*** Official ASUS P5W DH Thread ***

[phile]

Originally posted by: Butterbean
I have computer running on this mobo using one SATA drive that was set up using EIDE in bios (Media Center Edition OS). Is there any advantage to re installing with the HD configured for AHCI if there will be no RAID?

On original install I pressed F6 for 2 days with no effect. It turned out the new floppy drive wasn't working (it is now). I finally said "screw it" and set it up as EIDE and the OS went in fine.

Concerning the eSATA port on the board. Does the BIOS need to be AHCI for that to work? I read that AHCI enabled "portability" and wasn't quite sure what that meant.

Are the drivers on the ASUS CD still the ones to use after F6 prompt? It's a bit confusing as new SATA person to know what to install because many people refer to "SATA" drivers when ASUS disk refers only to RAID drivers on its disk - namely the ICH7R and the JMicron. Do both of these need to be installed at F6 prompt? I understand thats a pretty basic question but the abundance of information concerning this step is considerable. Some say "disable" the Micron..don't use ASUS disk go right to Intel etc etc.

Thanks for any info. I'll leap ahead into things anyway since it looks like this thread is getting quieter (which may be a good sign lol)

Ok, here's how this board works SATA drives.

As you are likely aware, there are two SATA controllers on this board: the native ICH7R SATA controller and the JMicron SATA controller. No driver is required for either if you're running SATA in the default Standard IDE mode. However, if you want certain SATA features like hot-plugging and NCQ to work, you need to run SATA drives in AHCI mode.

In order to run the drives in AHCI mode on the ICH7R controller, you need to preload the Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver (makedisk application for the latest version can be found on Intel's site). This disk will contain drivers for both the ICH8R and ICH7R chipsets, so take your time and select the proper driver. It will be the SATA, AHCI for ICH7R (desktop).

As for the e-SATA port, that is managed by the JMicron controller. You will definitely need to set the JMicron controller to run SATA drives in AHCI mode, since e-SATA without hot-plugging is rather impractical. I haven't tried this, myself, but you could probably achieve this by going into the BIOS and configuring the JMicron controller accordingly, and then loading the JMicron drivers within Windows.

All of the above is based on the assumption that your BOOT drive is connected to SATA1, on the ICH7R controller.

Hopefully, this fully addresses your issue.

-phil

 

[Whirlwind]

I was thinking about using the EZ Raid set up for raid 0 {striping}

I am wondering what exactly i have to do to get this to work.

Do i just plug 2 identical hard drives in the ez raid ports and it will work, or do i have to do anything else?

Also , I only want to do this if it will be benificial in my games.....will i notice very much difference in my loading times and so forth?

I guess I am asking what will be the benefits in gaming if I do this?

Any help will be much appreciated.

 

[Butterbean]

phile wrote:

"Ok, here's how this board works SATA drives.

As you are likely aware, there are two SATA controllers on this board: the native ICH7R SATA controller and the JMicron SATA controller. No driver is required for either if you're running SATA in the default Standard IDE mode. However, if you want certain SATA features like hot-plugging and NCQ to work, you need to run SATA drives in AHCI mode.

In order to run the drives in AHCI mode on the ICH7R controller, you need to preload the Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver (makedisk application for the latest version can be found on Intel's site). This disk will contain drivers for both the ICH8R and ICH7R chipsets, so take your time and select the proper driver. It will be the SATA, AHCI for ICH7R (desktop).

As for the e-SATA port, that is managed by the JMicron controller. You will definitely need to set the JMicron controller to run SATA drives in AHCI mode, since e-SATA without hot-plugging is rather impractical. I haven't tried this, myself, but you could probably achieve this by going into the BIOS and configuring the JMicron controller accordingly, and then loading the JMicron drivers within Windows.

All of the above is based on the assumption that your BOOT drive is connected to SATA1, on the ICH7R controller.

Hopefully, this fully addresses your issue. "

-phil


Thanks phile,

I was able to make a floppy and get driver options to show during F6 install. However, the only drivers listed were for the ICH8R. I went to Intel site and and made floppy after following links for my chipset and OS (Windows Media Center 05). At this point I looked up the AHCI advantages and being a single user who mostly uses digital camera (no games etc) won't be hot swapping I didn't see any advantages to AHCI so it was IDE for me. All went fine except M$ made me re-activate again. I was still glad to see the drivers show up even though they wouldn't work for me. But - having tried for 3 days in the past with no F6 drivers even showing up (turned out to be floppy driver issue) to at least see SOMETHING was a treat lol.

