ASRock X79 mobo needs SATA drivers on a FLOPPY!? Is this a joke?

[mallok]

I just built a new system with an ASRock X79 Extreme6 motherboard. Everything went great until I booted the machine up and my hard drives were no where to be found in the BIOS.

It recognized my SATA dvd drives just fine, but the SATA hard drives aren't there are at all.

I read in the setup manual that "If you want to install Windows on a SATA hard drive you have to make a SATA driver floppy disk"

This has to be a joke, right? I haven't had a floppy drive in a machine for well over five years, and I have never heard of a BIOS that is unable to recognize a SATA hard drive on its own. Does anyone know what the deal is here?

It seems totally backwards to me that I have to install Windows to get my BIOS to recognize a SATA hard drive.

I've tried setting all of the BIOS options to SATA to IDE mode and compatibility mode and still nothing.

Help, please!

Thanks!

 

[jaquith]

If you installed as AHCI and by not using the (F6) driver as I suggested then the wrong driver is running and will eventually if not already corrupt your MBR. More than likely if the PC fails to wake from sleep properly this is the cause.

To test, simply set the SATA -> RAID if it BSOD's then the Intel RST Enterprise drives i.e. the wrong drivers are installed. This typically cannot be corrected after the fact.

Sorry you had a bad SSD, it happens. 🙁

 

[mallok]

If you installed as AHCI and by not using the (F6) driver as I suggested then the wrong driver is running and will eventually if not already corrupt your MBR. More than likely if the PC fails to wake from sleep properly this is the cause.

To test, simply set the SATA -> RAID if it BSOD's then the Intel RST Enterprise drives i.e. the wrong drivers are installed. This typically cannot be corrected after the fact.

Sorry you had a bad SSD, it happens. 🙁

Interesting. Will this also corrupt the non-windows drives, or is it only on the boot drive?

I really don't want to reinstall Windows again, but I will if I must.

Also, I should ask if this corruption will happen even if I keep my drives in AHCI mode (which they all are, and have been since installation)

 

[jaquith]

Try as I suggested changing to RAID (BSOD), Sleep (Start menu / select Sleep), or simply start-up Windows repair (something like problem found and unable to repair).

This Intel RST Enterprise (AHCI/RAID) is so far universal to the X79 Chipset, but maybe ASRock is fine (immune) with AHCI Windows then Intel RST replacement after the fact. If I didn't build X79's then I too would have assumed, but incorrectly, that the (F6) or as I described wasn't required.

Further, unless the Intel RST Enterprise is properly used (MBR) then you are, no doubts about it, losing significant performance -- not to mention the MBR.

IMO test with ATTO now, reinstall OS and compare ATTO with the latest Intel RST-E drivers.

It's your rig, do as you want.

I ran across this once the hard way and then I re-installed 'properly' and all the problems were corrected. Most X79's I've done were RAID 0 boot SSD so there's no choice but to install properly using the Intel RST-E driver; however, once I had a single SSD and later 'tried' to change to RAID to add a RAID 1 data drive. I could add the RAID but Windows BSOD even with the Intel RST-E driver installed after the fact. Installing Windows is a cake walk.

 

[mallok]

I will probably do as you suggest. It's not so much that installing Windows is difficult... it's more that I will have to re-download Skyrim, and I just got it running!

I have definitely put this rig into Sleep/Suspend a couple times and it comes back fine, so I'm not sure what that indicates. But I will try the RAID thing tonight, I suppose.

 

[jaquith]

My best suggestion, and one that's often difficult to follow. I 'get' the need to play, but I also get the PITA of failures.

Never install anything other than Windows, Drivers, normal/OC BIOS environment, and Testing Application(s) e.g. AIDA64 until there's a MINIMUM of 24 hour or better a 48 full burn-in followed by 4-6 full passes of Memtest86+, and the PC works as expected (booting, sleep, hibernation, shutdowns ... you name it).

If a PC cannot endure those tests in the 'normal operational' environment then your time wasted is greatly reduced.

 

[jaquith]

@Nikorr - Please leave Thread opened until I receive feedback from OP. Then I'll PM you to close. Thanks!

@Mallok - Please let me know your findings. Thanks!

 

[mallok]

I am familiar with memtest86, but is there any special tool for you use to burn in your new builds? Do you just do Prime95? How do you test your gfx card?

