Trying to Create a RAID 0 volume with ABIT/KU8 motherboard

I have a new homebuilt PC with an ABIT KU8 motherboard, onboard RAID
controller, and two 250GB HDDs. I want to create a RAID 0 volume and
then install Windows XP Pro on it. I set the cmos to:

[integrated peripherals][Onchip IDE Device][Onchip SATA mode] = RAID

But I am missing something. I need a setting or wizard or utility that
actually makes the two derives seen as one RAID 0 volume?

I downloaded the "ULi SATA Driver Disk" from ABIT at
http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/...es=1&model=271
and added it with F6 during Windows XP Pro setup, but that didn't
help.

What is the step(s) that I am missing?

Stan Hilliard

"Stan Hilliard" <> wrote in message
news:...
>I have a new homebuilt PC with an ABIT KU8 motherboard, onboard RAID
> controller, and two 250GB HDDs. I want to create a RAID 0 volume and
> then install Windows XP Pro on it. I set the cmos to:
>
> [integrated peripherals][Onchip IDE Device][Onchip SATA mode] = RAID
>
> But I am missing something. I need a setting or wizard or utility that
> actually makes the two derives seen as one RAID 0 volume?
>
> I downloaded the "ULi SATA Driver Disk" from ABIT at
> http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/...es=1&model=271
> and added it with F6 during Windows XP Pro setup, but that didn't
> help.
>
> What is the step(s) that I am missing?
>
> Stan Hilliard

Not sure about that board, but usually there is a RAID setup screen after
the BIOS infomation screen at boot.

You need to push a certain key and it takes you into the RAID setup area,
(CTRL+S or F4 usually).
Sometimes you need to have drives attatched to the RAID controllers before
it will let you enter setup, though usually you will see this screen list
your HDDs connected to the RAID controllers.

I would suggest you read the appendices of your mobo manual.

On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:35:16 +0900, "fondue" <> wrote:
>"Stan Hilliard" <> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>>I have a new homebuilt PC with an ABIT KU8 motherboard, onboard RAID
>> controller, and two 250GB HDDs. I want to create a RAID 0 volume and
>> then install Windows XP Pro on it. I set the cmos to:
>>
>> [integrated peripherals][Onchip IDE Device][Onchip SATA mode] = RAID
>>
>> But I am missing something. I need a setting or wizard or utility that
>> actually makes the two derives seen as one RAID 0 volume?
>>
>> I downloaded the "ULi SATA Driver Disk" from ABIT at
>> http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/...es=1&model=271
>> and added it with F6 during Windows XP Pro setup, but that didn't
>> help.
>>
>> What is the step(s) that I am missing?
>>
>> Stan Hilliard


>Not sure about that board, but usually there is a RAID setup screen after
>the BIOS infomation screen at boot.
>
>You need to push a certain key and it takes you into the RAID setup area,
>(CTRL+S or F4 usually).
>Sometimes you need to have drives attatched to the RAID controllers before
>it will let you enter setup, though usually you will see this screen list
>your HDDs connected to the RAID controllers.
>
>I would suggest you read the appendices of your mobo manual.

Thanks fondue, the controller bios page was there but it was flashing
by so fast that I couldn't read it. When I stopped it with numlock key
I could see that I needed to use CTRL+A to get to the RAID setup
area.

On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 13:48:58 -0600, Stan Hilliard
<> wrote:

>On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:35:16 +0900, "fondue" <> wrote:
>>"Stan Hilliard" <> wrote in message
>>news:. ..
>>>I have a new homebuilt PC with an ABIT KU8 motherboard, onboard RAID
>>> controller, and two 250GB HDDs. I want to create a RAID 0 volume and
>>> then install Windows XP Pro on it. I set the cmos to:
>>>
>>> [integrated peripherals][Onchip IDE Device][Onchip SATA mode] = RAID
>>>
>>> But I am missing something. I need a setting or wizard or utility that
>>> actually makes the two derives seen as one RAID 0 volume?
>>>
>>> I downloaded the "ULi SATA Driver Disk" from ABIT at
>>> http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/...es=1&model=271
>>> and added it with F6 during Windows XP Pro setup, but that didn't
>>> help.
>>>
>>> What is the step(s) that I am missing?
>>>
>>> Stan Hilliard
>
>
>>Not sure about that board, but usually there is a RAID setup screen after
>>the BIOS infomation screen at boot.
>>
>>You need to push a certain key and it takes you into the RAID setup area,
>>(CTRL+S or F4 usually).
>>Sometimes you need to have drives attatched to the RAID controllers before
>>it will let you enter setup, though usually you will see this screen list
>>your HDDs connected to the RAID controllers.
>>
>>I would suggest you read the appendices of your mobo manual.
>
>Thanks fondue, the controller bios page was there but it was flashing
>by so fast that I couldn't read it. When I stopped it with numlock key
>I could see that I needed to use CTRL+A to get to the RAID setup
>area.