I take it I can run JMicron in AHCI even though HD is IDE?

Like Eddie Spaghetti above I too always get the engrish splash screen ( "Detect drive done, no any drive found".) and didn't know if it was a problem or not. Windows works ok now and for 5 weeks on a previous install so I chalked it up to something ideosyncratic such as no PATA or the Micron etc. I also have no hard drive section show up in the boot menu (in the boot sequence yes - but the manual shows a "Hard Disk Drives" section in the Boot menu and I just have a blank space there. Maybe because I only have one drive?

Just for giggles I did disable the JMicron once prior to OS install attempt and I just got an immediate error message (it was just a series of letters and "error") and system stopped dead. I havent tried disabling the JMicron since being able to boot but The ASUS user guide advises against disabling JMicron.

Thanks for help. I think I am one of only people who actually got this board for the remote, MP3 plug in etc (the "Digital Home" stuff!). I don't think I would notice the AHCI stuff but I will be ready for the next Vista install coming up. I expected to get in over my head and to cultivate "educational failures" and I have been suceeding lol.

 

[phile]

I was able to make a floppy and get driver options to show during F6 install. However, the only drivers listed were for the ICH8R. I went to Intel site and and made floppy after following links for my chipset and OS (Windows Media Center 05). At this point I looked up the AHCI advantages and being a single user who mostly uses digital camera (no games etc) won't be hot swapping I didn't see any advantages to AHCI so it was IDE for me. All went fine except M$ made me re-activate again. I was still glad to see the drivers show up even though they wouldn't work for me. But - having tried for 3 days in the past with no F6 drivers even showing up (turned out to be floppy driver issue) to at least see SOMETHING was a treat lol.

Yeah, you need to use the down-arrow to scroll down the list. There are more options than are shown.

I take it I can run JMicron in AHCI even though HD is IDE?

AHCI mode applies only to the SATA drives connected to the controller. If you're only going to be connecting an IDE drive, than don't bother configuring SATA to operate as AHCI. If you plan to use a SATA drive on the e-SATA port, than, yes, configure SATA to run in AHCI mode. That will require a driver.

Just for giggles I did disable the JMicron once prior to OS install attempt and I just got an immediate error message (it was just a series of letters and "error") and system stopped dead. I havent tried disabling the JMicron since being able to boot but The ASUS user guide advises against disabling JMicron.

The folks at ASUS can provide the dumbest advice. There is nothing wrong with disabling any component or controller you will not be using. I have had the JMicron controller disabled since day 1. That error you're getting is not likely caused by the JMicron controller.

Thanks for help. I think I am one of only people who actually got this board for the remote, MP3 plug in etc (the "Digital Home" stuff!). I don't think I would notice the AHCI stuff but I will be ready for the next Vista install coming up. I expected to get in over my head and to cultivate "educational failures" and I have been suceeding lol.

AHCI enables native SATA features, like: NCQ (native command queuing) and hot-plugging. NCQ can result in better performance when heavily multi-tasking, or in a multi-user environment. If you're mostly gaming, it won't make any difference, one way or the other.

-phil

 

[OzJim]

Whirlwind...I am using the EZ Raid system set up for raid 0. It works great, and loads games fast - I use it this way for oblivion & civilization IV. All you need to do to get it to work is set the jumper as outlined in the manual (it's default jumper setting is for raid 1). Then go into the BIOS and change the feature setting as outlined in the manual - then save and exit. Connect 2 identical sata drives to the orange ports, reboot. The drives then are recognised as a single drive.. format etc, and thats it. I have had no problems at all with this system.

I have a third ide drive on the JM Micron controller for backup - as you can easily loose the lot with raid 0 !!

Cheers, jim.

 

[Whirlwind]

OK thanks Jim.

Im think I will give it a go.

 

[imported_browsing]

I need some good RAM to go with this mobo, any deals out there?

 

[mikepaul]

Originally posted by: phileIn order to run the drives in AHCI mode on the ICH7R controller, you need to preload the Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver (makedisk application for the latest version can be found on Intel's site).

Is this preload stuff still valid with Vista? If I hit the lottery and can afford it, I plan on larger storage than I have now and details like this will be annoying to reverse after-the-fact...

 

[Eddie Spaghetti]

Originally posted by: phile

Originally posted by: Eddie Spaghetti
A few pages back I reported that suddenly there was no BIOS splash screen shown anymore, and that there was no way to get into BIOS. But everything else (XP) worked fine.

