Integration of NVIDIA's nForce RAID and AHCI drivers

[Fernando 1]

5. Which order did you set at the BIOS option "HARD DISK BOOT PRIORITY"?

A: Normally, it's set to HD/CD/Removable or HD/CD/Disabled.

You misunderstood my question.

The "HARD DISK BOOT PRIORITY" is the order of the bootable hard disk drives and has nothing to do with the BIOS settings regarding the order of the bootable storage devices (CD/DVD>HDD>Floppy etc).

Since you have more than 1 hard disk drive (each RAID array is shown as 1 hdd) within your system, you have to give an information to the BIOS, which one of them should be booted at first.

[Bytor]

<snip>Since you have more than 1 hard disk drive (each RAID array is shown as 1 hdd) within your system, you have to give an information to the BIOS, which one of them should be booted at first.

I can set the new WD to be first priority, and boot into the new install of windows ok. I may have to reinstall that version and F6 the RAID drivers into it, unless there's a way to enable RAID w/o a new install.

Also, when I put even 1 of the Raptors as "RAID enabled" in BIOS, POST still hangs at "Detecting Array..."

Edited July 10, 2009 by Bytor

[Fernando 1]

Since you have more than 1 hard disk drive (each RAID array is shown as 1 hdd) within your system, you have to give an information to the BIOS, which one of them should be booted at first.

I can set the new WD to be first priority, and boot into the new install of windows ok. I may have to reinstall that version and F6 the RAID drivers into it, unless there's a way to enable RAID w/o a new install.

The necessity of doing a fresh install of the OS depends on

a ) the SATA Mode situation during the previous OS installation (a fresh install is not necessary, if the RAID Mode was enabled) and

b ) the place, where the OS has been previously installed (no fresh OS install is needed, if the OS has been installed outside the RAID).

Also, when I put even 1 of the Raptors as "RAID enabled" in BIOS, POST still hangs at "Detecting Array..."

At first step you should enter the RAID BIOS Utility and check, if the RAID is shown as "healthy". As long as the BIOS does not detect the RAID correctly, you will not be able to get anything installed onto it.

[Bytor]

If I RAID-enable even 1 of the 2 Raptors in the Setup utility, the boot sequence doesn't even get to the point where I can F10 to the RAID utility.

It will show the SIL driver (unused in my case), then go to "Detecting Array" and not even show 'healthy' or 'damaged' or 'failed.' It just hangs.

With neither of the Raptors RAID-enabled, BIOS only detects the Hitachi array, and that's listed as 'healthy.' Then I can boot into XPPro off either of the Raptors as C: (which functions identically to how the C:-RAID array used to), or off the new WD as C:. In either of those cases, both Raptors show up as discrete drives.

I'm really banging my head against the wall here.

[Fernando 1]

@ Bytor:

It seems, that you got some problems due to the change of the RAID settings and the installation of Windows XP onto different drives resp. RAID arrays without checking the "HARD DISK BOOT PRIORITY" settings.

According to what you have reported, you obviously have installed Windows XP 2 times onto your system, 1 onto the Raptor hdd or RAID array and recently additionally onto the single WD drive.

I suspect, that you now have 2 boot sectors with 2 MBR's within your system. Since this is never a good idea, I wrote about the importance of the "HARD DISK BOOT PRIORITY" BIOS settings. After any change of the hdd and RAID configuration you should have verified, that the hdd/RAID array, where your MBR was set, is still at the first place of the HARD DISK BOOT PRIORITY settings. Otherwise you will get a new MBR within the hdd/RAID, which was just there by mischance.

Another possible issue: Each change of the RAID settings (enabling/disabling the RAID Mode and switching the RAID Array from RAID0 to RAID1 or vice versa) has a big impact on the usually unreadable "track 0" of the affected hdd(s), especially if there is a boot sector on it.

Since you obviously are able to boot into Windows XP off 1 single Raptor hdd set in non-RAID mode, you will not be able anymore to do it after having recreated the Raptor RAID array.

You may try to solve the problem by erasing the MBR off the Raptor hdd and by reparing the "track 0" entries, but this will be difficult and dangerous for your current datas. The better way will be a low level format of both Raptor hdd's and a clean recreation of the array without enabling the boot option.

The MBR of your non-RAID WD hdd should be the only one within your system.

EDIT:

Since your problem has nothing to do with the topic of this thread, you may search for further help somewhere else, were you probably will find a better support regarding the solution of your special RAID, MBR and Track 0 problems.

Good luck!

Fernando

Edited July 10, 2009 by Fernando 1

[Bytor]

Yep, thanks for the info. The reason I'd posted here to begin with was I saw the excellent info about the various NV drivers and the integration into the 5xx pkgs, and thought there might be some relevance to my situation. I do apologize for the thread hijack.

[Fernando 1]

@ Bytor:

By the way: As long as you don't install Windows XP onto a RAID device, you don't need to integrate any RAID driver into the OS CD. Once the OS is up, you can run the installer (SETUP.EXE) of the suitable nForce chipset driver package. You will find it within the first post of this thread.

