Integration of NVIDIA's nForce RAID and AHCI drivers

[Fernando 1]

Here is how the things are, find driver which has nvatabus.inf in it or copy it from some subfolder when driver expanded (and all files within that folder) and just integrate, it will work. No need for $oem$, nlite already makes nldrv which is for same PNP purpose.

I am not sure, that there is no need for the $OEM$\$$\OEMDIR folder. AFAIK is the presence of the NVATABUS.INF file not very helpful during TEXTMODE section, but necessary during GUIMODE section of the installation.

Tomorrow I will test it by copying the NVATABUS.INF file into the SATARAID subfolder, before integrating the SataRaid drivers as Textmode drivers.

Nevertheless should "nvatabus.inf" been added within the [OemInfFiles] section of the WINNT.SIF for systems with nForce4 SataRaid .

EDIT:

As Nuhi proposed, I just tried to integrate the drivers from the PATARAID subfolder (which have NVRAID.INF and NVATABUS.INF inside). The result was: endless reboots. But I was astonished, that the OS install routine detected my SataRaid Array within TEXTMODE part of the installation.

As I recognized now, nLite Beta6 does integrate both INF-files into the [OemInfFiles] section, when you integrate the PATARAID instead of the SATARAID drivers. But due to a reason I don't know, the full integration of the nVRaid drivers is not realized by nLite Beta6.

So we have still to do some manual work.....

Edited September 1, 2005 by Fernando 1

[cantankerous]

let me know how you make out Fernando. Your method on the first page works FANTASTIC. I too had endless reboots yesterday if I did nothing but integrate normally. After following Fernando 1's easy instructions on the first page to my already created image I was into my new windows is near minutes without a hiccup. Good work Nuhi and Fernando, you have made my day and my formats much better to look forward to.

[nuhi]

Fernando 1, huh still didn't work for you guys...weird...for some it helped fully.

Ok, I hope we will solve this soon ... but without $oem$ if possible.

Gonna contact you when I'm ready, thanks.

[cantankerous]

thanks for the patience and continued support on this matter Nuhi. I know you must be quite frustrated and had enough of this whole **** nvraid business. I am glad we at least have an option with the $OEM$ whereas before we had nothing. If you could get it to work without the manual directory structure then by all means please see what you can do. If you need a tester I am always ready and willing.

[dale5605]

I don't see how the nvraid is a problem anymore. Are you on a nforce3 board or something fernando?

I have tested twice on actual install. Once I tried just integrating sataraid folder without using nvatabus.inf and it failed with endless reboots.

Then I first put nvatabus.inf into sataraid folder and integrated sataraid folder and it worked perfectly just like that. Didn't have to do anything extra.

This was all done with the 6.66 WHQL drivers.

I did not use "oem preinstall" option.

Also, if it matters I used unattended mode "DefaultHide"

Edited September 2, 2005 by dale5605

[Fernando 1]

Are you on a nforce3 board or something fernando?

This was all done with the 6.66 WHQL drivers.

I did not use "oem preinstall" option.

Also, if it matters I used unattended mode "DefaultHide"

My board has an nForce4 Ultra chipset (DFI Lanparty NF4 Ultra-D).

For my last tests I used the 6.66 driver package too (the nvatabus.sys is not WHQL!).

Since I use nLite Beta6, I take the default options for the unattended install (with activated "Oem Preinstall" and as "FullUnattended").

This weekend I will try it the way you have done it (precopy the nvatabus.inf into the SATARAID subfolder and with disabled "Oem Preinstall"). As you may have seen some posts above, just to take the PATARAID subfolder does not work for me.

EDIT:

I just tried to integrate the SataRaid drivers by the way dale5605 had described above. I copied the nvatabus.inf into the SATARAID subfolder, integrated the drivers from the SATARAID subfolder as textmode drivers, deactivated "OEM PreInstall" and choosed "GuiAttended Install".

Result: Endless reboots!

So this is not the solution for all users.

CU

Fernando

Edited September 2, 2005 by Fernando 1

[dale5605]

GUIattended? I use defaulthide, but I don't think those should matter anyway? If I understand correctly what I have heard then as long as you are doing an unattended option instead of no unattended then you are ok.

But I will give benefit of the doubt maybe something else is the problem. I know that I removed with nLite all IDE drivers such as Intel, VIA, etc. I also removed RAID/SATA drivers.

[dale5605]

Ok I think I have solved the problem, some of this may or may not be unnecessary but should work.

Hopefully this will work for you fernando, otherwise I am not sure what we are doing differently since we have same motherboard and same drivers and same nLite.

This is what I do:

Take folder: E:\nforcedrivers\IDE\WinXP\sataraid

and cut and paste it to a safe place like the desktop

Now copy nvatabus.inf from "pataraid" folder into "sataraid" folder.

Now copy nvata.inf AND nvata.sys from "sata_ide" folder into "sataraid" folder.

Now copy the "raidtool" folder (yes the actual entire folder itself) and paste that INSIDE "sataraid" folder.

It should install properly and everything.

Now when windows loads up device manager should give you an error. Click ok and then device manager will pop-up saying it needs to install PATA controller or whatever. Click "install automatically(recommended)" and let it install it. It will pop-up again for SATA controller or whatever. Again let it install.

Now everything should be properly installed and you should have no problems.

