Error wile installing drivers for Raid Biostar MB.

I had the exact same problem two nights ago, format the floppy disk and extract the files to it again, if nogo, get another floppy disk.
good luck
jeff

Yes I have tried several floppys brand new ones too!!!

Go to Windows control panel, performance and maintenance, system, device manager
See if there are any hardware items which are not functioning. If there are, delete them and reboot your system.
Then try to reload the drivers and see if it works. If no, you might try to run a chkdsk on your HD because your pulling a path on that error message.

It is inpossible to go to windows control panel when the o/s has not been installed yet.
I am installing xp on this pc but I have to install the raid drivers before I can instal the o/s on the pc??

As I understand it these have to be installed by pressing F6 and S before the o/s is installed  and the HD's partitiond??

Before you start any Raid configuration, you must have an OS installed. Then you can set up your mirror, as I suppose you wish to do, as opposed to a striping. Load your operating system first. If this is a SATA connection, make sure it is enabled in the BIOS as a boot device. After your system is loaded, then try to connect your second drive and load the bios drivers. Then upon booting the system you should be given the option of building your raid and which type of raid.

jules, try downloading the driver files again and extracting them to a disk....I did run into this same problem with my asus a7n8x-e motherboard just 3 days ago.  I was pretty puzzled, but just formatted my floppy disk and extracted the files to it again and it worked.  I'm not sure what the deal was.

One big problem with both your suggestions is that A, I was asked to have striping so  would therefor have to do this before the o/s is loaded??( please advise if this is not true).
B, The download from the Boistar is far too big to extract to a floppy. The download is one big set up wizzard and I have to find the files  in it.
As you can see I not familure with this type of set up and would apreciate all the help I can get.

Why do you want a striping raid. This is for speed not security. Yes if you want striping you may want to start the raid off this way. Very simply put striping means you have 2 disks-- half the data is written to one disk and half to the other. If one disk crashes, there is no fault tolerance which means you have half your data. ( JOHN is saved as JO to one disk and HN to the second disk. Disk one dies you have only HN not JOHN) trying to make it simple!
In a mirror array, the write time is a bit increased, but you have a duplicate of a disk. So, if one disk goes down, you have the other you can swap.
I don't know what your needs are, but for simple home office I would definitely choose a mirror. (There are a few drawbacks, but it still a security measure.)
Large firms can benefit from a striped array because they use multiple disks and it saves writing and reading time.
Hope i gave you some useful info.

Thank you for that reply. Yes the person who owns the pc is wanting striped for speed he is going to use it for his job, that is the info he sort of told me but in much less detail. I just have this problem with the drivers not installing.
If I could just get  the drivers to go in I would be so happy. I have been on this problem for days now and I am loosing it a bit.
Please advise more if you can.

Let me ask one question is this to be used with a sata raid. If so, Win xp has does not have sata drivers in it. You must load the drivers for your drives just as you would a SCSI device. I think that is why you are getting that error referring to boot. simply, you must load sata drivers and raid drivers on the f6 command.

Yes it is. Can you tell me please how to load the SATA drivers please, where would I find them as I only have the download from the Biostar website.

Yep the HD's are, WD Raptor 74gb x2.
I think the gentleman who owns the pc configured the BIOS himself as he was telling me of his troubles with the pc but I will be looking again at it now and will get back to you shortly thanks.

Ok i'm back again....

Now I have looked at his set up and here is what I found...
In the Raid Set up it is set like this...

Serial_Cho    Master      WDC    Array 0  SATA    69.2 G  Striped.

Serial_Cho    Master      WDC    Array 0  SATA    69.2 G  Striped.

And the basic BIOS set up is...

IDE Primary Master  None
IDE Primary Slave  None
IDE Secondary Master Soney CD_RW
IDe Secondary Slave   None

Drive A     1.44M
Drive B    None

Can you advise if that is correct  Please
I am sorry if I look foolish but this is my first time with a Raid array and I would hate not to get this right.

OK... looks good basically, you have western digital drives with an array of 0 which is a striped array, no IDE ata drives on the 40 pin first slot and a cd drive on the second ide slot. There is a recognition BIOS wise. When you boot up this machine with no disks or CD what happens? What message.