Also, is 24 hours really necessary? I have heard this before but have never heard a reasonable explanation as to why. 24 hours at full load is not realistic and it seems like it would put unnatural and unnecessary stress on the machine.

 

[jaquith]

ANS - yes IMO folks are crazy not to do a proper burn-in, and in most instances your ultra-fast RMA/Exchanges goes bye-bye after 30 days. In comparison, a typical non-cross-ship MOBO RMA is 3+ weeks from ship to receive date. You might as well find out now than later. I do a series of tests and validations, pretend you're building this PC for a paying customer and want repeat business. Nothing will piss them off faster than the PC going poof two days later, so why short change yourself?! IMO makes no sense!

Since I assume the 'plan' is to game for more than 1 to 2 hours, it seems crazy not to fully test for a lot longer period of time. Remember, Prime95 only stresses the CPU and to a limited extent the RAM only not to mention ignoring several instruction sets that aren't tested. AIDA64 tests them all.

Futuremark tests like 3DMark 11, PCMark 7 and 3DMark Vantage are primary benchmarks than ideal stressing test unless you have a copy that can 'loop' repeatably. Ditto with ATTO benchmark to benchmark vs testing the drives.

I own a copy of AIDA64 Extreme Edition, It's $39 USD and IMO worth the costs and has the ability to stress and test everything. Recently added features can be found here. The free version I'm not sure what it limits or omits, but it's better than Prime95.

On PC's I build, 48 hours for a PC and 96 hours for a Workstation. In this time you'll find 99% of any component issues. Another 0.5% within <30 days, and the other 0.5% just happens.

Memtest86+ is a must for at least 4-passes or simply overnight. Download the ISO/zip file and extract the ISO, in most cases a simple double-click puts the image in you DVD/BR to be burned. Once burned, keep it in the ODD and press F8 until the boot selection comes up and select the ODD, the test will start automatically. The more RAM the longer it takes.

--

Conversely, if you prefer to have a PC fail in a middle of a game then ignore my advice. Doing it Wong is easy. Note my Motto here 😉

 

[mallok]

You raise a good point. Does stress testing for 48 hours straight reduce the lifespan of any components?

It seems like my plan is going to be (1) play an hour or two of Skyrim 😉 and then (2) reinstall windows and start the diagnostics.

I'll probably purchase AIDA64, since it seems like a great tool to have around. But it seems like purchasing it gives you a license to free upgrades for only 1 year? That's not horrible, but I would hope for more like 5 years.

 

[jaquith]

Reduce it's lifespan no, that is assuming you don't do something stupid like excessive voltages. Example, >1.45v on any SB-E or VCCSA >1.30v is simply crazy and will indeed shorten both it's life and permanently damage the SB-E CPU (at least a 2 or 3 bin for good loss).

If it's running at stock (F5) then it should be good for years straight non-stop. I have servers that are running on average 80% 24/7/365 until they break.

I have nothing to do or control of AIDA64's policies. It's a quality product and does the job. You can certainly try/use the free version; all I know or remember it disables some read outs and perhaps tests.

Remember, the objective now is to make the PC fail and hopefully any poor component(s) fail. Better now than to baby it and have it fail after the easy exchange period.

This is simple logic -- go play and enjoy. Then try to find the weak link -- if any.

(2) days no toy, but afterwards a PC you can trust for years!

 

[mallok]

Reduce it's lifespan no, that is assuming you don't do something stupid like excessive voltages.

Yeah, I am planning to run stock. I am not really an OC enthusiast. There's not much a 3.6Ghz quad core can't do for me.

I have nothing to do or control of AIDA64's policies.

:lol: I didn't think you did. It was more of a rhetorical comment. I am spoiled by FRAPS free for life license.

Remember, the objective now is to make the PC fail and hopefully any poor component(s) fail.

Yes, as a software engineer this is standard practice for me (in software terms). It's logical to weed out the problems now, but the petulant child inside me doesn't want to have to deal with RMAing anything.

I will report back with my findings as I discover them.

 

[jaquith]

I write PHP and SQL, that's all I do is to find bugs and to improve the quality of our product lines.

Nobody wants failures, but I absolutely HATE regular RMA's (3 weeks+)! If you're running it all at stock then it should run fine for ... say ... 3~4 years straight.

