HDD issue - driving me insane.

I have dual booted with Windows Vista x64 and Windows XP (both x64 and x86). When installing the Windows XP component, both HDD's are seen without issue. So I install it on a partition of the 1st drive (same drive as Vista). Once finished, I get 2 issues:

1) Windows XP takes a VERY long time to boot (sits at the Microsoft screen for about 10 minutes, at least)
2) It does not recognize the 2nd HDD

When I first installed Windows XP x64, it would not see the hard drive. However, the first couple of startups were fast. Since, I have formatted (full format of the partition, not quick) the partition and installed Windows XP x86 over it. Same issues; cannot see the 2nd HDD and it still takes forever to boot up. This is not due to programs running in the background since I have not installed anything on the OS yet.

What can I do to fix this?



I'm still having issues with my 2nd HDD not showing up in Windows XP (x86 or x64). I have the newest Intel updates for them. In Vista, it works no problem (I am dual booting Vista x64 and XP x86). When in XP x86 last, it says that there is an error with a RAID 0 volume and that it cannot be found.

Is it possible that the 2nd HDD that Eurocom gave me was used in another computer in RAID configuration beforehand? How is it possible to get rid of XP trying to find it in RAID 0 as a 960GB drive (this would be 3 320GB drives for the D901C, which would make sense).

Loading up HDTune in Vista x64, I get these hours of on-time:

200GB = 392 hours
320GB = 429 hours

This is a difference of 37 hours. This can't be right, unless the 320GB drive was being used before the main drive was put in (200GB is the primary that they installed Windows on, originally). I have not removed any of the drives other than to move the 2nd drive from next to the 1st, to underneath the battery.

I am very confused here and nobody seems to be able to figure out my issue. I've formatted and everything. Disk management in Windows XP x64 sees a disk that is 960GB and will not let it be initialized or formatted. Windows XP x86 does not even see the disc in the disk management section. However, in Windows XP x64 and x86, whenever you open the Intel console that installs with the HDD drivers (what Eurocom gave me), it shows the drive as 320GB. However, down by the clock, that SAME program continues to give me a warning that an Intel RAID 0 volume cannot be found. Then it says something about either a drive is missing or it is not set up.

One other thing to note. I keep having issue with "write ahead" with Windows XP x86 and one of my externals. I never had this issue with Windows XP x64. And for those of you that haven't read my other topics, Windows XP (both x86 and x64... when installed) takes about 10 minutes to boot up. There are no programs installed currently on Windows XP. I performed a partition format to remove Windows XP x64 before putting on Windows XP x86.

Anybody? Please... thanks.

 

You have installed 3 OSs, and you are dual-booting ?!

 

No, I formatted the partition with Windows XP x64 before installing x86. I also removed all links to dual booting with the Vista (Easy BCD).

Also, keep in mind that I had these issues when I only had Windows XP x64 and Windows Vista x64 installed (and nothing else).

Also, as I made mention in my other topic, Windows XP x64 would SEE the 2nd HDD in storage management as a 960GB unallocated disc (RAID 0 Volume, for some reason). I was unable to format or initialize this "disk". However, Windows XP x64 doesn't see this disc. Meanwhile, Windows Vista x64 (which I am on now), can see all disks and utilize them without issue.

 

Do you have, or did you have, RAID enabled?

 

I never enabled RAID, but I am wondering if Eurocom used this computer or HDD at one point with RAID enabled. I keep having issues with it. They are not noticed in Windows Vista, but they definitely are in both versions of XP. Windows XP plays all of my games so much better (upwards from 25-100% increase in performance for games I have tried). I do not want to rely on not using XP because something isn't working. Also, I just noticed that there is a 38-hour difference between the HDD power on times.

200GB = 392 hours
320GB = 430 hours

 

Ok, so now you are dual-booting XP 32 and Vista 64, right ?
You can see all HDDs in Vista, but not in XP ?
Do you have AHCI/SATA enabled in the BIOS ?

 

Yes, that is correct.

Timeline:

1) Vista x64 installed - working flawlessly
2 weeks pass...
2) XP x64 installed - loaded drivers (didn't notice missing HDD)
3) Rebooted, took a long time to boot... computer worked fine, but missing 2nd HDD
4) Tried many things to get 2nd HDD working as Vista still sees it
5) Formatted partition with Windows XP x64.
6) Started over with dual booting, this time installing x32 from Uni.
7) Slow booting up, but works fine... still missing 2nd HDD
8) Today... stumped... it cannot be a software issue or a reformat would have corrected that... wouldn't it?

 

Is the HDD in AHCI/SATA or IDE mode ?

