HDD seen as "Array" on G51vx in certain conditions

Weeeird hard drive issue I can't find a cause or solution for.
I got a WD5000BEKT for my laptop. When first installed the drivers installed right away for a device called "Array". Under HDTune it was called Intel Storage Array. Under Disk management it claims to have 1.4TB of space (not the 500gb) and when attempting to format, it says its not initialized. When trying to initialize it says "cannot find file specified". Uninstalling the driver and restarting/rescanning hardware, it still comes up as an "array".
It is seen properly on a desktop of mine (which I tihnk is in IDE mode).
It is seen on the UBCD4Windows when my laptop is in IDE mode, but NOT "Enhanced" mode (same fault will happen). Can't try detecting it on OS in IDE mode as my Vista will BSOD.

What I've tried (without success):
Updating laptops BIOS to most recent.
Trying a different Vista install I use (not vlite'd)
Formatting it on the desktop and putting back in the laptop
Updating ICH9m Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver (last updated in 09?)
Different SATA port on laptop
Yelling at it.

It passes all tests when connected to desktop, so it seems more like a chipset/driver/setting/drive combination problem or.. something? Google never gave me anything useful, always just stuff pertaining to RAID setups.

 

More info: Was detected and worked fine in an enclosure, formatted it, etc still no go.
A Win 7 install disc was able to install win 7 ultimate on it, and still, Vista sees it as a raid array.

Turns out it was part of a raid. kinda figured.

 

I had something similiar when I used my momentus XT in a raid0 setup. Even when I swapped into another laptop at the time it was detected like that.

Both notebooks had the intel RST/Storage Matrix drivers. Once I killed the drivers it was fine until I reinstalled that one. Eventually I killed it after a disk wipe and changing it to GPT. (I was playing with EFI)


Oh, the 2 notebooks if your wondering were a G50v-x1 and a G73jh-x1

 

I'll try disabling the SMM driver and then restarting, if that's what you mean.

Thanks for the insight, you're the only one so far!

 

Any chance that the drives in question were ever used in another machine, even for testing?

The media ID bytes in the mft on the drive might have been changed at some point to show membership in a multi disk array.

An easy way to get rid of this is to boot your machine with something like clonezilla. The with the tools there, erase all of the partitions on the drive. To be 'safe' you might want to then repartition the drive as one big fat32 disk.

Once done, your windows install dvd should be happy with the drive.

 

Yes, they were used in a different setup (unknown) in a RAID.
I've already deleted the partitions as I described, and formatted (quickly, and fully) and yet it still shows up as a RAID device.
I don't want to install anything, I already know I can.

I need a clone of my current install on it, I refuse to reinstall again.

There is no Intel Storage Matrix manager in device manager, disabling the I MSS monitor service did nothing.

AH HA, it was in Programs. Odd, so far so good.

 

If the media descriptor bytes are not as expected/required, the stock windows tools will NOT reset them.

You're really going to have to use a linux distro to fix things.

If this is a descriptor byte problem, it's not the fault of RST; deinstalling the Intel software won't help a thing.

The 'fault' lies with a human who didn't properly remove the drive from a previously established raid set before trying to repurpose the drive in another machine.

 

Well, removing MSS DID allow the drive to work, after re-working the boot path (pointed to G:, became C: after clone).

How would I check and/or repair the descriptor bytes? I've never had to do that. Would like to to avoid future problems.

 

Well removing MSS was how I resolved it when I first encountered it last year.

I inadvertently removed the said "bytes" that described the raid setup that newsposter is talking about. The way I went about it was; I didn't break my raid in my G50v but wanted a XT as a boot drive in my G73 as I was selling the G50. So I used a mint livecd (usb) and changed partitions to GPT when setting up EFI. Somehow that caused it to never come back when I went back to non-GPT and installed RST10/MSS.

I'd have to google since I don't know this. Maybe newsposter knows right off a correct/good way to take care of this.

 

Hmm, that might have to do if I ever change the drive, but ATM, I don't want to repartition again. I'll just have to keep it in mind unless I find something better.
Thanks, both of you!

EDIT: Backed up the drive, wiped it, converted it to GPT via command prompt, and back to MBR. Finally stopped crashing with any presence of RST or MSS.