OOPs, I spoke too soon. I created a RAID volume in the controller bios
but Windows XP Pro Setup cannot find it.

Setup fails here: "To set up Windows XP now, press enter."

I press ENTER and get this message: "Setup did not find any hard disk
drives installed on your computer."

This is how I created the 500 GB RAID volume:
CTRL+A -->ALi RAID Bios Setup Utility
Set stripe size = 64K
Set RAID 0
Select HDD1 and HDD2 (250 GB each)
ESC

I did not see any options in the RAID setup utility to format or set
partitions. Does that come later in Windows Setup?

At reboot I checked the RAID Bios Setup Utility again to be sure that
the 500 GB volume was still there. Yes.

One HDD was already formatted from when I first installed Windows
without RAID. Could it be that only one of the two 250 GB HDDs is
formatted?

What bios settings might I have missed, or what installation steps
might I have left out?
Stan Hilliard

"Stan Hilliard" <> wrote in message
news:...
<snip>
> OOPs, I spoke too soon. I created a RAID volume in the controller bios
> but Windows XP Pro Setup cannot find it.
>
> Setup fails here: "To set up Windows XP now, press enter."
>
> I press ENTER and get this message: "Setup did not find any hard disk
> drives installed on your computer."
>
> This is how I created the 500 GB RAID volume:
> CTRL+A -->ALi RAID Bios Setup Utility
> Set stripe size = 64K
> Set RAID 0
> Select HDD1 and HDD2 (250 GB each)
> ESC
>
> I did not see any options in the RAID setup utility to format or set
> partitions. Does that come later in Windows Setup?
>
> At reboot I checked the RAID Bios Setup Utility again to be sure that
> the 500 GB volume was still there. Yes.
>
> One HDD was already formatted from when I first installed Windows
> without RAID. Could it be that only one of the two 250 GB HDDs is
> formatted?
>
> What bios settings might I have missed, or what installation steps
> might I have left out?
> Stan Hilliard
>

Usually the process is..
1)attach drives to RAID controller on mobo.

2)Boot to RAID setup BIOS and set the type of array you want to use.

3)Install OS.

Sounds like you have done 1 and 2.

With XP have your RAID drivers on a floppy disk, (make sure they match your
operating system, 32 or 64 bit etc..).

With XP, as soon as Setup starts, watch the bottom of the screen for a
message to press F6 to install third-party SCSI or software controllers.
Hit F6 when you see this message. During setup you will come to a screen
that asks if you want to specify third-party controllers. Put the floppy in
the drive and follow the instructions. It should find your RAID array there.

When setup sees the drives you will be offered the option to format before
you actually install XP.

I haven't used your board, but this is a general approach for installing XP
to third-party controllers.

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:20:50 +0900, "fondue" <> wrote:

