Promise Technology TX4000 user manual Troubleshooting & Tips, Motherboard Issues

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Chapter 6: Troubleshooting & Tips

This section is used to assist with troubleshooting conflicts and FastTrak TX4000 installation problems. Also refer to the README.TXT file on the FastTrak TX4000 driver and utility diskette for more recent information as well as the PromiseOnline services listed in Appendix A.

The section is divided into the following categories: Motherboard Issues, System CMOS Issues, Drive Errors, Operating System Errors, and Audio/Video Editing Tips.

Motherboard Issues

Freeing additional IRQ resources

Since the Promise card supports PCI Interrupt sharing, it is possible to use IRQs already assigned to another PCI card. Interrupt Sharing is not supported with onboard IDE controllers. If the onboard IDE controller(s) are not used, you may disable the controllers to free IRQ 14 and/or 15.

Configuring PCI IRQ resources

Setting the IRQ for a particular PCI slot will be different depending on the motherboard BIOS. This setting is usually made in the PCI Configuration and/or Plug and Play (PnP) section of the motherboard BIOS setup. There are three common methods that motherboard BIOS’s handle assignment of IRQs to PCI slots:

Specifically assigning an IRQ to a particular slot - You can tell the motherboard to use IRQ 10 for PCI slot 1, IRQ 11 for PCI slot 2, etc.

Listing which IRQs are available to be assigned to the PCI slots - This BIOS has an option where you specify 1st Available IRQ, 2nd Available IRQ, etc. The BIOS then scans the PCI slots for PCI cards and assigns these IRQs in the order that it finds the PCI cards.

Excluding an IRQ from being used by a PCI slot – If you have an ISA card that is using an IRQ, change the setting for this particular IRQ from Available to Used by ISA card so that the motherboard will not assign this IRQ to a PCI slot.

Consult your motherboard manual for information that is specific to your motherboard.

System locks up during boot up or when Windows starts

There may be a possible IRQ conflict with an ISA card. Identify what IRQs are used by ISA cards, enter the Motherboard PCI Setup, and reserve the IRQ for use with ISA. PCI slots cannot share IRQs with ISA cards.

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Contents Fasttrak TX4000 Copyright TrademarksImportant Data Protection Information Contents Page Introduction What is the FastTrak TX4000 RAID Card?Promise Array Management Utility PAM Features Benefits Keys Features and BenefitsCompatibility Quick Start Insert the FastTrak TX4000 card into an open PCI slot Installing the FastTrak TX4000 CardInstalling the Hard Drives IDE Creating Your Disk Array Creating an Array for Performance Creating a Security Array with New Drives Creating a Security Array with an Existing Data Drive QUANTUMCR8.4A Page Viewing FastTrak TX4000 Bios Screen Using FastBuild Configuration UtilityUsing the Main Menu Navigating the FastBuild Setup MenuCreating Arrays Automatically Defining Typical Application Usage Optimize Array forPerformance SecurityCreating Multiple Disk Arrays Using a Hot Spare DriveViewing Drive Assignments Manually Creating an Array Selecting Stripe Block Selecting Array TypeAssigning Drives to Array Gigabyte BoundaryCreating a Mirrored Array Using New Drives Adding Fault Tolerance to an Existing Drive Source Disk Channel Drive ID Drive Model Capacity MB Making a FastTrak TX4000 Disk Array Bootable Creating a Hot Spare Drive for Mirrored Arrays How FastTrak TX4000 Orders ArraysHow FastTrak TX4000 Saves Array Information Deleting an Array QUANTUMCR8.4A Rebuilding a Mirrored Array QUANTUMCR8.4A Procedure Number Installing Software DriversNew Windows Server 2003 Installation Confirming Windows Server 2003 Driver Installation Existing Windows Server 2003 InstallationNew Windows XP Installation Confirming Windows XP Driver Installation Existing Windows XP InstallationNew Windows 2000 Installation Existing Windows Confirming Windows 2000 Driver InstallationNew Windows ME Installation Confirming Driver Installation in Windows ME Existing Windows ME InstallationNew Windows NT4.x Installation Removing the Driver from Windows NT4.x Existing Windows NT4.x InstallationNew Windows 98 Installation Confirming Driver Installation in Windows Existing Windows 98 InstallationPage FastBuild Auto Menu Setup About Adapter BiosDisk Array Concepts About FastTrak TX4000Disk Array Terms RAID Level Performance Fault Capacity No. Tolerance DrivesDisk Array Description Disk Array MemberStriping RAID About RAID LevelsData Mirror Disk Drives Mirroring RAIDStriping / Mirror RAID 0+1 Failed Array Event Drives Status Why? About Dual Data RedundancyMotherboard Issues Troubleshooting & TipsConfiguring PCI IRQ resources System locks up during boot up or when Windows startsMiscellaneous problems such as System Cmos IssuesIntermittent data problems Using an Onboard IDE Card with FastTrak TX4000Critical Array Status Error Reported during Boot Drive-Related ErrorsDrive cannot be formed into an array System Cmos displays C or D drive failure during StartupUnable to partition or format array Cannot Rebuild Mirrored RAID 1 Array Operating System-Related Issues Different drive lettering under Windows NTPromise Windows driver does not appear in Device Manager Troubleshooting & Tips Re-Configure PCI Latency Setting Performance TipsOptimize Array for Performance Change Setting of PCI Bus Utilization Page Pre-Installation Appendix a Frequently Asked QuestionsWill Acpi work with HDDs on the FastTrak TX4000? Can I use Atapi devices on the FastTrak TX4000 controller?RAID 0 Stripe Drive IssuesRAID 1 Mirror RAID 0+1 MirrorHow do I partition/format my FastTrak TX4000 RAID array? Post-Installation Installation IssuesTechnical Support Services Appendix B Technical SupportUSA Tech Support Center European Tech Support Pacific Rim Sales OfficeChina Office Disclaimer of other warranties Limited WarrantyYour Responsibility Returning Product for Repair