Re: Asus P5W GH Deluxe: latest SATA RAID Controller?

wrote:
> Hi, I'm sorry my inexperience.
> My PC has an Asus P5W GH Deluxe, and when I format my hardrive I
> always have to click on F6 to install the SATA RAID Controller from a
> floppy.
> Now I have to format again and I need to find new drivers.
> I have gone to Asus web site but I have seen very very old drivers.
> Can you tell me the latest drivers for Asus P5W GH Deluxe, please?
> thanks a lot

There are some downloads here.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Sear...90&FamilyId=40

Unzip the contents of the download and copy them to a floppy.
Press F6 to install them. This is for AHCI or RAID. I checked
and it lists ICH7R Southbridge.

http://downloadmirror.intel.com/1788...f6flpy3289.zip

PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27C3&CC_0104.DeviceDesc = "Intel(R) ICH7R/DH SATA RAID Controller"

Your floppy should already be formatted. Then, you copy the files
over to the floppy. There will be a total of seven files
on the floppy diskette when you're finished.

*******

After the OS is installed, you can install this one. This is the
RAID Management application, which runs in Windows. It tells
you whether the RAID array is healthy or not.

http://downloadmirror.intel.com/17882/eng/IATA89ENU.exe

The above files are consistent with using a RAID array
connected directly to the Intel Southbridge. If your
hard drives are configured in some other way, please
provide information on which disk is connected to which
port on the motherboard.

Paul

Paul,

Is there a procedure for updating these drivers on a running system? I
still use the original from when I built the system.

Thanks,

Don


Paul wrote:
> wrote:
>> Hi, I'm sorry my inexperience.
>> My PC has an Asus P5W GH Deluxe, and when I format my hardrive I
>> always have to click on F6 to install the SATA RAID Controller from a
>> floppy.
>> Now I have to format again and I need to find new drivers.
>> I have gone to Asus web site but I have seen very very old drivers.
>> Can you tell me the latest drivers for Asus P5W GH Deluxe, please?
>> thanks a lot
>
> There are some downloads here.
>
> http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Sear...90&FamilyId=40
>
>
> Unzip the contents of the download and copy them to a floppy.
> Press F6 to install them. This is for AHCI or RAID. I checked
> and it lists ICH7R Southbridge.
>
> http://downloadmirror.intel.com/1788...f6flpy3289.zip
>
> PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27C3&CC_0104.DeviceDesc = "Intel(R) ICH7R/DH SATA
> RAID Controller"
>
> Your floppy should already be formatted. Then, you copy the files
> over to the floppy. There will be a total of seven files
> on the floppy diskette when you're finished.
>
> *******
>
> After the OS is installed, you can install this one. This is the
> RAID Management application, which runs in Windows. It tells
> you whether the RAID array is healthy or not.
>
> http://downloadmirror.intel.com/17882/eng/IATA89ENU.exe
>
> The above files are consistent with using a RAID array
> connected directly to the Intel Southbridge. If your
> hard drives are configured in some other way, please
> provide information on which disk is connected to which
> port on the motherboard.
>
> Paul

wrote:
> Thanks alot for your suggestion.
> Is it better I will install the new chipset too?
> What is the precise file, please?
>

This one supports 975X.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Deta...d=816&lang=eng

Unzip the file. Then double click "setup.exe" to install them.
You can do this, after the initial WinXP installation
is completed.

Paul

Donald White wrote:
> Paul,
>
> Is there a procedure for updating these drivers on a running system? I
> still use the original from when I built the system.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Don

It is possible the management software package has drivers in it
as well, but really, what is the point of updating ? If your
system is working "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". There is
no requirement to "freshen up" drivers just for kicks. For most
of the systems I have here, the drivers installed right after
the build, still run the system.

http://downloadmirror.intel.com/17882/eng/IATA89ENU.exe

If you make a driver mistake, or have regrets, the Device
Manager allows rolling back to the previous driver. Rollback
depth is one, so you can't roll back to the day the system
was built.

Paul


>
>
> Paul wrote:
>> wrote:
>>> Hi, I'm sorry my inexperience.
>>> My PC has an Asus P5W GH Deluxe, and when I format my hardrive I
>>> always have to click on F6 to install the SATA RAID Controller from a
>>> floppy.
>>> Now I have to format again and I need to find new drivers.
>>> I have gone to Asus web site but I have seen very very old drivers.
>>> Can you tell me the latest drivers for Asus P5W GH Deluxe, please?
>>> thanks a lot
>>
>> There are some downloads here.
>>
>> http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Sear...90&FamilyId=40
>>
>>
>> Unzip the contents of the download and copy them to a floppy.
>> Press F6 to install them. This is for AHCI or RAID. I checked
>> and it lists ICH7R Southbridge.
>>
>> http://downloadmirror.intel.com/1788...f6flpy3289.zip
>>
>> PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27C3&CC_0104.DeviceDesc = "Intel(R) ICH7R/DH SATA
>> RAID Controller"
>>
>> Your floppy should already be formatted. Then, you copy the files
>> over to the floppy. There will be a total of seven files
>> on the floppy diskette when you're finished.
>>
>> *******
>>
>> After the OS is installed, you can install this one. This is the
>> RAID Management application, which runs in Windows. It tells
>> you whether the RAID array is healthy or not.
>>
>> http://downloadmirror.intel.com/17882/eng/IATA89ENU.exe
>>
>> The above files are consistent with using a RAID array
>> connected directly to the Intel Southbridge. If your
>> hard drives are configured in some other way, please
>> provide information on which disk is connected to which
>> port on the motherboard.
>>
>> Paul