If you have any further question regarding the nForce SATARAID driver, please post it here.

Best wishes!

Fernando

[Fernando 1]

@ all users with an nForce RAID or AHCI system:

Today I have updated my guide (first post) again.

Changelog:

- modified: nForce IDE drivers v9.99.09 mod by Fernando (now enhanced AHCI support)

- updated: "NF4-5 non-AHCI WHQL Packs" (32/64bit)

- updated: "Special WHQL Performance Packs" (32/64bit)

- updated: "MCP73 WHQL Driverpacks" (32/64bit)

- updated: "NF4-7 Performance Packs" (32/64bit)

Any feedback is much appreciated.

By the way:

It will not take long and my guide will have more than 1 million views - unbelievable for me. When I started this thread in June 2005, I did not expect, that my guide will be interesting for so many nForce users for such a long time.

Have fun!

Fernando

[Seanmick]

Hi All,

New member here and of course I have a problem with an nVidia nForce raid system.

I have a Dell XPS720 with 2x320GB drives in Raid 0 which contains my OS, Win Xp Pro. Unfortunately, a power cut resulted in being locked out of Windows on reboot. I tried safe mode etc to no avail. I then tried a repair using my Dell OS disk and got hung up in the infinite boot cycle with the Not Digitally Signed problem. So now I guess I have a corrupted version of WinXp on my c: drive. I have successfully installed a new Pata IDE drive and loaded the OS on that and all my original files etc are still there but it would be great if I could repair/recover my original system without having to re-install everything.

I think that I have implemented the nLite procedure correctly as specified in the excellent work by Fernando 1. I have tried both the legacy drivers provided by Fernando 1 and also the WinXP IDE SataRAID Driver (v6.91) "WHQL" directly from nVidia. In both cases, I get as far as accepting the Windows license agreement (F8) and then I get the BSOD with a message regarding IRLQ_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.

I am unsure if I need to physically copy any files (ie outside of nLite) to the folder in which I placed the copy of my Dell OS disk. Or maybe I don't have the correct drivers for my XPS 720 system?

Any help really appreciated,

Many thanks.

[Fernando 1]

@ Seanmick:

Welcome at MSFN Forums!

I have tried both the legacy drivers provided by Fernando 1 and also the WinXP IDE SataRAID Driver (v6.91) "WHQL" directly from nVidia. In both cases, I get as far as accepting the Windows license agreement (F8) and then I get the BSOD with a message regarding IRLQ_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.

Questions:

1. Which nForce chipset does your Dell XPS720 have?

2. Did you save the exact BSOD error message? If you couldn't read it, hit F8 while booting/rebooting and choose the "Don't reboot at system failure" option.

[Seanmick]

Hi Fernando 1,

Many thanks for the prompt reply. I have an update:

1) I re-made an OS CD and included the sata_ide sub-folder as PnP as suggested and this enabled me to get to the install procedure after the license agreement page.

2) The system went into chkdsk and told me the "volume was dirty" and proceded to run chkdsk which reported that it was recovering orphaned files. These included files like system, sam, security etc.

3) Once chkdsk completed, the system then allowed me to enter setup mode. It tells me that it has already attempted an upgrade (done when I first had the problem) and so I allowed it to retry this repair.

4) This proceeds successfully and copies the files to the c: drive.

5) On re-boot, the Raid array is reported as healthy, I can enter its setup mode from the BIOS, the array is 0, helathy, stripe is reported etc. the black Windows Welcome screen then appears, then goes blank as normal prior to the blue WinXp logon screen, the keyboard is energised, the mouse pointer appears briefly but then the system goes into reset mode again and loops attempting to restart Windows.

Based on this behaviour, is it possible that I have loaded the incorrect drivers when I made the OS disk or is it a just that the damage is such that the XP repair will not work? The drivers I integrated were downloaded from nVidia, the enclosed Readme file is as follows:

This WinXP nForce (C55/MCP55) driver package consists of the following components:

Ethernet Driver (v60.24) "WHQL"

Network Management Tools (v60.26)

SMBus Driver (v4.57) "WHQL"

Installer (v5.17)

WinXP IDE SataRAID Driver (v6.91) "WHQL"

WinXP IDE SataIDE Driver (v6.91) "WHQL"

WinXP RAIDTOOL Application (v6.91) "Sedona"

I integrated the SataRAID (textmode) and the SataIDE drivers (PnP).

I can boot the system to XP normally from the pata drive, will I get full details on the actual nForce chipset under System Information?

Many thanks again for all your help, very much appreciated.

Regards.

[Fernando 1]

@ Seanmick:

1. Try to get the exact BSOD error message, when the reboot loop is starting, because this may give you a tip where the issue is coming from. You will get the message, if you hit F8 while rebooting and choose the "Don't reboot at system failure" option.

2. I am not sure, if the drivers you used are the "suitable" ones for the nForce chipset of your mainboard.

If you can run any Windows OS, please open the Device Manager and look into the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" and "Storage Controllers" resp. "SCSI and RAID Controllers" sections for the exact names of the listed SATA and RAID Controllers. If possible, give me the HardwareID's of them (right click onto the Controller > "Properties" > "Details" > "Property" > "HardwareID's").

