

 

[revenant]

Oh - yeah... someone else mentioned that slip streaming process in a thread a while back... I'll have to give that a go... thanks for the tips! I'll check the M$ site for detailed instructions for slipstreaming SP2 content.. coolio!

I can't say I am a fan of SI raid controller chips.. I really wish the mfgs would but decent Promise raid controller chip back on mobos.. so much better, imo.. real hardware raid.. no need for drivers so you can see and use (in basic operation mode, drivers required for performance modes) the logical device attached to the controller in windows sans patching, etc.. yadda yadda.. These other raid implementations don't seem like real hardware raid to me.. also, when creating a raid1 set you should be able to take a disk full of data and create the array without harming the data.. just choose the full disk as the source and the controller copies the data block for block to the target disk.. the SI controller I played with on my DFI board wanted to wipe the disks clean every time it initialized a new set.. gah! (<-- quickly becoming one of my favorite words )

anyways.. this is getting way OT.. sorry.. my two grande mocha just kicked in.. weee!

 

[vanilla_guerilla]

Actually my disk is a fully integrated SP2 disk. You can make one yourself with a copy of NLite and ISOBuster.

You slipstrem the SP2 contents using the directions on Microsoft's website, then you can also add other drivers and hot fixes as well. Then you take the slip streamed installation folders and then burn them to CD. ISOBuster is used to make an image of the Windows XP CD's boot code. Then you add that to your final image. Then you burn the disk, and you are done.

The ports were the orange EZ-Backup ports attached to the hardware based Silicon Image 4723 Controller.

what do you think of the performance of the sil? (if you have it set up yet) i thought it was a little better than matrix. saves a whole second or 2 boot time, also.

 

[cditty]

Actually my disk is a fully integrated SP2 disk. You can make one yourself with a copy of NLite and ISOBuster.

You slipstrem the SP2 contents using the directions on Microsoft's website, then you can also add other drivers and hot fixes as well. Then you take the slip streamed installation folders and then burn them to CD. ISOBuster is used to make an image of the Windows XP CD's boot code. Then you add that to your final image. Then you burn the disk, and you are done.

The ports were the orange EZ-Backup ports attached to the hardware based Silicon Image 4723 Controller.

I love NLite... I made a patched disc and setup an unattended install. Fired up my new E6600 rig, came back in about 20 minutes and I was at the windows screen. I even patched in all the hotfixes from Ryanvm's site (link on Nlite website). I wish I had done it sooner. I now keep a patched copy at work on my hard drive. When I build a new machine and we buy xp, I just edit my ISO with the new license code and off I go.

Chris

 

[Dan_D]

what do you think of the performance of the sil? (if you have it set up yet) i thought it was a little better than matrix. saves a whole second or 2 boot time, also.

Well, the Silicon Image 4723 controller should perform better than the standard Intel Matrix RAID on the ICH7R does. The Silicon Image controller is supposed to be a pure hardware solution. Though I can't really offer a fair comparison at this time because I have 74GB Raptors on my ICH7R and Diamond Max 10's on the Silicon Image 4723 controller. I am triyng to square away an RMA issue with Newegg concerning receiving the wrong drives from them. Once I get my new 7200.10 Seagates' in I will bench them and see which is truely better.

 

[NickyDaFish]

Well, the Silicon Image 4723 controller should perform better than the standard Intel Matrix RAID on the ICH7R does. The Silicon Image controller is supposed to be a pure hardware solution. Though I can't really offer a fair comparison at this time because I have 74GB Raptors on my ICH7R and Diamond Max 10's on the Silicon Image 4723 controller. I am triyng to square away an RMA issue with Newegg concerning receiving the wrong drives from them. Once I get my new 7200.10 Seagates' in I will bench them and see which is truely better.

I think that the SI RAID controller hangs off of one of the ICH7R channels, thus only giving you the bandwidth of 1 SATA channel for the entire array on the SI controller. In fact, all the other SATA ports on this mobo are chained off of the 4th SATA port (the 3 black ports near the southbridge are 1-3, everything else including the external port share #4). I haven't benched mine (1x 150gb Raptor, 2x 7200.1 Segates RAID-1) my mongo...possibly incorrect...logic tells me that 2x 3gbps channels for 2 drives would have to be better than 1 right?

 

[Dan_D]

I think that the SI RAID controller hangs off of one of the ICH7R channels, thus only giving you the bandwidth of 1 SATA channel for the entire array on the SI controller. In fact, all the other SATA ports on this mobo are chained off of the 4th SATA port (the 3 black ports near the southbridge are 1-3, everything else including the external port share #4). I haven't benched mine (1x 150gb Raptor, 2x 7200.1 Segates RAID-1) my mongo...possibly incorrect...logic tells me that 2x 3gbps channels for 2 drives would have to be better than 1 right?

I am not sure why there are only three ports there. I do know that in order to be recognized in BIOS for the OS and OS installation, the Silicon Image controller ties in with the motherboard's BIOS.

Though I don't think that the last port is broken up for the Silicon Image controller since there is a hardware chip driving those two ports. They are supposed to out perform the other ports as well. Being hardware based and all.

Though Morry couldn't get it to work in the [H] review, So I haven't seen benches on it.