SATA Card Issues

[runt]

Ok,
I just got a Biostar P4M900-M7 FE motherboard & Celeron 440 to replace the Intel board & P4 that was in my Windows Home server. I ran into one issue tonight though. I had a VIA VT6421A card in my server before to give me SATA ports. If I put this same card in my new server, it will not boot. Could there be a conflict between the VT6421A card & the P4M900/VT8237A chipset on the motherboard that I cannot figure out how to work around? The addon card worked fine earlier today before I removed it from my old motherboard and I have tried both PCI slots on the new motherboard.

 

[Ockie]

What will not boot? System just hangs before the operating system loads? If so, check your boot orders, check your boot choices, disable all the drives other than your system drive from the boot selection. If you are able to get into your card bios, disable INT 13 so the card wont boot.

 

[runt]

Sorry, it will not even POST if I have the card installed. I will try disabling INT 13 tonight to see if that will at least let me get it to POST (since I am thankfully ok with having to boot from the onboard SATA).

 

[Ockie]

So your system wont post at all, in other words, you can't even get to your systems bios or see any bios related information upon boot?

 

[runt]

Correct, if I have the card installed I hear the fans spin up and the DVD-ROM drive seek, but nothing else. If I pull the card, everything works perfectally.

 

[Ockie]

Move its slot position? It may be damaged or simply incompatible.

 

[runt]

I have tried both PCI slots on the motherboard. My guess is the incompatible choice right now. Although one would think a VIA based SATA card would work on a motherboard with a VIA chipset on it.

 

[runt]

Come to find out, VIA SATA controllers on VIA chipset motherboards don't work all that well anymore

Now its off to find a Silicon Image that isn't super expensive (and of course I'd prefer 4 ports since building a server on a mATX board wasn't my first choice).