Windows NT4 and SATA drives

[Pablo2008jedi]

Hi Guys and Gals,

I was wondering if someone could help me.

As part of my duties, at work, I have to setup a test lab with numerious PC's.

I have baught a few and some have SATA drives. Now I have no problem insalling XP, 2000 and 98 but I can't install windows NT4.

I either get, after copying the setup files, "No Operating Sytem". Or if I use the NT4 setup disks I get a BSOD with the message "inaccessable boot device"

Anyone get round this? or can help?

Thanks :p

[Nelsinho]

welcome to Neowin (Y)

well, maybe I'm wrong because I don't remember almost nothing about nt4 is very old sorry IMHO, but this os don't support sata drives, I reccomend you search into ms knowledge base or still technet to verify :)

[Pablo2008jedi]

Doh!! why didn't I think of the MS site.......

Thanks will check it out

[Mando]

NT4 does not support S-ata drives, gawds it doesnt by default support plug and play & usb for starters never mind soemthing new like sata.

Unless your mobo manufacturer has provided s-ata controller drivers on a bootfloppy for nt4 then im afraid youve got no chance.

the only time ive seen usb on any NT4 rigs have been on SGI workstations running NT4 WS. The usb was enable donchip and built into their sparcOS bootloader.

This is the only example of an item not supported in nt4 that ive seen working.

[Jonny_C]

http://www.xtremecomp.com/xtblog/index.php?p=30

Friday, December 3, 2004

NT and Serial ATA RAID

http://www.xtremecomp.com/xtblog/index.php?cat=3

[Mando]

spot on Jonny_c proof is in the pudding as such.

I coulda told him bout the mixed env mode network & w2k3 been arguin that same fact to my IT manager (my boss) that exact problem with him wanting to go W2k3 we still use those sgi 420/430s @work running yup u guessed it nt4.

I couldnt do them W2k as SGI stopped supporting Windows year or two ago. I did the google thang and whala some uk hosted sites of people that had doen exactly what i had tried to varying degrees of success.

Thats kinda Ironic seeings as at that time the gfx guys @SGI became dejected and dispondent to their employers and broke away to form their own company...anyone guessed who they became?.......nv-d-a?? :D

Undeterred i went ahead and got them both working to a degree.

The 430s went without a hitch basically dual socket 370 Via chipset mobos with Adaptec onboard scsi.

the 420s on the other hand are a different kettle of fish. They have SGIS own Cobalt chipset gfx and the driver i can get works to a degree but any update to the system and i have to reinstall the gfx driver as its not plug and play compatible :blink:

a quick pci gffx 5200 128mber soon sorted that :woot:

[betasp]

the 420s on the other hand are a different kettle of fish. They have SGIS own Cobalt chipset gfx and the driver i can get works to a degree but any update to the system and i have to reinstall the gfx driver as its not plug and play compatible

I used to work for a VAR and used a 420 with W2k on it everyday. There was a speciallty driver that you can still find on the internet that you had to install but it worked great with the cobalt chipset. That machine is still one of the fatest I ahve worked on.

Drivers can be found here...

http://www.sgi.com/products/legacy/intel.html

Of no, wait... it was a 320 that I worked on... NM.

[Jason]

I thought SATA was invisible to the OS as its reported the same as PATA at the transport layer of the OSI model.

Well this would work for Intel as their SATA ports are integrated fully requiring no extra drivers but as for AMD I have no idea.

[Mando]

I thought SATA was invisible to the OS as its reported the same as PATA at the transport layer of the OSI model.

Well this would work for Intel as their SATA ports are integrated fully requiring no extra drivers but as for AMD I have no idea.

585267917[/snapback]

there were all intel systems dood ;)

XP pre sp2 requires drivers for sata drives as do all other (9x,Me,2k)

[Jason]

there were all intel systems dood ;)

XP pre sp2 requires drivers for sata drives as do all other (9x,Me,2k)

585268347[/snapback]

Nope I am using an Abit IC7-G and my SATA drive installs as if it were a PATA drive, I do not need to press F6 to install more drivers, this is with 2000 and XP.

[Mando]

I used to work for a VAR and used a 420 with W2k on it everyday. There was a speciallty driver that you can still find on the internet that you had to install but it worked great with the cobalt chipset. That machine is still one of the fatest I ahve worked on.

Drivers can be found here...

http://www.sgi.com/products/legacy/intel.html

Of no, wait... it was a 320 that I worked on... NM.

585267723[/snapback]

cheers dood its ok the 420s are on that page also ;) (weve replaced them now anyhoos as piii550s are too slow for our CAD department now)

They are now proud owners of Dual Xeon 3.2s with 256mb 6800Ultras for PTCs Wildfire 2 (3d modelling etc) built by me :rofl:

[Mando]

Nope I am using an Abit IC7-G and my SATA drive installs as if it were a PATA drive, I do not need to press F6 to install more drivers, this is with 2000 and XP.

585268360[/snapback]

i also have 2 ic7-gs and trust me dood only Xp sp2 and mayb sp1 at a push supports s-ata no other OS does(just recently changed to abit ic7gs so cant confirm. I dont think XP pre sp1 does as i used to have a gigabyte 875mobo and it required the drivers on bootfloppy for direct sata base mode . It could run in pseudo pata mode but nt4 just wont play ball due to the way it uses interrupts.

in all honesty i shouldnt have quoted the 2k as ive not actually tested it.

sorry bout that :blush:

the IC7 mobos are pretty darned stable & fast better than my Gigabyte GA8KNXP.