(I remember reading a KB article that the HDD is not seen in XP when AHCI is enabled on dual-booting systems. But I can't find it in my bookmarks !! )

 

AHCI mode in BIOS. It gives me the option of NORMAL/AHCI/RAID.

I never changed it because that is how the computer came to me as. What is the difference between AHCI/SATA and Normal (IDE?). Wouldn't that affect performance?

 

Well XP needs additional drivers to enable the HDDs to run in AHCI mode.

I know that KB article somewhat related to AHCI. But its hard to find on msdn without the correct tags.

And reverting back to IDE will be hard.

Basically, AHCI improves performance slightly, mainly due to NCQ. But the gain is not much. IDE is also known as Compatibility Mode.

What chipset ? Is it the P965 and ICH8-R chipset in that notebook ?

 

Wouldn't the 1st HDD not work since it is SATA mode too?

 

You have XP and Vista on the same HDD ?

Download PC Wizard 2008, and in Drives, check if both HDDs are in AHCI mode or not....

 

Yes, they are both on separate partitions of the C drive... renamed C and D. I will try out that program. Thanks.

 

Do you have the Matrix Storage Manager installed ??

Vista has a native AHCI driver, so it can recognise as many SATA drives, without installation. (If that driver is enabled)

XP does not have a native driver, so you might need to install a separate driver for each HDD.

 

This is interesting:

Drive B (2nd HDD, I've been trying different letters...) shows up as "Disk Type: Hard drive partition" with 100% free space.
Model : TOSHIBA MK3252GSX (320GB, 5,400 RPM)
Peripheral Type: ATA

I do not see anything about AHCI mode.

The other OS HDD, shows up the same information on each partition, with different Volume Names and Serial Numbers... everything else is the same.

Disk Type : Hard Disk
Peripheral Type : ATA
Model : ST9200420AS (Seagate 200GB, 7,200 RPM)

 

I installed both the Matrix Storage Manager that was with the Eurocom DVD and the newer version on Intel's site. It was that manager's console that showed the RAID 0 issue, yet at the same time showing a healthy 320GB drive.

How would I know which driver to use for each HDD? I have looked on the companies websites and saw no drivers. All I received was the Intel one.

I just found this information which doesn't make sense.

Model : ST9200420AS
Serial Number : 5SH0CF6J
Revision (Firmware) : 3.AAA
Family : Seagate Momentus 7200.2
Serial ATA : Yes
Serial ATA version : 1.0 - (SATA-150)
Support : ATA/ATAPI-7
Size : 200 GB

The HDD is supposed to be SATA-300.

same with the other drive...

Model : TOSHIBA MK3252GSX
Serial Number : 18JMT12PT
Revision (Firmware) : LV010A
Serial ATA : Yes
Serial ATA version : 1.0 - (SATA-150)

 

In Drives > No. of Disk Controller.

You don't see the HDD in Disk Management or Device Manager ?

Which chipset has the notebook got ?

 

There are screens of the information. Sorry I am not adept at HDD's, yet.

According to CPU-Z...

Chipset: Intel P965/G965
Southbridge: 82801HB/HR (ICH8/R)

Even my external 500GB HDD is "Serial ATA version : 2.0 - (SATA-300)" with "UDMA Mode max. : 6 (ATA-133)", whereas the others are SATA-150 and USMA 5.

 

Actually, need to see a screenshot of 'No. of disk controller'....

 

Here you go... I am not sure what the two mean. It says AHCI mode, for Disk Controller 1. Should I be running this program in Vista or XP? I am in Vista right now. Starting up XP will take about 10 minutes or so, but I don't mind.

 

Well, it seems as if the 1st HDD is in AHCI mode, whereas the 2nd HDD is in IDE mode.

I'll see if I can find that KB article.
Or you could try reinstalling both OSs, which AHCI off.

 

I don't know where you see that that 2nd HDD is in IDE. I see that the second Drive Controller is IDE. But, it shows above that Port 0 and Port 2 are both AHCI. Port 0 = HDD1 and Port 2 = HDD2. If that is the case, than they are both in AHCI, since Drive Controller 1 is SATA mode.

Also, notice the conflicting information from my XP x86 screen I just took. Intel Matrix Storage Manager shows 320GB drive okay, whereas the Intel Storage Manager tray says that there are RAID issues.

Just an update. I used Bootvis and the "BOOT" process took 207.91 seconds to complete before it loaded explorer.exe and the other Windows applications. There doesn't seem to have been any driver delays before the 200-second mark. What could possibly cause the Windows screen to scroll for a whole 200 seconds? Also added my BOOTVIS results. Notice that there is nothing logged on the Boot Activity graph... odd.