3. Have you ever tried to integrate just the SATARAID driver folder without additionally doing that with the SATA_IDE driver folder?

[Seanmick]

Hi Fernando 1,

Again, many thanks for the help. I am beginning to think that I should do a clean install but I am concerned that I will have the same issues even in this case since it might not correctly load the sataraid drivers on a complete reinstall either.

1) I tried using F8 to prevent the system reboot on failure but I do not get an error message and the system loops trying to restart windows.

2) I have started WinXp using the my IDE drive with the Sata Raid array active and I get the following information:

IDE/ATA/ATAPI controller

Driver: Microsoft atapi.sys/stopprop.dll.

Hardware Id: 10de-036e / Primary_IDE_Channel / *PnP0600

SCSI and Raid Controllers:

nVidia nForce 590/570/550 Serial ATA Controller 5.10.2600.0692

Driver: nVidia nvatabus.sys/idecoi.dll/idecoiins.dll

Hardware Id:

PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_37F&SUBSYS_01E11028&Rev_A2 plus three others

nVidia nForce Raid Class Controller 5.10.2600.0692

Driver: nVidia nvraid.sys/nvraidco.dll/nvraiins.dll

Hardware Id:

ACPI\NVRAIDBUS / *NVRAIDBUS

3) The file information on the nVidia drivers I loaded with nLite tells me that they are version 5.10.2600.0691. However, I do not see either idecoiins.dll or nvraiins.dll in either directory, is this an issue?

4) I am still using 4 GB of RAM, I would prefer not to remove them if possible. Would this cause the type of behaviour I am experiencing?

Is is really possible that I would not be able to use my Dell OS disk to safely do a complete reinstall? By the way, if I am forced to implement a complete reinstall, I will not most likely not reactivate the RAID 0 array and I will use the disks as two separate sata disks, do you see any problems with this?

Many many thanks for all your help,

Regards,

[Fernando 1]

1) I tried using F8 to prevent the system reboot on failure but I do not get an error message and the system loops trying to restart windows.

You have to hit F8 while rebooting at the point where you get the system loops. Then you will get a message, because the reboots will stop.

2) I have started WinXp using the my IDE drive with the Sata Raid array active and I get the following information:

Thanks for the details.

So you have an MCP55 chipset mainboard and will be able to use a lot of different nForce chipset driverpacks.

If you want the latest and best nForce drivers for your mainboard, you may look into the start post of this thread. For your system I recommend to take either the "NF4-5 non-AHCI WHQL Driverpack" (most stable drivers) or the "Special WHQL Performance Pack for XP" (stable with best performance).

If you are going to reinstall Windows XP onto your nForce RAID array, you should only integrate the SATARAID and not the SATA_IDE driver folder.

3) The file information on the nVidia drivers I loaded with nLite tells me that they are version 5.10.2600.0691. However, I do not see either idecoiins.dll or nvraiins.dll in either directory, is this an issue?

No, these are intern co-installer files, which are used by the OS. The original files are named IDECOI.DLL and NVRAIDCO.DLL.

4) I am still using 4 GB of RAM, I would prefer not to remove them if possible. Would this cause the type of behaviour I am experiencing?

Yes, it is possible, that something is written into your memory, but outside the 3 GB, which can be read by 32bit Operating Systems. The problem only can occur during the OS installation itself. Once the OS is up and running, 4 GB or even more is no problem for the 32bit OS (it cannot use the full memory size, but it has no negative impact on the system stability).

Is is really possible that I would not be able to use my Dell OS disk to safely do a complete reinstall?

I don't know. Usually this should work, but I do not recommend to do it, because the drivers of the Dell OS CD most likely are outdated and not the best for your system.

By the way, if I am forced to implement a complete reinstall, I will not most likely not reactivate the RAID 0 array and I will use the disks as two separate sata disks, do you see any problems with this?

No, I don't see any problem with the OS installation, but you certainly will be disappointed about the performance of your system when running in IDE instead of RAID mode.

[kurmud]

i can't find out what mcp is for the nvidia 650i sli motherboards, i see it as the 430 mcp, but what does that mean? I'm trying to figure out if it has a mcp## format and if so, what it is.? =O

issue-

So basically xp32 pro is trying to be installed from scratch, SS-ed the nvidia drivers (10.3.0.46) pictured below** , onto a sp2 disc, because previously without any SS the drive was not detected. Now the drive seemingly detected, the installation proceeded; afterward on reboot after the gui setup there is a BSOD error screen which flashes by too quickly to catch an error code (restarts). The configuration is just a single Sata drive, so no raid. Afterwards, it was found out from the dell website (computer is an xps 630i) some other driver listed under 'mediashield' that seem related. Do you think this could be the problem? that the other driver (first one shown below) should be integrated instead?

any assistance is appreciated, thanks

**(not all of the drivers pictured were slipstreamed, just the last one, the picture is to demonstrate the differences between the drivers)

Edited July 30, 2009 by kurmud