Promise Technology 150TX2 Drive-Related Errors, Critical Array Status Error Reported during Boot

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Chapter 6: Troubleshooting & Tips

Drive-Related Errors

Critical Array Status Error Reported during Boot

If a critical status error message appears on the FastTrak S150 TX2plus BIOS startup screen for a mirrored array (see below), there is a drive in the array that has failed or is not responding. FastTrak S150 TX2plus will identify the failed drive by channel number. The mirrored array has lost its fault tolerance, but will still perform normal drive reads and writes.

Operation aborted because FastBuild encountered an error as follows:

Location: Channel 2

Array Status: Critical

Please retry using Promise Array Management utility to recover all data. Reboot the system by pressing the ENTER key.

Try powering the system off and on to reset the drive. Also confirm that cables are properly attached and the drive is receiving power. If the drive still appears to have failed, refer to the Rebuilding an Array option in the Promise Array Management (PAM) utility as detailed in the PAM User Manual.

Drive cannot be formed into an array

Drives must support Ultra DMA or Serial ATA and be free of media defects to be added into an array. Promise recommends using new identical drives for each array. Re-secure data and power cabling while checking for proper alignment. Typically, Pin 1 of the drive is closest to the power connector.

System CMOS displays C: or D: drive failure during Startup

Do not reference C: or D: in the Motherboard Standard CMOS for drives attached to the FastTrak S150 TX2plus controller. Only enter drive information in the Motherboard CMOS for drives attached to the onboard IDE controller.

FDISK reports a much lower drive capacity if a single physical drive or a striped array exceeds 64GB

Due to a limitation with FDISK, the utility reports only the storage capacity that exceeds 64GB. This is a cosmetic, not actual, limitation. Simply create a single DOS drive partition, reboot, and then format the partition. The Format command will recognize the total capacity of the partition accurately. Windows NT/2000/98 will now recognize the total capacity of your array.

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Contents Fasttrak S150 TX2PLUS Copyright TrademarksImportant Data Protection Information Contents Page FastTrak S150 TX2plus IntroductionPromise Array Management Utility PAM Features Benefits Key Features and BenefitsCompatibility Unpacking Your FastTrak Card InstallationInsert the FastTrak card into an open PCI slot Installing the FastTrak CardInstalling the Hard Drives FastTrak S150 TX2plus card Creating Your Disk Array Creating a Performance Array Creating a Security Array with New Drives Page Creating a Security Array with an Existing Data Drive Seagate S380023AS Installation Creating a Security Array with Quick Initialization Installation Page Viewing FastTrak S150 TX2plus Bios Screen Using FastBuild Configuration UtilityUsing the Main Menu Navigating the FastBuild Setup MenuCreating Arrays Automatically Optimize Array forPerformance Security and Performance SecurityUsing a Hot Spare Drive Creating Multiple Arrays Viewing Drive AssignmentsManually Creating an Array Selecting Stripe Block Selecting Array TypeGigabyte Boundary Creating a Striped Array Assigning Drives to ArrayCreating a Mirrored Array Using New Drives Adding Fault Tolerance to an Existing Drive Drive Model Capacity MB Page Creating a Hot Spare Drive for Mirrored Arrays How FastTrak S150 TX2plus Orders ArraysHow FastTrak S150 TX2plus Saves Array Information Deleting an Array Array Stripe 160048 Rebuilding a Mirrored Array 80024 Page Procedure Number Installing Software DriversWindows XP Installation Confirming Windows XP Driver Installation Existing Windows XP InstallationNew Windows 2000 Installation Confirming Windows 2000 Driver Installation Existing Windows 2000 InstallationNew Windows ME Installation Confirming Windows ME Driver Installation Existing Windows ME InstallationNew Windows NT4.0 Installation Removing Driver from Windows NT4.0 Existing Windows NT4.0 InstallationNew Windows 98 Installation Confirming Windows 98 Driver Installation Existing Windows 98 InstallationPage Reserve Sector About Adapter BiosFastBuild Auto Menu Setup About FastTrak S150 TX2plusDisk Array Member RAID Level Performance Fault Capacity No. Tolerance DrivesDisk Array Terms Disk Array DescriptionStriping RAID About RAID LevelsData Mirror Disk Drives Mirroring RAIDDisk Array Concepts Striping / Mirroring RAID 0+1 Freeing additional IRQ resources Motherboard IssuesConfiguring PCI IRQ resources Intermittent data problemsUsing an Onboard IDE Card with FastTrak S150 TX2plus System Cmos IssuesSystem Cmos displays C or D drive failure during Startup Drive-Related ErrorsCritical Array Status Error Reported during Boot Drive cannot be formed into an arrayUnable to Partition or Format Array Cannot Rebuild Mirrored RAID 1 Array Promise Windows driver does not appear in Device Manager Operating System-Related IssuesTroubleshooting & Tips Optimize Array for Performance Performance TipsChange Setting of PCI Bus Utilization Page Pre-Installation Appendix a Frequently Asked QuestionsRAID 0 Stripe RAID 1 MirrorRAID 0+1 Stripe + Mirror Drive Issues Page Post-Installation Installation IssuesPage Technical Support Services USA Tech Support CenterEuropean Tech Support China Office Pacific Rim Sales OfficeDisclaimer of other warranties Limited WarrantyYour Responsibilities Returning Product for Repair