Things got worse After flashing to 1602 (from 1506), when booting, this message is shown:

JMicron PCIE - SATA II / IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.56a
Detect drive done, no any drive found.

(Not my english.)

There is nothing to get rid of it. I tried pressing all keys. Also booting with the support CD, or even with a XP install CD, makes no difference. I also disconnected/moved the HD, the soundcard, the DVD burner; no result.

Shall I sent the mobo back, or is there anything else I can try?

If you're not using the JMicron controller, disable it in the BIOS. Go to the Advanced page. It will be in one of the subsections.

-phil

Well, that's the problem: there is no BIOS splash screen, and pressing the delete-key doesn't do anything. Is there any other way to get into bios, or to disable the JMicron controller?

Btw, I managed to re-install XP! After pressing ctrl-alt -del many times, the message 'insert boot disc .. etc' appeared. Everything runs fine, but I still can't get into BIOS!

 

[Butterbean]

Thanks for reply phile. I didn't see any scroll but now I remmember posts from last Sept (when I first assembled) reminding people to scroll down. Truth be told after reading about SATA I was sure there was nothing to gain from AHCI in my case. Not that I wouldn't have liked to get in all correct during install, but I am sure I'll get in next time (soon). I'm happier to know my own dull moves create issues and not mobo wierdness.

I havent had time to investigate the "No Any Drives Found " thing but I did come across another thread about it I'll ad link too. I hope to play around this curiosity in next week or so.

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:mk...found%22+asus&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: mikepaul

Originally posted by: phileIn order to run the drives in AHCI mode on the ICH7R controller, you need to preload the Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver (makedisk application for the latest version can be found on Intel's site).

Is this preload stuff still valid with Vista? If I hit the lottery and can afford it, I plan on larger storage than I have now and details like this will be annoying to reverse after-the-fact...

Yes. It's the exact same procedure. However, make sure to grab the Vista Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver makedisk app, instead of the one for XP. It was posted last week.

I installed Vista Ultimate RTM (final) x86 2 weeks ago, using the above procedure, without a single issue. In fact, Vista final puts to rest all the fears I had about it being a pig, when I tested Betas 1 and 2. Vista final handles resources very well, and runs even better than XP, on my hardware.

-phil

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: Eddie Spaghetti

Originally posted by: phile

Originally posted by: Eddie Spaghetti
A few pages back I reported that suddenly there was no BIOS splash screen shown anymore, and that there was no way to get into BIOS. But everything else (XP) worked fine.

Things got worse After flashing to 1602 (from 1506), when booting, this message is shown:

JMicron PCIE - SATA II / IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.56a
Detect drive done, no any drive found.

(Not my english.)

There is nothing to get rid of it. I tried pressing all keys. Also booting with the support CD, or even with a XP install CD, makes no difference. I also disconnected/moved the HD, the soundcard, the DVD burner; no result.

Shall I sent the mobo back, or is there anything else I can try?

If you're not using the JMicron controller, disable it in the BIOS. Go to the Advanced page. It will be in one of the subsections.

-phil

Well, that's the problem: there is no BIOS splash screen, and pressing the delete-key doesn't do anything. Is there any other way to get into bios, or to disable the JMicron controller?

Btw, I managed to re-install XP! After pressing ctrl-alt -del many times, the message 'insert boot disc .. etc' appeared. Everything runs fine, but I still can't get into BIOS!

Ok, well that's very strange, indeed. Have you tried clearing CMOS memory? This is done by temporarily moving a particular jumper on the board. This is very easy, and explained on page 2-26 of the manual (you do not actually have to remove the battery). Normally, after doing so you are FORCED into the BIOS on first boot. Try this and post back here with the result.

-phil

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: Butterbean
Thanks for reply phile. I didn't see any scroll but now I remmember posts from last Sept (when I first assembled) reminding people to scroll down. Truth be told after reading about SATA I was sure there was nothing to gain from AHCI in my case. Not that I wouldn't have liked to get in all correct during install, but I am sure I'll get in next time (soon). I'm happier to know my own dull moves create issues and not mobo wierdness.

I havent had time to investigate the "No Any Drives Found " thing but I did come across another thread about it I'll ad link too. I hope to play around this curiosity in next week or so.

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:mk...found%22+asus&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

Yeah, I don't think there's actually a scroll-bar displayed, which is likely why so many people just ended-up installing the ICH8R driver. Bad interface design, indeed. Anyway, know that it is there, and keying the down-arrow will scroll the list.

