SCSI or Fasttrak66

[slkh 0]

Seems like I am having a problem with Fasttrak66. I have an onboard SCSI and a Fasttrak66 IDERAID card.

 

It does not have the Fasttrak66 BIOS bootup screen at all when I enable onboard SCSI. But the Fasttrak66 BIOS screen does appear if I disable SCSI onboard.

 

How can I have both of them? Coz I don't want to sacrify either of them.

 

Another problem is that, I don't seems to be able to install Fasttrak66 driver on Windows 2000. It detect as Ultra66, which it isn't. I try to point Windows 2000 to the driver which I got from promise website, but my Windows 2000 refuse to boot up now unless I pull the Fasttrak66 out of the slot. Uninstall the Fasttrak66 from Windows doesn't work for me.

[EM 0]

Having both of them can be nearly impossible. I have both SCSI and Fasttrak and have found that the Fasttrak MUST be loaded first in the bootup sequence. What I mean is that the Fasttrak BIOS needs to load before the SCSI BIOS. Since the Fasttrak is seen as a SCSI device even though it isn't, the BIOS of the computer boots from whichever SCSI device it sees first.

 

As to the Ultra66 drivers loaded:

www.promise.com/techsupport/Notes/windows_2000_rc2_installation_FT66.htm

 

Ed

[slkh 0]

> Having both of them can be nearly

> impossible. I have both SCSI and Fasttrak

> and have found that the Fasttrak MUST be

> loaded first in the bootup sequence. What I

> mean is that the Fasttrak BIOS needs to

> load before the SCSI BIOS. Since the

> Fasttrak is seen as a SCSI device even

> though it isn't, the BIOS of the computer

> boots from whichever SCSI device it sees

> first.

 

Err.. How do you do that?

I am still searching through the manual, haven't found any relevant page on it.

 

> As to the Ultra66 drivers loaded: www.promise.com/techsupport/Notes/windows_2000_rc2_installation_FT66.htm

 

Will try it when my new drive comes in. Thanks for your link

[r0cko 0]

I dont have a 66DMA controller but i do have SCSI. I think the BIOS only needs to be enabled on the controler that is connected to the boot drive. All the BIOS does is take over for your motherboard BIOS so it cant read your MBR to boot your OS. maybe im wrong or your looking for something else

[EM 0]

Page 3-3 in my Fasttrak66 Manual says:

 

"The FastTrak66 is bootable with a SCSI controller in the system. The adapter with the lower BIOS address will be bootable. If it is necessary to change the boot sequence, swap the FastTrakk66 PCI slot position with that of the SCSI card's PCI slot."

 

In your case of having an onboard SCSI controller you may not be able to change the boot order. The suggestion above to disable the Boot part of the SCSI bios may be a solution but other than tha I don't know.

 

I have tried my Fasttrak with a Tekram 390F that I am currently using and also with an Adaptec 1520b ISA. I am not able to boot from SCSI (meaning the Fasttrak) with the Adaptec controller installed because the system BIOS finds the ISA based controller before the PCI based Fasttrak and therefore insists that there is no bootable device found. I had to purchase a PCI based SCSI controller to get around that problem.

 

Ed

[slkh 0]

Thanks EM for your suggestion.

 

Instead, I found something equalvalent in my BIOS. It allows me to change the sequence of my PCI slot (default: PCI slot 1 from the left, I can switch it to PCI slot 1 from the right).

 

Seems like the Onboard SCSI is actually a PCI on the first PCI slot (virtual). The actual first PCI slot is considered as PCI Slot 2.

 

I reverse all the sequence that's mean I put Onboard SCSI to the last. And it works.

 

But came back with another problem

I hook two of my drive to the Fasttrak. Formatted it, there was nothing wrong. But when installing Windows 2000, it just hang half way, then restart again, it says Unable to access boot device in the Blue Screen. I use scandisk to scan my drive, it can't even scan.. Stuck at 44%. I delete the partition and do fdisk, but when checking the integrity at 5%, it hang. I undo the stripe and seperate them up. My newer drive seems to be free from any problem. But my older drive (Seagate Medalist Pro 7200 rpm), seems to have Not ready error reading... very funny. I thought they are not floppy. I switch the IDE channel, but still the same.. Slightly scared, so I hook back to the onboard IDE, and reformat it, but it is totally okay.

 

I wonder if there is anything to do with too many of drive controller? Or the drive is a bit old? One funny thing I found is that Fasttrak report it is running at U2. If I am not mistaken, my Seagate Medalist Pro don't have this function yet.. But cannot find anyplace to switch back to UDMA 33. Anything to do with this?

 

Note: I need to know what is the cause of this problem because three of my Quantum Fireball LM is coming in on Wednesday. If it has to do with too many controller onboard, I would cancel the order while I still can. If it was the drive, then I can still keep the order.

[slkh 0]

Rocko,

 

Thanks for your suggestion. It wasn't what I am looking for, but indeed your suggestion has helped me in finding the key in the BIOS.

 

Thanks

[EM 0]

No ideas right off as to why the trouble with your two existing drives. If I read your message correctly the drives are not identical. Promise recommends identical drives. My drives are identical and I have not had any trouble with them. There is a setting in the Fasttrak BIOS that sets the DMA burst rate. Default is Auto. Turbo forces the fastest rate and the manual says to use the Fast setting for reliable opeeration. Hope this helps.

 

Ed

[slkh 0]

EM,

 

They are indeed a different drive with different capacity. I have ordered two more drive for the stripe raid, hopefully will arrive on Wednesday. Although the older one is about 1.8 Gb smaller than the new one that is coming in.

 

If I am not mistaken Promise also said that the stripe capacity is the smallest drive x the number of hardrive you have.