RAID setup will detect SATA drives.
Hello all,
I have a computer here which we are trying to install a RAID 1. We purchased a RAID controller (hardware) which is 2 port SATA controller, ( the motherboard doesn't have SATA built on) it is simply a PCI card. We also got two new 100GB maxtor SATA drives. These drives are brand new, nothing on them. We tried following the instructions, which simply said start the computer and boot into the BIOS, as the BIOS is loading it will promt you to press F4 or Ctrl + s. (which it does promt you). So we press those and nothing happeneds. Just loads into the BIOS. So i go throuhg the BIOS and make sure that BIOS can see the HDD, which it does. So we've tried that over and over again, still nothing. So we try to place the Windows Server 2003 CD in and let the setup run. Thinking when it promts to press F6 to set up scsi or RAID, we would. So when we get promted to we press it and again nothing happeneds. So we tried that over and over again. The F2 option works, (Recovery) so we know the Keyboard is good. ( we also swithced that too, trying anything at this point) I've booted up using UBCD and using one the utilities to make one of the drives active. Which i thought would help, but we still cannot get this thing up and running. Please help out if you can, desperatly need assistance.
I have a computer here which we are trying to install a RAID 1. We purchased a RAID controller (hardware) which is 2 port SATA controller, ( the motherboard doesn't have SATA built on) it is simply a PCI card. We also got two new 100GB maxtor SATA drives. These drives are brand new, nothing on them. We tried following the instructions, which simply said start the computer and boot into the BIOS, as the BIOS is loading it will promt you to press F4 or Ctrl + s. (which it does promt you). So we press those and nothing happeneds. Just loads into the BIOS. So i go throuhg the BIOS and make sure that BIOS can see the HDD, which it does. So we've tried that over and over again, still nothing. So we try to place the Windows Server 2003 CD in and let the setup run. Thinking when it promts to press F6 to set up scsi or RAID, we would. So when we get promted to we press it and again nothing happeneds. So we tried that over and over again. The F2 option works, (Recovery) so we know the Keyboard is good. ( we also swithced that too, trying anything at this point) I've booted up using UBCD and using one the utilities to make one of the drives active. Which i thought would help, but we still cannot get this thing up and running. Please help out if you can, desperatly need assistance.
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ASKER
2 Things the computer is a no name was supposed to be used as an emergency back up server. The RAID Contoller didn't come with a floppy disk. But it did come with CD. Secondly, we cannot get into the contoller's firmware, when it asks us to press F4 or Ctrl + S it does absolutly nothing. just continues loading into the BIOS. But its recongizes the drives because it says the name and size of the two drives. and to press F4 or Ctrl +S to configure RAID, and when we do, nothing happeneds...
If you have connected the disks to the raid controller you shouldn't see them in the BIOS, but rather in the controller's "BIOS". If you see the disks you are probably already in the controller's BIOS. You then need to search around in there to check on how to set it up (Maybe you also need to check the controller's manual, which might be on the CD). The drivers should also be on that CD and it should be possible to create a floppy with the drivers from there. If it is actually in the PC's BIOS where you see the disks, you haven't connected them to the raid controller...
ASKER
Well it certaintly is connected to the controller considering the Motherboard has no SATA slots. It is definitly picking up with drives, in the PC's BIOS, but i will try to extract the manual on the cd and if there is a drive i can put on disk.
Do you have more info on the controller's make and model no.?
ASKER
Sabrent Silicon Image Serial ATA 2-Port SATA RAID PCI Controller Host Card Adapter
that is the card we have...
that is the card we have...
I can't find any online manual for that card, so you'll have to check the CD.
ASKER
OK we have changed our RAID Controller to an IDE 2 port RAID Controller...this one lets us create the RAID through the controllers BIOS....Once the windows installation starts it says that there were no harddrives detected and its says press F3 to exit. I've tried to press F6 during the windows startup when its asks is we need to install SCSI or RAID drivers..but it does nothing and continues.....Im starting to think Hardware RAID is worse that software RAID now......is there something I am doing wrong or is there a specific Controller i should i using? Im up to anything at this point....
You have probably not pressed f6 at the correct time if it just goes on, or the keyboard's function keys aren't active yet. If you can find no chance of using the driver floppy, you could prepare an installation CD on another PC where you can include those drivers on the CD. A very good utility to help you make such an unattended installation CD is nlite. This also has the advantage that you can force windows to install itself with non standard paths, like you can tell it to put the program files folder on another partition, or also the documents and settings folder can be put on another partition.
http://www.nliteos.com/
http://www.nliteos.com/
What kinda of hardware is it. IBM, HP, Dell or else.... brand model.....
Cooledit