-phil

 

[Austin2k]

Originally posted by: whirlwind
I was thinking about using the EZ Raid set up for raid 0 {striping}

I am wondering what exactly i have to do to get this to work.

Do i just plug 2 identical hard drives in the ez raid ports and it will work, or do i have to do anything else?

Also , I only want to do this if it will be benificial in my games.....will i notice very much difference in my loading times and so forth?

I guess I am asking what will be the benefits in gaming if I do this?

Any help will be much appreciated.

I recommend using the ICH7R for your stripes. My OS (XP64) does boot faster as I have it it in raid0. I didn't think gaming was generally disk intensive. Outside of loading the programs when you start them I don't think you'll see a gaming performance improvement with raid0. Spend your money on more good memory and faster video.

 

[Austin2k]

One more thing. If you change the EZ RAID jumpers you MUST go back into the BIOS and tell it that you changed it.

 

[Whirlwind]

OK. Thanks alot.

 

[jedisponge]

Hey everyone, I finally got my board working.

It turns out that in my idiocy I didn't realize that my case didn't have any risers installed, and subsequently shorted every motherboard I got. Lesson learned and again thanks to everyone that's been contributing to this thread as I've been using it as a reference.

Now I have another question. I have an old Audigy 2 Platinum soundcard. I was wondering if this was better in terms of quality to the onboard sound? I'm not really concerned at the moment if the onboard sound is going to eat some cpu cycles, as it isn't going to make a huge heck of a difference, but more concerned about sound quality. So which would be a better choice?

 

[Butterbean]

I read reviews on places like Newegg and often see many people saying their mobo was DOA. I have thought to myself that there are probably more people shorting out their components than is readily apparent.

 

[neuwboy]

Hey everybody,

Newboy got his pc about 2 or 3 months ago,still using bios ver. 0701
(newboy was afraid to upgrade bios, very afraid.Newboy likes saying that goes, if it aint broke dont break it.)

All default settings, hasn't been overclocked.Newboy has now decided to
upgrade using the asus update method since newboy has never upgraded a bios before.Will be using asus update v.70707.

Specs: mobo- asus p5wdh deluxe
cpu- c2d E6600 2.4ghz
ram- OCZ2G8002GK- OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Gold GX XTC Dual Channel
hsf- zalman cnps7700-ALCu
HD- seagate barracuda SATA 120gb
dvd drive- liteon dual layer dvd rewriter
psu- ocz gamextream 700w

Newboy has questions.

i) Which bios version is safe to use, the latest 1602 or 1506?

ii)procedure- After upgrading with asus update, reboot, expect checksum error, immediately enter bios & what then?

Should newboy use the same values as now?
Use bios default settings?
Overclocking to 3.0ghz?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Eddie Spaghetti]

Originally posted by: phile

Originally posted by: Eddie Spaghetti

Originally posted by: phile

Originally posted by: Eddie Spaghetti
A few pages back I reported that suddenly there was no BIOS splash screen shown anymore, and that there was no way to get into BIOS. But everything else (XP) worked fine.

Things got worse After flashing to 1602 (from 1506), when booting, this message is shown:

JMicron PCIE - SATA II / IDE RAID Controller BIOS V1.06.56a
Detect drive done, no any drive found.

(Not my english.)

There is nothing to get rid of it. I tried pressing all keys. Also booting with the support CD, or even with a XP install CD, makes no difference. I also disconnected/moved the HD, the soundcard, the DVD burner; no result.

Shall I sent the mobo back, or is there anything else I can try?

If you're not using the JMicron controller, disable it in the BIOS. Go to the Advanced page. It will be in one of the subsections.

-phil

Well, that's the problem: there is no BIOS splash screen, and pressing the delete-key doesn't do anything. Is there any other way to get into bios, or to disable the JMicron controller?

Btw, I managed to re-install XP! After pressing ctrl-alt -del many times, the message 'insert boot disc .. etc' appeared. Everything runs fine, but I still can't get into BIOS!

Ok, well that's very strange, indeed. Have you tried clearing CMOS memory? This is done by temporarily moving a particular jumper on the board. This is very easy, and explained on page 2-26 of the manual (you do not actually have to remove the battery). Normally, after doing so you are FORCED into the BIOS on first boot. Try this and post back here with the result.

-phil

OK Phile, thx for your advice.

So I cleared the CMOS as suggested; no change however When powering up, the same blinking underscore-character appears for 30 secs, then the JMicron message. Windows works 100%, but no BIOS.

