Odd situation with ICH9R

Judas · Nov 17, 2007, 01:51 AM

Ok only ran into the "vista cannot install to this partition because it doesn't meet the criteria" issues once before with a SATA DVD-RW i was installing from... and simply using a IDE drive resolved the issue.... i wasn't able to figure out why it occured though in the first place....

however now i've got a pretty hefty issue.

I've right now, got 3 320gb SATAII seagate 7200.10's connected to the Gigabyte GA-x38-DQ6 intel controller, and using a SATA optical drive attached to the Jmicron (gigabyte) sata controller... (8 sata ports in total, 6 are intel ich9r and the other 2 are jmicron....)

I'm really at a loss as it appears as though if i set the intel ich9r to anything other then IDE mode, it doesn't show up as a bootable option in the bios.... and i've also tried disabling the jmicron controller as well... I think this is why vista refuses to install to the ich9r in raid... because it's already detecting it as non bootable.... I'm completely baffled but i haven't had much time to REALLY sit down and fiddle a whole lot...

I mean the jmicron controller is setup in ACHI mode (pure sata) yet boots from it, and then emediately requests the jmicron driver to continue reading from the cd rom drive (which is no problem as i load the driver from disc.. and volla)...

I've tried the latest gigabyte supplied ich9r driver, the official intel driver.... i'm really haveing a hard time figuring this out... as we speak, i gave up and set to IDE mode and loaded vista JUST so i could sit at home (finally at home) and get on the net and do something.

Anyone have any ideas?

I've tried booting from a USB optical drive to completely eliminate any issues with the controllers.... no go...

PangingJr · Nov 17, 2007, 02:43 AM

hmm, i've been using ICH9R for some times i can't think of anything odd about it.
it could be an odd situation with your motherboard's BIOS or how you set it up.

have you tried using an IDE DVD drive first and then replace it with a SATA one after Vista is installed?

setup your BIOS for using SATA RAID mode, and also enable the Onboard SATA/IDE Device (GIGABYTE/JMicron SATA2 Chip) and set it to IDE mode.
save your setting and then on next system boots enter the Intel RAID BIOS and utility and config your RAID array, once you are done, exit the utility, then you should see the BIOS attempts to boot a disk drive,
Control-Alt-Delete keys to restart the system and enter your BIOS and go to the Advanced BIOS Features/Hard Disk Boot Priority and to see if the RAID drive exists, and for you to select it as your first boot disk drive and drive controller...
then select the RAID drive as your first BIOS boot disk... and (also see below) set BIOS from booting the CD/DVD first and save/exit BIOS setup, and then install your Windows on the next system boots.

Gigabyte usually uses F12 key to enter a boot menu at the POST, you can use it to set your CD/DVD drive as the first boot device without having to enter the main BIOS setup.

Judas · Nov 17, 2007, 04:29 AM

Tried that.... .... but i'm going to try something different..... atm.. i'm tired... and it's late.... i may give things a go tomorrow....

PangingJr · Nov 17, 2007, 04:50 AM

a dud board then.
but don't just take my words for it yet, send the board to me, i will check it out for you.

PangingJr · Nov 17, 2007, 06:59 AM

unless the release BIOS on your motherboard is so buggy, which i can't hardly believe it's the case.

even though, upgrade the motherboard's BIOS is a must for this new motherboard,
but what i told you earlier should work right out the box for this motherboard, and no need any update BIOS in order to make that work.

Judas · Nov 17, 2007, 04:31 PM

I'll play with it..

i mean as we speak.. i'm just using the ich9r controller in non raid... enchanced ide mode for the time being...... windows had zero complaints installing straight away in this mode which i would have expected..

i've been running through a few things.... i've only had one oddity..... a completely hard lock in windows vista x64 ultimate shortly after i booted up and fired up the wireless internet and window media player + playing through digital audio... the sound actually started skipping in a manner i hadn't heard for a few years now.....

hasn't done it again since.... but that may be just some bugs i'm still playing with settings in the bios.

PangingJR, i'll get back to you when i get more settled into this board.... i don't think it's a dud... it may be just my own stupidity right now.

Necrosis · Nov 17, 2007, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PangingJr

a dud board then.
but don't just take my words for it yet, send the board to me, i will check it out for you.

Panging can I send you my board instead?

PangingJr · Nov 18, 2007, 02:11 AM

Necrosis,
seriously, what's wrong with your maximus SE, RAID?
and overall, how do you like your new board? and when comparing to your old P5W DH Deluxe what you like best about this new board?

