SCSI not going well... again ><

[Blitzkreig75]

Hello. I'm not an infant with SCSI, but I'm far from any server tech.

I'm using a DPT PM1564U3 adapter, (it's a U160 adapter), and I have 4 SCSI drives.

One is an 80-pin Seagate U320, the other 3 are 68-pin U160's.

The card finds the U320 inside my hot swap bay just fine, (using ID3 just because that's what it was set to last time I used it), but I cannot get any of the U160's to be found either in the card's BIOS or on the boot scan where it looks for 'devices'.

The drives are all used, and they all came out of working servers.

I've tried each drive individualy, tried setting IDs from 0 to 6, (the card is 7), and tried all of them, 2 of them, all set to 0, set to 0, 1, 2, etc...nothing is working.

I'm using the same cable for all these configs, and it's got an active terminator on the end, nearest the first (or last?) device, being the HDD. The opposite end is in the card. Also, the cable does not have LVD written on it, but the terminator does,(should it say LVD if it's LVD compliant?).
The cable is: Amohenol G802002
Terminator: G5925733H

The 36Gb model:
Seagate Cheetah ST336607LC

The models of the 18Gb:
2x Seagate ST318404LW Cheetahs
1x IBM Ultrastar DDYS-T18350

I can hear all the drives spin up, LEDs indicate they're powered.

All the drives have "SCSI LVD/SE" on them.

Anyone can help me figure out why they're not being found?

 

[mechBgon]

Check the jumper settings on the drives to ensure they're not jumpered for SE mode. Is your cable a flat cable with the wires twisted between the plugs, or does it just look like a plain flat ribbon cable without twisty-wires?

 

[Blitzkreig75]

It looks like the wires are woven together under the coating.

I've (somehow) gotten the drives to be found. I didn't give up, and I don't really know what I did. Perhaps I just didn't have a good connection. But anyway, it's working now. Set up in RAID0. Now digging up an XP driver and I'll be set.

 

[Blitzkreig75]

OK, now I have the driver gotten from Adaptec, but XP tells me that it already has a newer driver.

I've tried using the one I downloaded, but still nothing.

The drives are working, up until the point where XP wants to format/create partitions.

Any help?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Blitzkreig75
OK, now I have the driver gotten from Adaptec, but XP tells me that it already has a newer driver.

I've tried using the one I downloaded, but still nothing.

The drives are working, up until the point where XP wants to format/create partitions.

Any help?

So you've got a RAID0 array, but it doesn't show up in WinXP Setup at all? Or does it show up, but not let you make partitions?

Bigger picture: those are some pretty old, slow drives. I wonder if you're going to be disappointed in a RAID0 using 7-year-old drives.

 

[Blitzkreig75]

It's just a project. I'm not making this for anyone, or even myself. It's just kinda a learning expierience for me.

The array is not found at all by XP. I just started 2k Pro, and it's found the array as it's set up, 34.xxxGb. I used the driver I d/l'd for the 2k.

I plan on trying a few different Linux distros with it, but I'd like to get XP working, too.

So, the problem lies souly with XP Pro.

EDIT: I'm formatting right now in 2k, gonna abort installation after format is complete and try XP again.

 

[Zepper]

I have had the contacts come loose in the power connectors on my drives (usually the 12V one) and as the 5V is present the drive will report itself to the adapter card but Win won't see it because the motor isn't running to read the files. I use a jeweller's screw driver (flat blade)and get in there and tighten up the female contacts. They'll work fine again for a while. The only real cure is to replace the junky contacts that came with your chinese PSU with some real AMP or molex ones. Not a particularly fun job but doable.

.bh.

 

[Blitzkreig75]

Zep, 2k is formatting the drives right now. It's XP that's having the problem.

 

[Zepper]

Do you have the ASPI layer software installed? You can download the latest ASPI from Adaptec. It comes with a utility (aspichk.exe) to test for the presence of ASPI and what version. If it is not present or an older version, go ahead and install it.

..bh.

 

[Steve]

He doesn't have Windows installed yet. OP, are you doing the F6 trick with the SCSI card driver during Windows setup?

 

[Blitzkreig75]

Yeah, sm, I have tried letting XP install it's 'newer' driver, and using F6 to install driver fro floppy. Neither one is getting XP to find the drives.

 

[wwswimming]

i have 3 old systems with SCSI. i'm afraid to modify them
too much, kind of for the reason you're talking about.

i like the sound they make. and, i don't want to play
with ID's and terminations.

ultra-wide SCSI, ultra-160 SCSI, ultra-wide2.

 

[Blitzkreig75]

I went ahead and completed the 2k install. I know I can't upgrade from 2k Pro to XP, right?

Any help on this?

 

[Steve]

I think you should be able to upgrade okay, it seems it's just a matter of XP recognizing the driver that appears to be working for 2000.

If it doesn't work, I have an LSI 21320-IS I'd be happy to sell to you cheap.

 

[Blitzkreig75]

That's nice, sm, but I'd like to sort out why XP is having the problem.

I know the card works for some users, because a google of this reveals others using it in XP.

I'll try the upgrade right now.

 

[Blitzkreig75]

Aha!! I got something more specific now!

I'm doing the upgrade frm 2k Pro to XP Pro. When it restarted, and I let Windows attempt to load the driver of it's own, I saw this:

"Section files.SCSI.dpti20 of the INF file is invalid"

I reset, and manualy chose to use the driver on floppy, and it's installing right now. I'll let yall know how it goes, hopefully the XP Pro will completely install and boot.

But, my goal is to install XP home on the drives, not Pro. Upgrading frm 2k Pro to home, can that be done?

Also, does that message tell anyone anything that might fix the fresh install problem I'm having?

 

[Steve]

Sounds like the driver may be buggy/incompatible, or corrupt. But I don't know of any problem moving from 2k to XP, any flavors.

 

[Blitzkreig75]

That was the message given when I used the driver IN XP itself, the one it 'says' is newer.

 

[Blitzkreig75]

any1?

 

[Steve]

Why were you asking during the Super Bowl? Anyway, picking up from where we left off last night, how did the upgrade go?

 

[Blitzkreig75]

The upgrade was successful. Seems to only be having problems during a fresh instal.

 

[Steve]

Very strange. Tried consulting with Adaptec support?

Personally, I'd have made my life easier by not using Adaptec But at least you got it working.

 

[Blitzkreig75]

I'm gonna try to call them this week. Don't know exactly when, I've got a few days....

I'll post back with how that goes.

BTW, thanks, sm800.

 

[Steve]

You're welcome! Glad I could help. Let us know if you find anything out.

 

[KB24]

I think I'm having this same problem. I'm going to end up shooting my CPU. FYI it recognizes it perfectly on Vista .