[Fernando 1]

This is what I do:

Take folder: E:\nforcedrivers\IDE\WinXP\sataraid

and cut and paste it to a safe place like the desktop

Now copy nvatabus.inf from "pataraid" folder into "sataraid" folder.

Now copy nvata.inf AND nvata.sys from "sata_ide" folder into "sataraid" folder.

Now copy the "raidtool" folder (yes the actual entire folder itself) and paste that INSIDE "sataraid" folder.

It should install properly and everything.

Now when windows loads up device manager should give you an error. Click ok and then device manager will pop-up saying it needs to install PATA controller or whatever. Click "install automatically(recommended)" and let it install it. It will pop-up again for SATA controller or whatever. Again let it install.

That seems to be an interesting method. I will try it tomorrow.

What I cannot understand is, that you wrote you were able to create a Windows XP CD with integrated nForce SataRaid drivers by using nLite Beta6 without any "handmade action" .

[cantankerous]

yea this sure seems handmade to me lol.

[dale5605]

That seems to be an interesting method. I will try it tomorrow.

What I cannot understand is, that you wrote you were able to create a Windows XP CD with integrated nForce SataRaid drivers by using nLite Beta6 without any "handmade action" .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is the same reason why I cannot understand why it doesn't work for you. Nuhi fixed nvraid integration so now it works through nLite and you don't need the handmade stuff anymore, works for me.

You could try just putting the "raidtool" folder into sataraid along with nvatabus.inf.

I know those 2 in there worked for me. Maybe raidtool folder is your problem.

[dale5605]

This should work for you fernando.

Go into the extracted folder from the driver package. Then go into "IDE" and then either "Win2k" or "WinXP" whichever your OS is.

Go into the "pataraid" folder and then copy "nvatabus.inf".

Go to "sataraid" folder and paste that file in.

Copy the entire "raidtool" folder INSIDE the "sataraid" folder.

If you have done this correctly this is what you should see.

http://teamicenine.com/images/IceNine/protag/nvraid.bmp

You should not select the oem preinstall option.

[Fernando 1]

@ Dale:

Thank you very much for your several posts.

I know, that you really want to help us all, but, I'm sorry to say, your posts are a little bit confusing for me.

Once you wrote this:

I first put nvatabus.inf into sataraid folder and integrated sataraid folder and it worked perfectly just like that. Didn't have to do anything extra.

Then you wrote this:

I know that I removed with nLite all IDE drivers such as Intel, VIA, etc. I also removed RAID/SATA drivers.

Within the next post you propose this:

Now copy nvata.inf AND nvata.sys from "sata_ide" folder into "sataraid" folder.

Your next idea:

You could try just putting the "raidtool" folder into sataraid along with nvatabus.inf.

And this was your last recommendation:

This should work for you fernando.

Go into the "pataraid" folder and then copy "nvatabus.inf".

Go to "sataraid" folder and paste that file in.

Copy the entire "raidtool" folder INSIDE the "sataraid" folder.

If you have done this correctly this is what you should see.

http://teamicenine.com/images/IceNine/protag/nvraid.bmp

You should not select the oem preinstall option.

At least I decided to do exactly, what you recommended within your last post.

Result: Endless reboots!

Dale, please think about the following:

1. There is no need to help me, but others. I don't have any problem integrating nForce SataRaid drivers into a bootable Windows XP CD (see Post Nr. 1 within this thread). What I am trying, is to search for an easy method for those people, who had no success with the full integration of these drivers by nLite.

2. Your message, that the integration of nVRaid drivers is fully supported by nLite Beta6, is definitely wrong. Fully supported means, that it can be successfully used by all users with nVRaid systems and no special preparations of the files/drivers/packages are necessary. Even you have done some "handmade" changes or preparations of the driver folders and special nLite settings (although you do not know exactly which ones).

3. If there really would be a need for the raidtool folder within the SATARAID folder, no user with an nForce SataRaid system could install XP via F6/floppy method (not enough space on the floppy).

4. The main problems for users with nVRaid systems are resolved, when they want to install Windows XP. The new version of nLite (Beta6) makes it very easy to integrate the awfull NVIDIA drivers into the 32-bit OS. But there is still a lot to do for users, who want to integrate the native 64-bit drivers into an 64-bit OS. Please help us to find an easy solution for Windows XP x64!

CU

Fernando

Edited September 3, 2005 by Fernando 1

[dale5605]

Are you doing this on x64 then?

I haven't even tried it on x64 yet, because my x64 install is already good the way I like it.

I have tried it before without nvatabus.inf or raidtool folder or anything else and it did work. So I think nLite is doing it fine, I don't see why it would be any different for you. But it appears to work fine for me whether I add a few of those files, none at all, or a whole bunch like I said before. I got those few device manager errors one time but it has still worked.

I must be doing some right or getting lucky or something.

[Fernando 1]

Are you doing this on x64 then?

Yes, but nLite Beta6 does not work with XP x64.

Look here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=383241

I have tried it before without nvatabus.inf or raidtool folder or anything else and it did work.

That is the newest version of what you have done. If this one is correct, why did you write, that it is necessary to copy the nvatabus.inf and the raidtool into the SATARAID subfolder?????

Yust be happy with your XP with integrated nVRaid drivers. As you may have seen within this thread, other users with an nForce SataRaid system are not so lucky as you.....