---------------------------------

Judas,
update me when you find anything about the problem.
Gigabyte designs the Intel chipset and Intel ICHxR based motherboards that uses 2 storage controllers and have BIOS programmed in it in this similar fashion for quite sometime now,
and before releasing the X38-DQ6 they should not miss it.

Judas · Nov 18, 2007, 02:57 AM

yeah i'll let you know asap pangingjr.... at the time i just got a bit fed up and wanted my internet fix.. lol

PangingJr · Nov 18, 2007, 04:31 AM

what's wrong with your internet..?

about the last problem, are you sure you didn't miss anything?
well, obviously, that you can use the Intel RAID Option ROM, after you've already set BIOS for using SATA RAID mode, then with the Ctrl+I keys and that you be able to configure your RAID array,
but if your RAID array or volumes, after you have configured it, won't get detected by the BIOS, then this is not a small problem. i suggest you check with Gigabyte support about this.

and if you think the BIOS problem like that can be waited out, well, i think differently, i think the RAID function that embedded on the chipset and the platform BIOS should be first to check it out.

after that if you don't want to reinstall Windows again, it's a bit complicated, but i think it can be done. if you like to try, you can turn your existing Windows install to a RAID ready install, and then after that, you can use the Windows image to install on RAID volume. it's required that you have a disk/partition imaging software and a spare disk drive with a lot of free space.

Judas · Nov 18, 2007, 02:23 PM

PangingJR, my plan is to sort out the issue first..

I'm going to flash to the latest available bios on thier website... it's "beta" bios.. but actually 2/3rds of the bioses are beta...

Then i'm going to use 2 sata drives, setup in raid 0 ... leave the 3rd that is already got a windows setup working on it.... unplugged...

I'll report back.. i'll be starting this proceedure here soon...

Judas · Nov 18, 2007, 02:25 PM

OH,
btw nothings wrong with my internet..

i was just refering to getting a "fix" for my internet addiction

sorry for the use of the word...

PangingJr · Nov 18, 2007, 04:02 PM

just a reminder. if the BIOS that comes with your board is the first release version, then don't reflash with BIOS file that has its version too far apart if you gonna use the BIOS built-in Q-Flash utility to reflash your BIOS.
otherwise, for the first reflash use the DOS BIOS flash utility that come with the new BIOS file.

Judas · Nov 18, 2007, 07:17 PM

ok

typing this out on a laptop since i've been messing with my main machine for nearly 4 hours...

i've tried everything and now things have gotten worse....

i can't even begin to install windows

it's showing up in the bios as a scsi bootable hardrive.... great.... that's perfect...

i've made sure it's set as the only bootable device.....

still getting the bios issue.. and if i select icha mode..... i get the doesn't meet criteria and if i select IDE mode now, i get "windows is unable to recognize the volume"

used diskpart via the F10 shift key combo.... manually setup a partition, manually formated it, manually set it as a bootable Drive C: ..... windows still refuses to install to it due to criteria or whatever other errors i was getting...

I've tried disabling and unplugging everything.... i've tried to load up a single drive, 2 drives, 3 drives in any combination, i've even gone as far as to replace the damn sata cables..

one thing that strikes me as ood though is that in icha mode, the sata controller while loading up the drives, shows a single line stating

icha bios installed

in raid mode i get

icha bios not installed

and like i had stated, i can't even get ide mode to work anymore...

i'm wondering if i should disable NATIVE SATA mode .... i shouldn't have to though...

btw, all USB devices are unplugged and only a single flash drive is plugged in to load the drivers off it ... and as soon as that's done.... i remove it again

Judas · Nov 18, 2007, 07:22 PM

OMFG

just for shits and giggles again before i was going to move the drives directly onto the gigabyte sata controller....

i unhooked the sata optical drive from the gigabyte controller... for the 50th time, restarted booted from the usb hd360 hd-dvd drive..... and.....

got to the part where i could select a drive, they didn't have an error message...

i emediately plugged my usb flash drive in to load the latest intel raid driver and while loading the driver, it gave me the volume installation unsuitable message again... thinking wtf

i restarted... didn't plug any usb drive in at all this time.... went straight into the drive selection, picked the first drive, hit enter, and it's now installing..

holy hell .... i just spent nearly 5 hours getting this sucker to do at least SOMETHING...

guess i'll email gigabyte and ask why the hell this happened.... now the question.... would this work a 3rd time if i interupted the process right now...

still waiting for the expanding files to change from 0% to something else... shouldn't take this long

PangingJr · Nov 19, 2007, 02:10 AM

while building your computer, don't drink, don't feel frustrated or angry, otherwise, you could damage your hardware.

that is something not right. i don't get it, i don't know how you do things and what you have tried to do so far.

anyway, if what you are doing does not work, and if you are willing to try something different, and to follow my instructions by the letter, then i would write some steps... and get on your msn.
i hope you understand i can't keep starting over and over and work with you i don't want to waste my time if i don't have to.