 

[mallok]

Update 1:

I tried changing my SATA mode from AHCI to RAID, and my machine did indeed BSOD immediately after the windows boot screen appeared.

If I understand correctly, the BSOD is an indication that I am using an incompatible driver. And further, that incompatible driver will, over time, probably corrupt my MBR. As I understand it, normal use will even corrupt the MBR - that is that even if I never attempted to switch from AHCI to RAID that the MBR will still be corrupted through normal booting/rebooting/usage.

Because of this, I am planning to reinstall windows using the latest Intel x79 RAID driver. I'll make another post when I've made further progress.

 

[jaquith]

Put (X79) in the title otherwise I might not notice your new Thread.

There's only (2) ways to install Windows 7 on the X79...the 'Right Way' and the 'Wrong Way'...you pick.

 

[mallok]

Update 2

First, I ran memtest overnight and it passed 5x with no errors.

I followed your instructions. So far I have:

1. Switched my SATA mode to RAID.
2. Reinstalled Windows 7 using the latest Intel X79 SATA RAID driver. I installed Windows on a Simple non-RAID volume.
3. After installing Windows, I installed all of the motherboard drivers, including the Intel chipset driver and RST driver bundle.
4. Installed latest GFX and Sound card drivers.
5. I plugged in my other hard drives and re-partitioned them using Simple non-RAID volumes.

Next I will download AIDA64 and begin the burn-in test for this machine.

 

[jaquith]

Sounds good, set a restore point and later you can try the latest Intel RST Enterprise from Intel's website. In my experience I did see a notable increase in drive speeds.

Keep me up to date.

 

[mallok]

Update 3

I downloaded the trial version AIDA64 to perform my stress test. I have managed to get it stress testing all 4 CPU cores and the GPU.

With an ambient room temperature averaging around 70 F, my temperature readings as of 12 hours into the System Stability Test are (in degrees C):

CPU Core 1 37 min, 61 max, 55 avg
CPU Core 2 36 min, 60 max, 53 avg
CPU Core 2 40 min, 63 max, 56 avg
CPU Core 2 40 min, 63 max, 57 avg
CPU Socket 44 min, 49 max, 46 avg
Motherboard 41 min, 44 max, 42 avg
GTX560 GPU 59 min, 74 max, 72 avg

Those temps look to be within tolerance to me. I plan to let the test run for 48 hours

 

[jaquith]

Looks fine so far. In the long run this is the best way to do it. Otherwise, it's like pulling out into traffic making a turn and questioning vs knowing your car can do the job; knowing is a damn good feeling!

Keep me updated.

 

[mallok]

Just finished 48 hours of stress testing. Temps were stable throughout. I'm off to install some games now.

Is there any reason for me to switch back to AHCI from RAID? I am only using non-raid volumes, but is there any down side to staying in RAID mode?

 

[jaquith]

No you can leave it as RAID.

I am thrilled everything is good! Go blow up some s**t and have some fun!

 

[mallok]

Thanks again for your help!

 

[cynan]

Most folks do NOT properly install their OS, and IF those OLD HDD's were connected while a primary (SSD/HDD) was being installed then their MBR or GPT is corrupted.

I installed a pair of SSDs in RAID 0 as my primary boot drive on the same motherboard the OP is talking about (Asrock X79 Extreme6). I didn't have to install any special drivers for the the UEFI bios to see the SSDs connected to the Intel sata3 ports.

I also had 2 other mechanical drives connected to the Intel Sata2 ports. I set up my RAID 0 array and Installed Windows 7 with these other drives connected without issue. What do you mean that my MBR is probably corrupted?

I just made an install USB drive with Windows 7 and added an extra directory for the RAID0 drivers (no floppy required). I did encounter the common glitch where I had to change USB ports part way through because WIN7 installer stopped recognizing the USB drive, but other than that, no problems.

I'm not noticing any performance issues either. Are you saying I am/have potentially damaged something because I had my two other HDDs connected while installing Windows?

One thing I noted is that when setting up the RAID 0 array, RSTe does not tell you the actual max array size. My drives listed as 238.4GB each, however the max array size was indicated as 453.1GB. However, I was able to manually enter an array size up to 476.9GB and RSTe accepted it.