2nd Hard disk setup

Topic

New Reply

Ok here is my problem. I am trying to install a second harddrive to my system. Normally this isn’t a big deal. Well I have been messing with this for a while and it has finally pushed me to the edge. Anyway I have all 4 of my IDE ports taken up through a DVD-Rom, CD-Writer, Zip disk drive, and my first harddrive. Well I have installed all the raid drivers that I have needed for WinXP but I cannot get the second harddrive to be detected by the system so that I can access it’s information. The Raid controller is detecting the HDD there but it does me little good as I am unable to get into it. I am not sure what other information you all may need for it, but I have a KT400 Dragon Ultra Black Edition Mother Board. Any help or insight on what I might be able to do to get this thing up and running will be most appreciated. Thanks for any help given.

Reply | Quote

Replies

I’m not sure what you want to be ending up with, and your comment about a RAID controller also puzzled me. Are you trying to do RAID-0 or RAID-1? It’s usually recommended that you use identical drives, and of course both have to be connected to the RAID controller.

In the short term, couldn’t you remove, say, the ZIP drive and put the second hard drive there, just to check things are working?

John

Reply | Quote

Ok well my frist statment was probably a jumble of frustrating words. Like I said I have been working on this for a while now. Anyway let me try to rephrase this a bit.

Ok so I have 2 harddrives that I need to have connected for the various use they are in. Well the problem is that I have my 4 IDE’s used up by 4 other hardware components. A DVD-Rom, CD-Writer, Zip Drive, and my Master Harddrive. Now what I need to be able to do is set up the second harddrive without using the IDE porst seeing as they are all used. With the IDE’s I could pretty much just plug it in and hey there it goes and it’s all good right. Well I need that Zip drive hooked up since I have to hand things in to various professors on disks and a zip disk holds what I need it to (Jump drive’s are a bit expensive to have to many of those). So what do I do? I set up a RAID controller to identify the other Harddisk. I am not actually creating a RAID as most would. I am using the RAID to identify that the other HDD is there so that I can access it. Problem is that it for some reason won’t let me. I know it’s possible because before when I first got the computer it was all working and it was set up in that fasion. Hope this is a bit better of an explination of what I am trying to do.

Reply | Quote

According to Soyo’s web page on this, your board does support up to 8 EIDE devices, so what your are attempting to do should be doable. I think your problem is that you are attempting to configure your second EIDE controller slots (IDE 3 and IDE 4) as RAID instead of traditional EIDE. Since you are not setting up a RAID array (which causes 2 drives to be seen by the system as 1) then you should not be configuring those ports for RAID.

Check you manuals again and see if you can find where to configure the drivers and BIOS (if needed) for your IDE 3 and IDE 4 slots for standard Ultra 133 EIDA.

I found this on their web site, it might help: http://www.soyousa.com/kb/kbdesc.php?id=116%5B/url%5D

BillB

Bill (AFE7Ret)
Freedom isn't free!

Reply | Quote

And, if thr mobo does not support morethan 4 drives, then, assuming you have a free slot, buy an ATA Controller and add the drive accordingly.

Reply | Quote

Well I figured it out. All I had to do was refresh in the bios after I reformated. At least when I went into the BIOS and once the computer restarted the drive was back to where I could see and access it. Thanks for all the help.

Reply | Quote

Thanks for the followup – glad you got it going.

Bill (AFE7Ret)
Freedom isn't free!

Reply | Quote

I like to follow up. Allows me to thank those that helped me out or gave me direction of any kind. Always appreciated. Besides when I help it’s good to know that it got solved.

Reply | Quote

Not only that, but the next guy that comes along that has the same problem may benefit knowing what worked or what did not work.

Bill (AFE7Ret)
Freedom isn't free!

Reply | Quote

You are quite right. I tend to find more information in the search which will prevent me from posting. Of course at times there are so many posts to run through that it is hard so if I post a thread I may be able to get a point to the right one.

Reply | Quote

Not only that, but the next guy that comes along that has the same problem may benefit knowing what worked or what did not work.

Bill (AFE7Ret)
Freedom isn't free!

Reply | Quote

I like to follow up. Allows me to thank those that helped me out or gave me direction of any kind. Always appreciated. Besides when I help it’s good to know that it got solved.

Reply | Quote

Thanks for the followup – glad you got it going.

Bill (AFE7Ret)
Freedom isn't free!

Reply | Quote

Well I figured it out. All I had to do was refresh in the bios after I reformated. At least when I went into the BIOS and once the computer restarted the drive was back to where I could see and access it. Thanks for all the help.

Reply | Quote

And, if thr mobo does not support morethan 4 drives, then, assuming you have a free slot, buy an ATA Controller and add the drive accordingly.

Reply | Quote

According to Soyo’s web page on this, your board does support up to 8 EIDE devices, so what your are attempting to do should be doable. I think your problem is that you are attempting to configure your second EIDE controller slots (IDE 3 and IDE 4) as RAID instead of traditional EIDE. Since you are not setting up a RAID array (which causes 2 drives to be seen by the system as 1) then you should not be configuring those ports for RAID.

Check you manuals again and see if you can find where to configure the drivers and BIOS (if needed) for your IDE 3 and IDE 4 slots for standard Ultra 133 EIDA.

I found this on their web site, it might help: http://www.soyousa.com/kb/kbdesc.php?id=116%5B/url%5D

BillB

Bill (AFE7Ret)
Freedom isn't free!

Reply | Quote

Ok well my frist statment was probably a jumble of frustrating words. Like I said I have been working on this for a while now. Anyway let me try to rephrase this a bit.

Ok so I have 2 harddrives that I need to have connected for the various use they are in. Well the problem is that I have my 4 IDE’s used up by 4 other hardware components. A DVD-Rom, CD-Writer, Zip Drive, and my Master Harddrive. Now what I need to be able to do is set up the second harddrive without using the IDE porst seeing as they are all used. With the IDE’s I could pretty much just plug it in and hey there it goes and it’s all good right. Well I need that Zip drive hooked up since I have to hand things in to various professors on disks and a zip disk holds what I need it to (Jump drive’s are a bit expensive to have to many of those). So what do I do? I set up a RAID controller to identify the other Harddisk. I am not actually creating a RAID as most would. I am using the RAID to identify that the other HDD is there so that I can access it. Problem is that it for some reason won’t let me. I know it’s possible because before when I first got the computer it was all working and it was set up in that fasion. Hope this is a bit better of an explination of what I am trying to do.

Reply | Quote

I’m not sure what you want to be ending up with, and your comment about a RAID controller also puzzled me. Are you trying to do RAID-0 or RAID-1? It’s usually recommended that you use identical drives, and of course both have to be connected to the RAID controller.

In the short term, couldn’t you remove, say, the ZIP drive and put the second hard drive there, just to check things are working?

John

Reply | Quote