Judas · Nov 19, 2007, 02:42 AM

Don't worry about it panging.... i'm still fumbling my way through this boards weird quirks.. specially when i try and install the auto update intel utility.... emediately upon installing my usb drivers, before it completes.. i completely lose my monitor.. just goes black.. and nothing i do bring it out enless i force restart... and when it reboots.. i'm running at a resolution that's no where near useable (320x240 or something)

And i just found a reproduceable issue where if i try and go to ImageShack® - Hosting and upload any form of image, it emediately hardlocks the system.... how completely ODD is that?

PangingJr · Nov 19, 2007, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

And i just found a reproduceable issue where if i try and go to ImageShack® - Hosting and upload any form of image, it emediately hardlocks the system.... how completely ODD is that?

for that, it's your browser's and/or software system fault, not hardware.

PangingJr · Nov 19, 2007, 06:12 AM

i just have a friend who's called a computer hardware store for me and talked to a few guys who setups your board with RAID and Windows Vista many times, and just like i expected, they says your board is easy to setup.

i have a feeling it's a bad board you have there, i would see if i can have another one to try it.
otherwise, there must be something that you get used to it, and you keep on doing it, the way you install software, setup BIOS, partition your drives or whatever.

Judas · Nov 19, 2007, 01:56 PM

I may do a fresh install with the Gigabyte sata set to IDE mode again.... and see if it recognizes..

The thing that pissed me off is that the fact that there is NO ICH9R drivers on the gigabyte cd provided.... aside from having to MAKE a floppy, but that should have never had to happen at this point loading vista.. and having no floppy drives anymore... The GSATA controller has the drivers right there ready to load...

a well, intel is kinda stupid in the same terms as you have to get a computer with a floppy drive to create a ich9r driver disk, then transfer the data from the floppy to a usb drive or cd in it's raw form. (they should just have a self extracting zip that defaults to A: but is changeable to any other locaiton)

I'm going to do alot of playing with the system within the next week or so...

If i keep running into the same situation, it HAS to be a dud board of sorts.

There is no reason the board should be giving problems setting up vista with a USB flash drive inserted....

PangingJr · Nov 19, 2007, 02:45 PM

stupid intel stupid floppy stupid board stupid vista, okay Judas.

Judas · Nov 19, 2007, 04:16 PM

Sorry panging, just getting a bit frustrated is all, one minute you figure you've solved the problem, and another pops up.

i'm sure you've ran into the occasional same thing.

right now, i've just finished installing windows vista x64 utlimate for hopefully the last time in at least a little while. everything is going smoothly, ever install i've done so far has been slightly different so that i could figure out the best way to go about it.

this time i didn't load the ich9r driver at the intial install..... let vista use it's own, i'll install the matrix manager after i apply all the windows updates first

then i'll install the latest catalyst driver

then the intel infauto chipset drivers

then the realtek alc889a driver

then my wireless lan driver

then i'll cross my fingers when i try and do some of the things i was able to consistantly cause the computer to freeze up. the last 2 installs, if i uploaded anything in any significant amount, it would freeze, upload a small jpeg, do a speedtest and when it got to the upload part, freeze....

i'm crossing my fingers as i've yet to see any weird "oddity" so far.

so anyone with a gigabyte board like this, if at first you run into issues using the gsata, set it to ide mode... lol

if i end up with a weird problem with freezing on upload... i'll go grab a different wireless pci adapter.... maybe my problems are specific to the adapter itself.. it's the only logical conclusion as well... it would make sense it's the culprit for this one.

once again panging, thanks for your patients.... sorry for being a confusing little bastard at times....

PangingJr · Nov 19, 2007, 05:12 PM

reread your earlier post Judas, i was not mad at you, but that leaves me not much to say.

here is what it's like, some of the problems are not really a problem, things that pissed you off is nothing, i mean to me it's like nothing really. there is not much to be frustrated about here and you don't want to frustrate yourself more than necessary either.

anyways, i will be pleased to know if you could update me on any serious problem.

Judas · Nov 20, 2007, 02:01 AM

Well to update you one the current situation.

after following through on what i had posted about my process of installation.... i've completely curred my issues.

My guess is that durring the Intel INF Update utility install, where i would lose my video signal, is where all my problems were orgininating from...

So by installing the ati catalyst drivers, emediately setting the resolution to 640x480 before proceeding to the intel auto update utility, the process