Maybe a stupid question, but is there any program that can manage the BIOS settings from within Windows?

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: Eddie Spaghetti

OK Phile, thx for your advice.

So I cleared the CMOS as suggested; no change however When powering up, the same blinking underscore-character appears for 30 secs, then the JMicron message. Windows works 100%, but no BIOS.

Maybe a stupid question, but is there any program that can manage the BIOS settings from within Windows?

Sounds like you're not seeing the P5WDH POST screen. Have you tried repeatedly hitting the DEL key immeditely after powering-up? There is a setting in the BIOS where you can disable the display of the "Hit DEL to enter BIOS" message, which you may have inadvertently set.

And, no, there is no way to alter BIOS settings from within Windows.

-phil

 

[Eddie Spaghetti]

Yes, many times, but no BIOS settings. The only effect of hitting DEL is that the JMicron message stays (no following up of Windows) until I press F1.

The strange thing about it that the JMicron driver/setting is apperantly not in the CMOS (it's still there after clearing); and it's not in Windows either (I did a clean re-install of Windows).

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: neuwboy
Hey everybody,

Newboy got his pc about 2 or 3 months ago,still using bios ver. 0701
(newboy was afraid to upgrade bios, very afraid.Newboy likes saying that goes, if it aint broke dont break it.)

All default settings, hasn't been overclocked.Newboy has now decided to
upgrade using the asus update method since newboy has never upgraded a bios before.Will be using asus update v.70707.

Specs: mobo- asus p5wdh deluxe
cpu- c2d E6600 2.4ghz
ram- OCZ2G8002GK- OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Gold GX XTC Dual Channel
hsf- zalman cnps7700-ALCu
HD- seagate barracuda SATA 120gb
dvd drive- liteon dual layer dvd rewriter
psu- ocz gamextream 700w

Newboy has questions.

i) Which bios version is safe to use, the latest 1602 or 1506?

ii)procedure- After upgrading with asus update, reboot, expect checksum error, immediately enter bios & what then?

Should newboy use the same values as now?
Use bios default settings?
Overclocking to 3.0ghz?

Any advice would be appreciated.

You definitely want to flash your BIOS to 1503 or higher, as this BIOS corrected the cold-boot issue that occured when overclocking. When flashing with ASUS Update, make sure to do so via downloaded file, and NOT over the internet. For best results, I prefer to use the AFUDOS method, which requires 2 floppy disks.

- Floppy #1: format and make bootable
- Floppy #2: format and copy AFUDOS.EXE from P5WDH CD and BIOS file (rename to something short like P5WDH.ROM in order to avoid DOS truncation of filename)

Next, boot with floppy #1. Once at A: prompt, insert floppy #2 and type the following:

afudos /iP5WDH.rom /pbnc /n

Note: The 'i' is NOT a typo.

-phil

 

[phile]

Originally posted by: Eddie Spaghetti
Yes, many times, but no BIOS settings. The only effect of hitting DEL is that the JMicron message stays (no following up of Windows) until I press F1.

The strange thing about it that the JMicron driver/setting is apperantly not in the CMOS (it's still there after clearing); and it's not in Windows either (I did a clean re-install of Windows).

Ok, that's very strange. The only thing I can suggest is that you re-flash the BIOS (try 1602) using the AFUDOS method (see post above for instructions) and then clear the CMOS again before booting.

If that doesn't work, there's definitely something going on that's beyond anything I can explain.

-phil

 

[msmith7305]

I will be getting a system with the P5W-DH mb and e6700 processor. System will have 2gb (Corsair CM2X1024-6400 DDR2-800) RAM, 320Gb SATA 3Gb/s HD, 2 optical drives, floppy drive, X-Fi gamer sound card, ATI X1950XTX video card.

I assume the best way to attach the drives is to put my HD on SATA1, and to daisy chain the 2 opticals to the primary IDE connection on the side of the board that is opposite the rear of the computer.

I will NOT be doing any overclocking. I do not plan on using the remote control features, but will try to use the built in wireless network feature.

My question has to do with BIOS setup. What, if anything, do I need or want to disable in the BIOS in order to have the functionality I need but also to have the shortest boot time. I know, for example, that I want to disable the onboard sound.

Any and all tips would be appreciated.

Since a system builder is assembling the system, what should I look at in the BIOS to be certain all is setup the best way? What, if any, of the included ASUS software should I install?

Also, what is best way to verify that all needed drivers have been installed and are of the best release version?

Thanks in advance for all help.