Promise Ultra ATA/133 controller problem?

[Drifter]

Bought a WD120 gig drive. When connected to the motherboard (BX-6 Rev2) with
the Wd software it can detect 120 gigs. If I connect it to the Promise ultra
TX2/133controller card it see the model Wd120 but can only detect 39 gigs
and the same when using the Wd software with card .Any ideas what the
problem would be? Tried both my own cable and the cable that came with the
card both the same results. Driver?s shows installed correct in systems also.

 

[Jman13]

Sounds like you need to update the controller BIOS (if possible) to allow for large HDs. Although, most newer controllers should at LEAST be able to handle 120.

 

[McMadman]

Do you have the alternate jumper settings used for some reason?
http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/jumpers.asp

If this is the only drive on the channel no jumper will work as well. (not sure about cable select but that should work too)

I have a maxtor branded ultra133 controller (ultra133 tx2), and all I've ever had to do was attach the drives (3 drives on it, 250, 160 and 40gb).

Does the card detect the full size of the drive at bootup?

 

[0roo0roo]

sounds like u have the drive jumpers set to some weird gig limit?

 

[Drifter]

Originally posted by: McMadman
Do you have the alternate jumper settings used for some reason?
http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/jumpers.asp

If this is the only drive on the channel no jumper will work as well. (not sure about cable select but that should work too)

I have a maxtor branded ultra133 controller (ultra133 tx2), and all I've ever had to do was attach the drives (3 drives on it, 250, 160 and 40gb).

Does the card detect the full size of the drive at bootup?

I never tried the alternate jumper settings. Should I ?

On this 10 pin drive I tried Single ( Neutral Position),Single (standard installation) and cable select. all with the same results.

No the card detects 31 gig only at bootup.

 

[Mday]

Originally posted by: Drifter
When connected to the motherboard (BX-6 Rev2) with the Wd software it can detect 120 gigs.

What software? Tell me you did not put the software overlay in the drive. If you did, REMOVE IT.

 

[McMadman]

Originally posted by: Drifter

Originally posted by: McMadman
Do you have the alternate jumper settings used for some reason?
http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/jumpers.asp

If this is the only drive on the channel no jumper will work as well. (not sure about cable select but that should work too)

I have a maxtor branded ultra133 controller (ultra133 tx2), and all I've ever had to do was attach the drives (3 drives on it, 250, 160 and 40gb).

Does the card detect the full size of the drive at bootup?

I never tried the alternate jumper settings. Should I ?

On this 10 pin drive I tried Single ( Neutral Position),Single (standard installation) and cable select. all with the same results.

No the card detects 31 gig only at bootup.

You just want to use the standard jumper settings when using the drive with a controller that (should) properly support the full size.

The situation seems reversed of what normally happens, normally the motherboards controller won't detect the full size properly, when a controller card does.

Check/update the bios version for the controller card, I would give a link but promise.com is down for me right now.

 

[Drifter]

Originally posted by: McMadman

Originally posted by: Drifter

Originally posted by: McMadman
Do you have the alternate jumper settings used for some reason?
http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/jumpers.asp

If this is the only drive on the channel no jumper will work as well. (not sure about cable select but that should work too)

I have a maxtor branded ultra133 controller (ultra133 tx2), and all I've ever had to do was attach the drives (3 drives on it, 250, 160 and 40gb).

Does the card detect the full size of the drive at bootup?

I never tried the alternate jumper settings. Should I ?

On this 10 pin drive I tried Single ( Neutral Position),Single (standard installation) and cable select. all with the same results.

No the card detects 31 gig only at bootup.

You just want to use the standard jumper settings when using the drive with a controller that (should) properly support the full size.

The situation seems reversed of what normally happens, normally the motherboards controller won't detect the full size properly, when a controller card does.

Check/update the bios version for the controller card, I would give a link but promise.com is down for me right now.

I tried the standard jumper settings ( no jumpers ) unistalled the WD software ( even with or without it on the controller card it shows up 31 gig )

The promise site is down 4 me to. I'll look for the update when the sites up.

