This is pi$$ing me off now, it's becoming a battle of will.

I have the two 160gb disk's connected to the controller, I am trying to install windows.

Should I format them both first?

I've got to the part of the install where the puter restarts and loads windows for the first time - except it doesn't I get errors.

Shouldnt need to format them, but during windows setup you will need to press F6 when it asks for scsi or other drivers. Ensure you have copied your raid drivers for XP onto a floppy disk and when prompted for the disk put it in A: Windows should then install fine.

Yeah I can get that far Manny but I then get things like Hard Error when it reboots

is it a blue screen of death.

What size is the total of both drives added together? and what type of raid are you trying to setup, and are you sure both drives are working ok.

Now it says - Unmountable_Boot_Volume in a BSOD

Two x 160gb disks on an onboard raid striped.

Sounds like it doesn't like the driver all that much then :(

I think there may be a BIOS update - that's next

Updated BIOS didn't work.

Should I see the two disks as one large, almost 320gb disk at the beginning of the windoes install or should there be two 160gb's showing?

When I boot up I am offered the opportunity to build the array. When I do this it seems to turn the two disks into one large one.

Updated BIOS didn't work.

Should I see the two disks as one large' date=' almost 320gb disk at the beginning of the windoes install or should there be two 160gb's showing?

When I boot up I am offered the opportunity to build the array. When I do this it seems to turn the two disks into one large one.[/quote']

you need to build the array stu, it SHOULD show as one large "disk".

Sequence should be,

Use the Raid BIOS, Build the Stripe set (RAID 0)

Restart

Go to Mainboard BIOS, make sure the RAID array is the "first" hard disk

XP CD in

Boot from CD, press F6 to add a new mass storage controller

Press S with the floppy disk (RAID drivers) in the drive

Select raid drivers

Carry on the install as if on a normal disk

Post removed as I'm wrong

I have 2x250GB stripped and see total capacity as 500GB during the XP installation process. If you are seeing 2x160GB disks then either (A) its the wrong driver, or ( you havent defined the raid in the bios as mentioned earlier.

Go to Mainboard BIOS, make sure the RAID array is the "first" hard disk

Well Tony, I thought you had it cracked when I read that.

My BIOS has the following options, in this order -

Floppy

LS120

HDD-0

SCSI

CDROM

HDD-1

HDD-2

HDD-3

Zip100

USB-FDD

USB-ZIP

USB-CDROM

USB-HDD

LAN

Disabled

No fecking RAID!!!!

Try SCSI, since i am guessing your mobo doesn't have a real scsi controller on board.

The SATA/PATA Raid drivers often mimic SCSI interfaces

What motherboard is it? You may need to look around in the advanced options in order to enable the raid function. When you reboot do you see some prompts for a raid bios? if not its most proberbly not enabled in the main bios.

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWeb/Products/ProductsDetail.aspx?MenuID=0&LanID=8&DetailID=63&DetailName=CPU%20Support

I think it's a budget board.

I tried the SCSI but no joy, i'm just getting rid of the partitions now to try again

It is enabled in the BIOS.

mannyo is right, just make sure nothing is selected in the bios that you will boot off, and then the add in card has it's own bios. You might want to try disable, but tbh i don't know if it will work

So you mean disable all boot devices?

Can't hurt to try

I think I am going to have to give up.

I have tried everything I can think of and everything you guy's have thought of but to no avail.

Because the board is so old it isn't supported any more so I can't get BIOS for the controller.

It seems odd that I can get it to install the first part of windows right up to the reboot but then it won't boot to it.

I have tried both striped and mirrored with no luck.

Thanks anyway.

Bugger - I hate having to give in!!

Whats the board Stu and i'll see if we have anything in our archive or random old BIOS and drivers.

ECS Mate

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWeb/Products/ProductsDetail.aspx?MenuID=0&LanID=8&DetailID=63&DetailName=CPU%20Support

Stu,

checkout the first bios here (1.7j)

says

fixed RAID HD cannot install WinXP

What version of the bios do you currently have?

1.7j

I saw that too

I got all hopefull but still no joy.

Have you removed and then again set your raid array up after installing the new BIOS as this will affect the way thye data on the disk is structured.

Have to say though if you are having this many issues with the RAID and the fact that it's an ECS board, I would probably not bother doing it, and just have the two drives.

You can get quite a nice speed up in windows if you have your OS and apps on one drive and your windows swap file on a different disk

Yeah I've binned the idea, gone for a traditional seup. Got plenty of RAM so it's fast enough.