>
>"Stan Hilliard" <> wrote in message
>news:.. .
><snip>
>> OOPs, I spoke too soon. I created a RAID volume in the controller bios
>> but Windows XP Pro Setup cannot find it.
>>
>> Setup fails here: "To set up Windows XP now, press enter."
>>
>> I press ENTER and get this message: "Setup did not find any hard disk
>> drives installed on your computer."
>>
>> This is how I created the 500 GB RAID volume:
>> CTRL+A -->ALi RAID Bios Setup Utility
>> Set stripe size = 64K
>> Set RAID 0
>> Select HDD1 and HDD2 (250 GB each)
>> ESC
>>
>> I did not see any options in the RAID setup utility to format or set
>> partitions. Does that come later in Windows Setup?
>>
>> At reboot I checked the RAID Bios Setup Utility again to be sure that
>> the 500 GB volume was still there. Yes.
>>
>> One HDD was already formatted from when I first installed Windows
>> without RAID. Could it be that only one of the two 250 GB HDDs is
>> formatted?
>>
>> What bios settings might I have missed, or what installation steps
>> might I have left out?
>> Stan Hilliard
>>
>
>Usually the process is..
>1)attach drives to RAID controller on mobo.
>
>2)Boot to RAID setup BIOS and set the type of array you want to use.
>
>3)Install OS.
>
>Sounds like you have done 1 and 2.
>
>With XP have your RAID drivers on a floppy disk, (make sure they match your
>operating system, 32 or 64 bit etc..).
>
>With XP, as soon as Setup starts, watch the bottom of the screen for a
>message to press F6 to install third-party SCSI or software controllers.
>Hit F6 when you see this message. During setup you will come to a screen
>that asks if you want to specify third-party controllers. Put the floppy in
>the drive and follow the instructions. It should find your RAID array there.

Yes, I have been doing this. I neglected to mention it before, but I
have been pushing F6. It loads some more files and then offers three
options. I have 32 bit XP so I choose:

"ULi SATA Controller (M1575/M1697, Windows XP/Server 2003)"

After reading that option from floppy, I push ENTER. The PC loads some
more files and then says: "To set up Windows XP now, press enter."

I press ENTER and get this message: "Setup did not find any hard disk
drives installed on your computer."


I seem to have done steps 1,2,3 but still Setup cannot find the RAID
volume. Any more Ideas?
Stan Hilliard

>When setup sees the drives you will be offered the option to format before
>you actually install XP.
>
>I haven't used your board, but this is a general approach for installing XP
>to third-party controllers.

"Stan Hilliard" <> wrote in message
<snip>
> Yes, I have been doing this. I neglected to mention it before, but I
> have been pushing F6. It loads some more files and then offers three
> options. I have 32 bit XP so I choose:
>
> "ULi SATA Controller (M1575/M1697, Windows XP/Server 2003)"
>
> After reading that option from floppy, I push ENTER. The PC loads some
> more files and then says: "To set up Windows XP now, press enter."
>
> I press ENTER and get this message: "Setup did not find any hard disk
> drives installed on your computer."
>
>
> I seem to have done steps 1,2,3 but still Setup cannot find the RAID
> volume. Any more Ideas?
> Stan Hilliard
>

According to the manual the KU8 uses ULI M5289 SATA chipset and M1689 single
chipset.

I would try the "ULi M5289 SATA Driver" from the Abit site. You need to
read the readme.txt file and follow the instructions to put the correct
files on the floppy for the F6 install. The other "ULi SATA driver disk"
seem to be for the M5288 chip.

Does your version of XP have SP1 or 2 included?
There *may* be an issue with large disks and the original XP, but you might
be better asking in an XP group about that.

This is more work than I have done building any of my own computers ;-)

HTH.

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:36:56 +0900, "fondue" <> wrote:
>"Stan Hilliard" <> wrote in message
><snip>
>> Yes, I have been doing this. I neglected to mention it before, but I
>> have been pushing F6. It loads some more files and then offers three
>> options. I have 32 bit XP so I choose:
>>
>> "ULi SATA Controller (M1575/M1697, Windows XP/Server 2003)"
>>
>> After reading that option from floppy, I push ENTER. The PC loads some
>> more files and then says: "To set up Windows XP now, press enter."
>>
>> I press ENTER and get this message: "Setup did not find any hard disk
>> drives installed on your computer."
>>
>>
>> I seem to have done steps 1,2,3 but still Setup cannot find the RAID
>> volume. Any more Ideas?
>> Stan Hilliard
>>
>
>According to the manual the KU8 uses ULI M5289 SATA chipset and M1689 single
>chipset.
>
>I would try the "ULi M5289 SATA Driver" from the Abit site. You need to
>read the readme.txt file and follow the instructions to put the correct
>files on the floppy for the F6 install. The other "ULi SATA driver disk"
>seem to be for the M5288 chip.