 

[McMadman]

Originally posted by: Drifter

Originally posted by: McMadman

Originally posted by: Drifter

Originally posted by: McMadman
Do you have the alternate jumper settings used for some reason?
http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/jumpers.asp

If this is the only drive on the channel no jumper will work as well. (not sure about cable select but that should work too)

I have a maxtor branded ultra133 controller (ultra133 tx2), and all I've ever had to do was attach the drives (3 drives on it, 250, 160 and 40gb).

Does the card detect the full size of the drive at bootup?

I never tried the alternate jumper settings. Should I ?

On this 10 pin drive I tried Single ( Neutral Position),Single (standard installation) and cable select. all with the same results.

No the card detects 31 gig only at bootup.

You just want to use the standard jumper settings when using the drive with a controller that (should) properly support the full size.

The situation seems reversed of what normally happens, normally the motherboards controller won't detect the full size properly, when a controller card does.

Check/update the bios version for the controller card, I would give a link but promise.com is down for me right now.

I tried the standard jumper settings ( no jumpers ) unistalled the WD software ( even with or without it on the controller card it shows up 31 gig )

It should have worked straight from the start, considering the card is designed to work work >137GB drives.

The promise site is down 4 me to. I'll look for the update when the sites up.

The site is avaliable now for me, but it is very slow, the latest bios for the card would be here
and its version is 2.20.0.15

This does of course assume that you are indeed using the 133 tx2 and haven't got the model# confused with a similar named older product (like for example the ultra 33)

 

[Drifter]

Originally posted by: McMadman

Originally posted by: Drifter

Originally posted by: McMadman

Originally posted by: Drifter

Originally posted by: McMadman
Do you have the alternate jumper settings used for some reason?
http://support.wdc.com/techinfo/general/jumpers.asp

If this is the only drive on the channel no jumper will work as well. (not sure about cable select but that should work too)

I have a maxtor branded ultra133 controller (ultra133 tx2), and all I've ever had to do was attach the drives (3 drives on it, 250, 160 and 40gb).

Does the card detect the full size of the drive at bootup?

I never tried the alternate jumper settings. Should I ?

On this 10 pin drive I tried Single ( Neutral Position),Single (standard installation) and cable select. all with the same results.

No the card detects 31 gig only at bootup.

You just want to use the standard jumper settings when using the drive with a controller that (should) properly support the full size.

The situation seems reversed of what normally happens, normally the motherboards controller won't detect the full size properly, when a controller card does.

Check/update the bios version for the controller card, I would give a link but promise.com is down for me right now.

I tried the standard jumper settings ( no jumpers ) unistalled the WD software ( even with or without it on the controller card it shows up 31 gig )

It should have worked straight from the start, considering the card is designed to work work >137GB drives.

The promise site is down 4 me to. I'll look for the update when the sites up.

The site is avaliable now for me, but it is very slow, the latest bios for the card would be here
and its version is 2.20.0.15

This does of course assume that you are indeed using the 133 tx2 and haven't got the model# confused with a similar named older product (like for example the ultra 33)

Hey McMadman.Thanks for all your help Ended up having the updated flash in the card already. Fixed the problem. The Promise Ultra 133/TX2 can't detect the WD drives for some reason.WD has a utility that has to be installed in there drives before connecting to the controller card.

 

[McMadman]

Originally posted by: Drifter
Hey McMadman.Thanks for all your help Ended up having the updated flash in the card already. Fixed the problem. The Promise Ultra 133/TX2 can't detect the WD drives for some reason.WD has a utility that has to be installed in there drives before connecting to the controller card.

Glad you got it fixed. Looking at WD's site did bring up this.

I'm guessing when you first used the software it might have changed this. Since my 250GB was a simple plug it in, partition/format and it worked fine.

I've always been under the impression that included software for setting up the drives are generally very poor and can cause more problems, and since 2K/XP has the ability to partition/format the included software generally won't be required, and should just be ignored.