SCSI HDD Boot Problem

[at1105]

Working on an older custom built pc. Has one hard drive that is connected to a SCSI card. My problem is that the SCSI card recognizes the HDD but it won't boot it. I've tested the drive on the IDE port by using on of the optical drive spots on the IDE cable and it boots fine but when running through the SCSI card it recognizes it but wont boot it.

I went into the BIOS and under "Hard Disk Boot Priority" is shows

(1) SCSI-0 : IT8212
(2) Bootable Add-in Cards

"Boot Device List" Shows

(1) Floppy
(2) Hard Disk
(3) CD-Rom


When I start it up it detects the IDE devices (Optical Drives) and then goes to RAID Bios and finds the drive and asks if I want to go to RAID SETUP or CONTINUE. If I don't do anything (or CONTINUE) it acts like it wants to boot. It lists all the PCI devices and Verifies DMI Pool stuff and then starts the Network boot rom screen but eventually ends up saying "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER".

I'm sure it's something simple that i'm not doing. I have ZERO experiences with SCSI and RAID so this is excellent learning opportunity. Any ideas?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Typically with real hardware based RAID controller cards, you set the boot device order to use the card...you'd see a 4th entry there to make the card the bootable device. Like Adaptec or LSI or Promise or whatever brand it is.

 

[at1105]

Typically with real hardware based RAID controller cards, you set the boot device order to use the card...you'd see a 4th entry there to make the card the bootable device. Like Adaptec or LSI or Promise or whatever brand it is.

In the boot order it doesn't show any devices to choose from other than the standard entries (hard drive, cd rom, floppy, lan, disable, etc). It doesn't give me an entry to choose the card.

 

[mr m]

I'm confused and half asleep!

You say only one drive is hooked up to the SCSI adapter? If that's true, you don't have RAID because you need a minimum of two HDD's.

If you were able to successfully boot the HDD by removing an optical drive and replacing it with the HDD in question you don't need the adapter unless there are more than four IDE drives.

We need more info or I read this all wrong.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

What is the motherboard make/model, and what is the SCSI and/or RAID card? Like Adaptec 2940u or something...

 

[at1105]

I'm confused and half asleep!

You say only one drive is hooked up to the SCSI adapter? If that's true, you don't have RAID because you need a minimum of two HDD's.

If you were able to successfully boot the HDD by removing an optical drive and replacing it with the HDD in question you don't need the adapter unless there are more than four IDE drives.

We need more info or I read this all wrong.

There are two IDE CD-Rom drives on one IDE cable that is occupying the only IDE port on the board. The other port is the floppy. There are no slots remaining except for the SCSI card. The prompt to configure RAID options happens at boot and there is nothing in the BIOS that I can find that allows me to disable it.

 

[at1105]

What is the motherboard make/model, and what is the SCSI and/or RAID card? Like Adaptec 2940u or something...

The motherboard is an Abit LG-95Z

http://abit.ws/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php@pMODEL_NAME=LG-95Z&fMTYPE=LGA775

The SCSI Card is Integrated Technology Express Inc (*Model IT8212)

*Googled it and it comes up as a PATA Controller with RAID support. Is also says that depending on the implemented BIOS and configuration, the IT8212 functions in either a RAID or an ATAPI mode.

 

[red12049]

The motherboard is an Abit LG-95Z

http://abit.ws/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php@pMODEL_NAME=LG-95Z&fMTYPE=LGA775

The SCSI Card is Integrated Technology Express Inc (*Model IT8212)

*Googled it and it comes up as a PATA Controller with RAID support. Is also says that depending on the implemented BIOS and configuration, the IT8212 functions in either a RAID or an ATAPI mode.

So... Not SCSI but PATA. Pull the cable off the CD drives, hook it to the hdd, make whatever changes you need to make in BIOS, and see if it boots.

Was wondering how you were able to cable a SCSI drive to IDE...

Rick

 

[Altster]

So... Not SCSI but PATA. Pull the cable off the CD drives, hook it to the hdd, make whatever changes you need to make in BIOS, and see if it boots.

Was wondering how you were able to cable a SCSI drive to IDE...

Rick

Aren't many SATA ports on this type of mother board also referred to SCSI? I see 4 ports (upper-right corner in the picture). There is a chance that up to 4 identical drives could be attached here and set up as RAID 0/1.

I was also wondering about the IDE to SCSI reference.

 

[anti]

BIOS assumed the add-on card was a SCSI HBA. (it's cosmetic only)

Don't think SATA ports should be or were ever referred to as SCSI ports. Only thing that comes close is SAS with its own obvious differences.

Then again pretty easy to mix up the protocol with interconnects. I'm guilty half the time myself.

Back to the topic, run drive diagnostics on your bench machine, and go from there.

 

[mr m]

An easy way out would be to uninstall the PATA adapter card, remove one of the IDE optical drives and install the HDD in its place since that worked during your troubleshooting.

If the client needs or insists on two optical drives install a $20 SATA DVD to one of those four SATA ports and collect your money.

They do make an IDE to SATA adapter so you can use the existing IDE DVD in a SATA port but like the PATA adapter it adds another potential failure point.

 

[at1105]

An easy way out would be to uninstall the PATA adapter card, remove one of the IDE optical drives and install the HDD in its place since that worked during your troubleshooting.

If the client needs or insists on two optical drives install a $20 SATA DVD to one of those four SATA ports and collect your money.

They do make an IDE to SATA adapter so you can use the existing IDE DVD in a SATA port but like the PATA adapter it adds another potential failure point.

Sounds like an excellent plan. I'm getting nowhere with the controller board so that's what we'll do. Thanks!