Can't install raid on GA-X48-DQ6

[Yaris1]

1st post: Trying to set up new rig and am having the BSOD after setting up Raid & trying to boot up windows XP Pro. I have two WD Vraptor 300gb set up in 0raid connected to the purple Gigabyte sata plugs on the mob. The onboard-Sata/IDE device is enable. Also Sata Raid/AHCI mode enabled for AHCI (ICH9R) & Sata Port 0-3 native mode enabled (ICH9R also) for my G-sata & Rom drives are connected to the yelllow sata plugs. After booting up, the windows setup page starts, I press F6, after a short time I load the Gigabyte driver from the GB cd, then when windows setup starts, I get the BSOD saying a problem has been detected & windows has to shut down etc--. I get the stop 0x0000007B, 0x00000000 etc. It seems that the drivers were loading from the info scrolling at the bottom of the page. If I set my HDDs to the Ide mode, windows loads up without any problems. The tech support guy at Gigabyte was even scratching his head but I haven' contacted them again.

memory: Corsair Dominator 2x2gb ddr 1066 5,5,5,15, even though XP Pro
processor: Q9550-2.83 gb
HDD: (2) WD VelociRaptor 300gb
cooler: Zaleman 9500A
Roms-- (2) Samsung sata
Floppy
Memtest shows good & I don't want to OC right now, maybe later

MIT
Robust graphics booster--auto
Cpu clock rati--- [8x]
fine cpu clock ratio----- [+0.5]
cpu frequency -- 2.83 (333x8.50
cpu host clock control --Enabled
cpu host frequency---[333]

CIA2---- [disabled]
spd---------- auto
mem freq---- 1066
dram timing selectable-----manual 5,5,5,15
advanced timing control auto [default]
Everything else is default except for
system voltage control which is in auto.

Are these settings ok? I plan to occasionally run some games, general brousing and some video editing.
I have no idea what most of these settings are & don't know if I'm going in the right direction. I mainly want to find out if my Gig. sata controllers on the mob are/not working- maybe I need to return mob. As a last resort, I'll run in the IDE mode. I appologize for the long post! Thanks in advance

[Yaris1]

Re: Can't install raid on GA-X48-DQ6

Does anyone have an idea if this may be that the bios numbers aren't set correctly or if this may be a bad Gigabyte sata controller port? If no one has any ideas, could you give me some setting numbers for non overclocking, just to get me started in the right direction? Or could you direct me to a forum etc. that may know how to solve my problems?

[randers4]

Re: Can't install raid on GA-X48-DQ6

Have you tried setting up your RAID using the yellow ports, controlling it with ICH9R controller and Intel Matrix Storage Manager (in Windows)? You have enough ports, and if you set Sata Raid/AHCI mode to RAID your ROMS should coexist with your HDDs as non-RAID devices even though not set to AHCI. I don't have your same board but I've read enough posts here to know that users have problems running anything but Smart Backup with the purple ports.

[Yaris1]

Re: Can't install raid on GA-X48-DQ6

Thanks for reply. Well I would connect the HDDs to the yellow/orange ports & use the intel ICH9R controller but I wanted to have my e-sata ports (on pci card) connected to it for AHCI (I presume AHCI is for ability to hot plug component such as external HDD) but I may be wrong. I guess I could do without the raid but I wanted AHCI for the esata.

I'm just wondering if the Gigabyte sata port may be bad. The Gigabyte tech support guy just couldn't understand why this port wouldn't work. I was talking to him the other day, going through setup after same setup; it was shift time for him & I got disconnected & haven't called him back yet. I'm thinking you guys would probably know more than he does.
I don't know if others has had the same problem, but as you say, they may have. I have tried with the drives set up to IDE & windows installs ok.

With 4gb of ram for XP-pro, it should be ok & shouldn't be an issue + memtest ran good through many sets. I'll keep tinkeriing Thanks

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Can't install raid on GA-X48-DQ6

I would connect your two hard drives for RAID to the yellow/orange Intel ports in port # 0+1 and then put your eSATA drives onto the Purple ports. I am kinda confused here though as with a PCI Controller card you wouldn't be connecting anything to the board if you used it for your eSATA drives? Not sure as you never mentioned what it is you are trying to use with eSATA

This would be the correct settings to use in Integrated Peripherals page for a RAID Setup on the Intel controller. Set these, then reboot and create your array (Control + I) then save and reboot back to the BIOS and go into Advanced BIOS Page and at the top go into Hard Disk Boot Priority and make sure your array is at the top of the list. If not move it there with PgUP keys. >>>

Intel (Yellow/Orange) controller (ICH9R Drivers needed for RAID OS Install)
SATA RAID/AHCI Mode (Intel ICH10R Southbridge) ............. RAID
SATA Port0-3 Native Mode ................................... Enabled (or Disabled, both will work)

These can be disabled totally if you do only have RAID with 2 drives and you connect them to the Intel Controller. Otherwise this can be set up anyway you like

Gigabyte/J.Micron (Purple Ports) (Must be enabled if you have any IDE Drives, but can be set to any mode)

Onboard SATA/IDE Device (GIGABYTE SATA2 Chip) ............. Enabled/disabled
Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl Mode (GIGABYTE SATA2 Chip) ........... IDE/AHCI

If you want to use a PCI Card for eSATA then you would be connecting your drives to it and not the board. And there would be no settings on the board to enable AHCI for that it would all be in your card's BIOS or setup.

Do you have other drives or not? Sorry, just a little confused as you mentioned RAID and AHCI but only two drives. If you do have external drives or extra drives and you want them AHCI it would be best to install your OS on the Intel controller with the Gigabyte controller disabled or at least set to NON RAID. Then once your OS is installed plug in your other drives and enable AHCI on the Gigabyte controller and go in windows and in device manager find the Gigabyte controller and choose update drivers and install the AHCI Gigabyte driver.

If you are wanting to use a PCI card for any other drives none of the above applies really, you would need to read your card's manual for how to setup AHCI in a NON OS (Storage) setup

[Yaris1]

Re: Can't install raid on GA-X48-DQ6

Thanks: I'm not thinking (it was late), I meant to say that the esata card just fills up a pci card slot and not actually a pci card. The esata (for external) takes up a card slot & the connection wires plug into two of the sata slots on the mob. As you mentioned, I'll connect these to the Gig purple ports and connect the HDD to the yellow ports and configure the bios as you've mentioned. This should straighten things out. For some reason, looking at the manual, I was thinking that the HDD's had to be connected to the purple ports. dah!

About the voltage settings: I presume I have the right settings
Thanks, I'll try the mentioned settings and try again

[Yaris1]

Re: Can't install raid on GA-X48-DQ6

Thanks Thanks: Xp Pro is installing. I put all settings as mentioned & left the onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl Mode (GIGABYTE SATA2 Chip) in the AHCI mode. So far so good