I was going to do that until I found this with google:

==== http://www.majorgeeks.com/ALi_Integr...ver_d4463.html
16.M5287 v 6.2.0.9 driver for 2000(WHQL)/2003/XP(WHQL)/x64(WHQL)
17.M5288 v 6.2.1.3 driver for 2000/2003/XP/x64
18.M5289 v 5.0.3.0 driver for
NT4/98se/Me/2000(WHQL)/XP(WHQL)/2003/x64(WHQL)
====
It looks like both M5288 and M5289 are for XP.

On ABIT's KU8 download page,
http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/...es=1&model=271
the latest .sys versions of M5288 is more recent than the latest .sys
of M5289.

It bothers me their zip files contain multiple copies of files:

ABITs ULi SATA Driver Disk ( file=uli_sata_v103.zip )
3 copies of M5288.sys, latest is: 01/11/05

ABITs ULi M5289 SATA Driver ( file=5029.zip )
8 copies of M5289.sys, latest is: 23/12/05

>Does your version of XP have SP1 or 2 included?
It has SP2

>There *may* be an issue with large disks and the original XP, but you might
>be better asking in an XP group about that.
I will raise that issues and the others when I call ABIT technical
service later today. I am waiting for their website to come up in case
they want me to download a diagnostic program.

>This is more work than I have done building any of my own computers ;-)
>HTH.
HTH, I really appreciate your help.
Stan Hilliard

"Stan Hilliard" <> wrote in message
<snip>
>>
>>According to the manual the KU8 uses ULI M5289 SATA chipset and M1689
>>single
>>chipset.
>>
>>I would try the "ULi M5289 SATA Driver" from the Abit site. You need to
>>read the readme.txt file and follow the instructions to put the correct
>>files on the floppy for the F6 install. The other "ULi SATA driver disk"
>>seem to be for the M5288 chip.
>
> I was going to do that until I found this with google:
>
> ==== http://www.majorgeeks.com/ALi_Integr...ver_d4463.html
> 16.M5287 v 6.2.0.9 driver for 2000(WHQL)/2003/XP(WHQL)/x64(WHQL)
> 17.M5288 v 6.2.1.3 driver for 2000/2003/XP/x64
> 18.M5289 v 5.0.3.0 driver for
> NT4/98se/Me/2000(WHQL)/XP(WHQL)/2003/x64(WHQL)
> ====
> It looks like both M5288 and M5289 are for XP.

They are drivers for different product covered by the same install package.
Same as Intel covers a wide variety of products in their chipset updates,
and ATI / Nvidia release driver packages that cover virtually all of their
current products.

>
> On ABIT's KU8 download page,
> http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/...es=1&model=271
> the latest .sys versions of M5288 is more recent than the latest .sys
> of M5289.
>

M5288 and M5289 are different products. Either see if there are drivers on
the CD that came with the board, or use install packages that cover M5289.

> It bothers me their zip files contain multiple copies of files:

That would be because the driver packages are for seven or more OSes.

"fondue" wrote:
>M5288 and M5289 are different products. Either see if there are drivers on
>the CD that came with the board, or use install packages that cover M5289.

Thank you for all your help. I was able to get Windows XP to recognize
the RAID by using the method you suggested. I used the "ULi SATA
Driver Disk" v1.0 from the download page. It contained the M5289
files. I used them on the diskette and Windows installed and is
working OK.

But it seems that every success is followed by a new question. In
device manager there are twe RAID entries.

Under "SCSI and RAID controllers" there is the M5289, which is working
properly.

Under "Other Devices", "? RAID controller" it says "the drivers for
this device are not installed (code 28)".

What is the method to rectify this?

Astoundingly, I found my missing ABIT KU8 driver disk and the CD that
came with the motherboard with drivers & ABIT utility. I had put it in
the garage when my wife insisted that I get all my computer stuff off
the dining room table before christmas.

I installed the other drivers (audio, LAN, M5289(again), "Cool and
Quiet", and ABIT EQ). This brought the PC to a standstill. Rebooting
didn't help. So I reinstalled Windows using the driver disk from the
motherboard. That is where I am now. I am concerned about installing
the other drivers from the driver CD because of the way that slowed
the PC before.

Any ideas about that?

Stan Hilliard