So, the bios shows these 2 drives set up as a striped array already? Was anything on these drives before? Did he have an OS and data on these drives or are they brand new and have they been formatted? If so, which OS and what is it he wants you to do?

Ok this is the story so far ....
Yes the HD's are new.

I got past the first error screen after changing the  one of the exe files on the floppy for a new version and I got as far as partitioning the drives..unfortunatly the owner wants and I did partition C to F with aprox 10 GB on each but then it went to NTFS and formated them. It then went to a new screen saying ...
Set up did not find any disc drives installed on your computer and the usual stuff that goes with it.

I re-booted and I got another screen saying...
Windows could not start because of a computer disc haedwer config problem. Could not read from the selected boot disc. Check boot path and disc hardwear. Please check documentation.

When I boot with no disc in drive it says.... verifying pool data boot from cd:
There is no previous data on the drives as far as I know and I am installing XP o/s.
He wants me to install the o/s on the pc with a striped array.

I am now pulling my hair out and bashing my head on the table.. Please please give me some more advise.

When you boot from xp cd, on a cold boot, it should come up and start to run through normal routine. When asked if you wish to load 3rd part drivers, press F6 and place in floppy and press S. This should load drivers and bring you back to screen asking what kind of formatting for drive. Take one screen at a time and work through them . This should work. Dont boot with floppy in drive. You may have to change bios setting to boot from cd first, otherwise it will look at hard disks and there may be an mbr on them by now.
If you want to check out your discs for errors and reformat them, go to WD website - wdc.com - and download some of their tools.
Hope this helps

Ok ile have a go at that, but i'm shure that is what I have just done .

I have partitioned the drives to C through to F just like you said and I still get ....
Windows could not start because of a computer disc haedwer config problem. Could not read from the selected boot disc. Check boot path and disc hardwear. Please check documentation.

I have tried the Diagnostic Utilities from wdc.com but the floppy would not boot. Even after changing the bios to boot to it first.
Have i missed something in the BIOS???
Is the raid array setup right ???
How come the hd's are partitioned nad formated to NTFS but can not bee seen??

You have helped me so much I should not ask for more help but please if you have anymore info for me could you please advise.

I have found my WD diagnostic utilities disc that came with my HD. I ran it and it said the HD's were ok so I removed the partitions nd started all over again...looking good at the moment.
Il'e report back in the morning as it is past midnight here now.

Ok..good luck. If there is not success, I would tell you to try this avenue. When you boot, the first screen is usually the raid utility screen which asks you to press ctrl and whatever to enter the raid build.If you have such a screen then do the following:

1. Remove the drive on the second port -- you may have to turn off raid but not sata drive in the bios. Make sure the drive is recognized.
2. Boot up and try to load xp on the one volume
3. If it succeeds, you can always go into disk management as an administrator, partition drive the way you like --Partition Magic would be great for this.
4. Connect second drive and partition it the same way and asign drive letters
5. Reboot and enter raid utility and define your performance array

At any rate, I have my fingers crossed for you. Good Luck

Right I started a gain with partitioning the drive and formattting it formatted ok and then gave me the same response..
I re-booted and I got another screen saying...
Windows could not start because of a computer disc hardwer config problem. Could not read from the selected boot disc. Check boot path and disc hardwear. Please check documentation!!!!

I am sick of the sight of this thing now.

I can not understand why it can not see the hardwear!!!
At one point I hought i had it sussed, but now i'm just gutted.

The only suggestion is to try what I said above using one disk and loading the OS on it. When this is done, shut dow computer add second drive and try to establish raid using the utility which comes up at boot.
It may be giving you this error because xp is not recognizing the multiple drive volumes. without an os installed.

I managed to get the O/S on the first partition with the system as it was. but now I can not get it to boot to it.
I have tried all the diffrent ways to biit in Bios but it still wont.

Just a case of real bad luck I think.

Thank you for your help, you did get me through my first question by telling me to use the files off the disc sent with the MB. I will accept that as the answer. And post a new question to get me through the next bit.

Thank you again for all your help.

Just to let you know i finally done it all set up all formatted and drivers installed.
 Again thank you.