Ultra 100 Promise controller card troubles...

[Endarkened]

I just bought a new Ultra 100 Promise controller card, and I am unable to get it to work properly (or at least just what I consider properly). I'm wanting to run my hard drive and my 54x CD drive off the controller card, both set to master on separate cables. Then I would run my DVD drive (master) and CDRW (slave) off of my motherboard (1 cable). However, when I set it up this way, my computer halts in the middle of the boot process and refuses to continue. I can run just my 54x CD drive off the controller card, but when I try to run just the hard drive off it, it still won't boot. Any suggestions as to what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks in advance,

Endarkened

 

[LordAccord]

what OS are you running? Ive seemed to encounter some problems with enabling controllers after the OS has been installed on an integrated controller.... Ive had XP and 2k both freeze and bluescreen on reboot after installing IDE controllers or enabling onboard ATA controllers. Ive always had to reformat and install with the drive initially connected to that connector in order for it to work.

LoRdAccord

 

[white]

check your jumpers. on some drives there is a difference between "master" and "single". it's possible that either your motherboard or promise card (depending on which detection process it halts on) simply doesn't like your arrangement.

 

[JellyBaby]

Also try using the "cable select" jumper instead of the traditional master/slave setting on all ide devices attached to the controller.

 

[bacillus]

put the hdd temporarily back onto the m/board ide controller but leave the card installed without anything connected to it.
restart your pc & when the card is recoginised by windows install the drivers.
you can now put the hdd onto the controller & set the boot order in bios to boot scsi before ide as the card is seen as a scsi device!

 

[Boobers]

Do yourself a favor and DON'T hook CDROM drives to a ATA100 controller add-on card. They are designed for hard drives only. They MAY work with CDROM's, but they have caused me nothing but problems (especially the Promise controllers which are IMHO crap).

If you only have one HD on the channel, remove the "Master/Slave" jumper. You only need to set "Master" if you have another HD hooked up to the same channel (cable) and set to "Slave".

 

[Endarkened]

LordAccord: Running Windows 98SE

white: I only see jumper options for Master, Slave, Cable Select, and Dev 0. Also, it's not halting on the hd detection (it detects everything just fine and then moves on). It gives the PCI listing, then "Starting Windows 98", then C:\>, C:\Windows\cwcdata\cwcdos.exe blah blah blah, then it halts right after giving a line that has something to do with my sound card "Crystalware blah blah blah".

JellyBaby: Tried cable select, still halts.

bacillus: Tried setting to SCSI, still halts.

Boobers: Tried removing jumpers completely, still halts.


Thanks for all the replies everyone, but I'm starting to get a little fightened now. I'm completely stumped. I have the controller card in PCI slot 2, which on my EPoX 8KHA, doesn't share any IRQs. Any more suggestions?

Thanks again,

Endarkened

 

[bacillus]

hmm, sounds like you may have some sort of irq conflict.
could you check & post your irqs if you put the hdd on to the m/board controller??
that's assuming you can reach to desktop!

 

[Endarkened]

00 - System Timer
01 - Keyboard
02 - Programmable interrupt controller
03 - COM2
03 - Game Device
04 - COM1
05 - ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
05 - RADEON
06 - Standard Floppy Disk Controller
07 - Printer
08 - System CMOS/real time clock
09 - SCI IRQ used by ACPI bus
10 - MPU-401 Compatible
11 - ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
11 - ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
11 - Sound Card
11 - Win9x-ME Promise Ultra100TX2 IDE Controller <----- hmmmm, I guess it does share
12 - ACPI IRQ Holder for PCI IRQ Steering
12 - VIA Tech 3038 PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
12 - VIA Tech 3038 PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
12 - VIA Tech 3038 PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
12 - 10/100 NIC
13 - Numeric Data Processor
14 - VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller
14 - Primary IDE controller (dual fifo)
15 - VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller
15 - Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo)

Hope that helps. Also, I noticed if I just let it sit for a while where it has halted in the boot sequence it says this: "not ready reading drive C | Abort, Retry, Fail". Dunno if that helps at all. Perhaps I'll try moving it to another PCI slot.

-Endarkened

 

[Boobers]

PLEASE do what Bacillus recommended. Plug the drive directly into the IDE controller on the MOTHERBOARD, boot to windows, install the ATA100 driver, shut down, connect HD to ATA100 card...

 

[JellyBaby]

<< 11 - Sound Card
11 - Win9x-ME Promise Ultra100TX2 IDE Controller <----- hmmmm, I guess it does share >>

In all my experience with sound cards I never had much luck with one sharing an irq under Win 9x.

<< "not ready reading drive C | Abort, Retry, Fail". >>

Hmm, maybe try a different cable just to eliminate the possibility.

 

[Endarkened]

Well, I finally got it to work. I had to try three different PCI slots though. It must have been conflicting with my sound card somehow.

Thanks for all the suggestions,

Endarkened