wrote:
>> After the OS is installed, you can install this one. This is the
>> RAID Management application, which runs in Windows. It tells
>> you whether the RAID array is healthy or not.
>>
>> http://downloadmirror.intel.com/17882/eng/IATA89ENU.exe
>
>
> The last question, please.
> I have Win XP Pro in Italian language and the file I have just
> downloaded is in english language. Is it better to download that file
> in multilanguage like it: IATA89CD
> Yjamks for your reply.

Because the download is protected with InstallShield, I cannot tell
what is inside the IATA89ENU.exe or the IATA89CD.exe files. I tried
to use my Win2K VirtualPC, and some command line arguments the installer
is supposed to adhere to, but it didn't work right. All I got was the
driver files, and not the Matrix Storage Manager Console program.

You have plenty of time to experiment with IATA89ENU.exe and IATA89CD.exe
later. They don't have to be installed before the OS installation begins.
They can be done after the installation is complete, at your leisure.
Then you can experiment with IATA89CD.exe .

The size of the IATA89CD.exe download, suggests it *could* be a multi-language
install program, but I cannot confirm that. I don't have enough hardware
and OS licenses to prove what is in there. If I could see the raw files
inside the InstallShield, I might have been able to figure it out.

See Figure 3 in Section 6.4 on PDF page 30 here. You should be
able to see a new entry in the Programs, for the Intel Matrix
Storage Console. That should appear after the IATA89CD.exe is finished.

http://download.intel.com/support/ch...ers_manual.pdf

Paul

wrote:
> I inform you I have one HD with OS, two Hds in RAID0 and other two HDs
> in RAID0. They are 3 volumes.
> In my PC I have 5 HDs.

Well, if you hadn't insisted on having the "latest driver",
you'd probably be finished by now. The old floppy you used,
would have worked fine.

*******

OK, so how can I verify this for you, when I'm half a world
away ?

Start with ICH7 Spec Update. There is a table "PCI Device Revision ID".

http://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/specupdate/307014.pdf (see PDF page 23)

The identity of your Southbridge ports, depends on the BIOS
setting. You are probably using the "RAID" setting in the BIOS.
This should be your BIOS setting for the SATA ports.

"Configure SATA As" [RAID]

The Intel 307014 document suggests, for SATA, the identity is

27C3h Desktop RAID Mode

Now, if I take the "old" Intel RAID F6 Floppy Utility for Windows 2000/XP/2003
file from the support.asus.com download web page, these are the entries
in the txtsetup.oem file. This is what you see on the screen, when
you press F6.

iaStor_ICH7DH = "Intel(R) 82801GR/GH SATA RAID Controller (Desktop ICH7R/DH)" <---- Yours
iaAHCI_ICH7R = "Intel(R) 82801GR/GH SATA AHCI Controller (Desktop ICH7R/DH)"
iaStor_ICH6R = "Intel(R) 82801FR SATA RAID Controller (Desktop ICH6R)"
iaAHCI_ICH6R = "Intel(R) 82801FR SATA AHCI Controller (Desktop ICH6R)"
iaAHCI_ICH6M = "Intel(R) 82801FBM SATA AHCI Controller (Mobile ICH6M)"
iaStor_ICH5R = "Intel(R) 82801ER SATA RAID Controller (Desktop ICH5R)"
iaStor_ICH5RHR = "Intel(R) 6300ESB SATA RAID Controller"

That first line corresponds to this bit, further down in the txtsetup.oem
file.

[HardwareIds.scsi.iaStor_ICH7DH]
id = "PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27C3&CC_0104","iaStor" <----- 27C3

OK. Now, go get your "new" floppy. Does it have 27C3 in the txtsetup.oem file ?
If not, the floppy is incorrect for the job!

That is my guess, from over here in Canada.

If you insist on the very latest driver for ICH7R/DH, use
downloadcenter.intel.com until you find it.

*******

The only thing you need, during an installation, is the right
driver to get the OS installed. The original floppy may have had
multiple drivers on it. All you need is the correct single
driver. If the "one HD with OS" is connected to a Southbridge
SATA port (SATA1, SATA3, SATA4 in the picture in the manual),
then you should use the Intel driver. And the reason you're
installing the RAID driver at this point in time, is so your
RAID0 array can work when this installation is completed.
The RAID installation must be done now, because the motherboard
BIOS setting must be set to RAID mode, so the RAID0 can work.
We're not installing the RAID driver, to make the "one HD with OS"
happy. We're installing that driver, so the RAID0 will work.
And you can't change the "Configure SATA As" setting later,
because then you won't be able to boot the computer. That is
why it must be RAID and use a RAID driver.

Paul