hard drive issues

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wolfsmane

n00b
Joined
May 21, 2005
Messages
5
hello,
i need some expert advice please.

my system: vpr matrix 2.26ghz pent4
windows xp pro
1024 ddr pc21oo
ati aiw video
creative audigy2
cdrw & 16x DL dvdrw

** this problem was happening with my oem fortron 300w psu, and i just installed
a new fortron blue storm 500w psu, and am still having these problems. **

this is my problem. i had 4 hard drives running fine in this system.
they were:
Drive C: WD80gb oem
Drive F: Max 160gb
Drive G: Max 160gb
Drive H: Max 160gb

I bought a WD 250gb hard drive. I wanted to get the oem WD80gb out of the system and into an external case.

Instead of using the WD250gb as the operating system drive, i wiped the
Drive H: Max 160gb clean before switching drives around. I switched it out
with the WD80gb oem, and did a clean format and install of windows xp pro.
I had the extra hard drives disconnected while doing this. Installation went
well, everything started up and ran fine.
I installed the new WD250gb next and formatted it. It ran fine, i could put
files on it and retrieve them.

I went ahead and connected the rest of the hard drives in this manner.
Drive C: Max 160gb operating system installed
Drive F: Max 160gb
Both of these installed on same cable as master/slave.
Drive G: Max 160gb
Drive H: WD 250gb
Both of these installed on 2nd ide cable as master/slave.

When i started system back up, it would not load operating system.
I couldn't get into bios or anything. It would come up to the VPR Matrix logo screen, and hang there for a while and then go blank, before reaching the Window's XP logo screen.

I tried switching the G&H drives, master/slave configurations, with no luck.
I tried doing cable select settings, and again, no luck.

If i took 1 of those drives out, then everything ran fine, and i could access
all the rest of the drives. it didn't matter which drive i unhooked, it still worked.

now i'm dumbfounded.
I hope i explained this ok without going on too long.

thanks
 
Do you run a PCI card IDE adapter for those extra 2 HDD's? Or do they run off of a secondary controller on the mobo? It sounds like it's a compatibility issue with the mobo. It just can't handle all those drives at the same time.

Try taking your drives off of the adapter and running them on IDE channel 0 or 1 (take out the CD drives) and see if it boots that way with all 4 drives. It might be a problem with the PCI card's bios interacting with the mobo bios.
 
kirbyrj said:
Do you run a PCI card IDE adapter for those extra 2 HDD's? Or do they run off of a secondary controller on the mobo? It sounds like it's a compatibility issue with the mobo. It just can't handle all those drives at the same time.

Try taking your drives off of the adapter and running them on IDE channel 0 or 1 (take out the CD drives) and see if it boots that way with all 4 drives. It might be a problem with the PCI card's bios interacting with the mobo bios.
Click to expand...

this machine has raid on the mobo. but i didn't want to use the raid feature, so i installed
a pci card that runs the second set of hard drives.

now, keep in mind, that this set-up was working for over a year flawlessly---- but i took out
the 80gb, and replaced it with the 250gb.


also, on that pci card-- i've tried switching between the two on which would be master, and which would be slave, with no success. and even tried using cable select. nodda.

if i take out just one of the hard drives off that pci card, doesn't matter which, then everything is fine.
 
It sound like the four drives are pulling the 12v line down too far when they try to spin up all together.
If you have your old supply then you can test this.
First attach the old supply to the four drives.
Then jumper the green wire in the axt block to any black wire.
Now power up first the old supply, so the disks spin up.
Now power up the comp.

If you can start like this then it is probably a power problem.
Is quick boot enabled in the bios, If it is then turn it off.
This will give the drives longer to spin up as the bios takes longer to test the memory.
Check your 12v rail with a multimeter and see if its within spec and how low it drops when you power on.

If not then your looking at a fualty setting somewhere ?????

Luck............. :D
 
Tigerbiten said:
It sound like the four drives are pulling the 12v line down too far when they try to spin up all together.
If you have your old supply then you can test this.
First attach the old supply to the four drives.
Then jumper the green wire in the axt block to any black wire.
Now power up first the old supply, so the disks spin up.
Now power up the comp.

If you can start like this then it is probably a power problem.
Is quick boot enabled in the bios, If it is then turn it off.
This will give the drives longer to spin up as the bios takes longer to test the memory.
Check your 12v rail with a multimeter and see if its within spec and how low it drops when you power on.

If not then your looking at a fualty setting somewhere ?????

Luck............. :D
Click to expand...


i'll have to try that, thanks.

what i don't get is, with the old 300w psu, it would start up flawlessly with a total of 4 hard drives connected. now, with a new hard drive---nothing, even after upgrading to a better psu......... :confused:
 
here's an update.

i left everything alone until this morning.

i re-arrange the ide connections of the hard drives.
on the mobo ide connection, i had 2-160gb's, and on the pci card's ide
1-160gb,1-250gb.

this morning i disconnected the 2nd 160gb connected to the mobo, and instead connected the 250gb in it's place.

everything worked fine.

so, i went ahead and connected this way--on the mobo, 160gb, and 250gb--
on the pci card 2-160gb's.

everything SEEMS to be working fine. it came right on, and has been up and running ever since.


I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S HELP WITH THIS SITUATION !!!
 
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