Vista & nVRaid - installation guide and troubleshooting

[hwti]

All previous attempts to properly istall Vista on the RAID-1 system (DFI Lanparty Expert, nForce4 based board) with modified drivers are failed. Vista always detect two HDD instead of one.
This last method with boot floppy partially working for me, Vista detect one HDD. But after the first reboot Vista shows an error message, something about boot\bcd and error number 0xC000000E.

By "after the first reboot", do you mean the first time setup reboots (just after file copy and extract) ?
If it is that, you must use the floppy again (see what the bold text in my post), or you will get a BSOD. (You don't need to restart setup, the BSOD didn't destroy anything)

[arabesc]

Right, first reboot - just after file copy and extract.
It's not a BSOD, it's something like 'black screen of die'. Use of a floppy for booting does not influence result.
I think it's because my system is not clean. There are hand-cleaned previous unsuccessful Vista installation.

[Fernando 1]

Right, first reboot - just after file copy and extract.
It's not a BSOD, it's something like 'black screen of die'. Use of a floppy for booting does not influence result.
I think it's because my system is not clean. There are hand-cleaned previous unsuccessful Vista installation.

Which Vista version (x86 or x64) did you try to install?

By the way: I had similar problems with the installation of Vista x64 RTM (Vista x86 RTM is running fine with my system). During the last days I tested the installation of Vista x64 several times with both methods (loading the modded in-the-box drivers and using HWTI's newly reported method). In both cases I got a black screen after the second reboot - nothing was going on.
The solution was easy and somehow ridiculous in my case: After having powering off my computer for some hours I tried to continue the Vista setup - and it completed successfully. Nevertheless I don't use Vista x64, because the system gets very instable with this OS. I often get BSOD's or I even cannot boot into Vista x64. According to my impression Vista x64 needs a "cold computer" to work with my configuration.
One more thought: It seems to me, that the automatcly installed Vista RTM NVIDIA display driver (Forceware) may be one of the reasons for these instabilities. With this in-the-box Forceware version I get an unsteadiness (jitter) at each reboot. Sometimes it's even clattering at the end of booting into Vista x64 - only a quick reset helps.
My resume: Vista x86 RTM supports even LEGACY mode nForce SataRaid systems (only deficiency: no automatic detection of the RAID when booting off DVD), but Vista x64 obviously doesn't like these "old" SataRaid mainboads. There is still much to do by NVIDIA and Microsoft to get this OS running on all 64-bit cabable nForce SataRaid systems.

[arabesc]

Which Vista version (x86 or x64) did you try to install?

It's x64 version. The first install was fine, but it broke my RAID-1. So, I tried to reinstall system with no success. Modified drivers does not work for me at all - system always detect 2 HDD.

One more thought: It seems to me, that the automatcly installed Vista RTM NVIDIA display driver (Forceware) may be one of the reasons for these instabilities.

I have an ATi X1800 video card...

It's an error message from my system:

Code: Select all

File: \Boot\BCD
Status: 0xc000000e
An error occured while attempting to read the boot configuration data.

[hwti]

By the way: I had similar problems with the installation of Vista x64 RTM (Vista x86 RTM is running fine with my system). During the last days I tested the installation of Vista x64 several times with both methods (loading the modded in-the-box drivers and using HWTI's newly reported method). In both cases I got a black screen after the second reboot - nothing was going on.
The solution was easy and somehow ridiculous in my case: After having powering off my computer for some hours I tried to continue the Vista setup - and it completed successfully. Nevertheless I don't use Vista x64, because the system gets very instable with this OS. I often get BSOD's or I even cannot boot into Vista x64. According to my impression Vista x64 needs a "cold computer" to work with my configuration.

Just a question : Is your CPU overclocked ? My old opteron (same as sandiago core), was stable up to 2.7Ghz in x86 mode, but wasn't stable over 2.5Ghz in x64 mode.
There are two BIOS options related to x64 named errata xxxx, they could do something as they correct CPU bugs.

[Fernando 1]

Just a question : Is your CPU overclocked ?

My CPU is not overclocked, but maybe you are really right with your speculation, that my CPU is a little bit "buggy" and causes the Vista x64 problems. I will test it.
Thanks for your contribution (it's a little bit off-topic).

[arabesc]

I discovered that problem on my system is definitely from the NVRAID controller. I have temporarily connected my HDD to integrated RAID-1 controller SiI 3114, and Vista was successfully installed.

[alimegom]

Hi Fernando 1,
I want to setup Windows Vista x86 RC1 5600 on my RAID0 array with nForce 430 chipset.
Does your guide work for nForce 430 as well? If not, what should I do to get the job done?
Thanx

[Fernando 1]

I want to setup Windows Vista x86 RC1 5600 on my RAID0 array with nForce 430 chipset.
Does your guide work for nForce 430 as well?

Normally your nForce 430 RAID system should be automaticly detected by Vista if your are booting off DVD.
If this does not happen, just follow my guide. It will work for your chipset.

[arabesc]

I did it! :)
I changed inf file in this driver from:

Code: Select all

[NVIDIA.NTx86]
%CK804SSS%=Crush11_Inst,PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0054
%CK804SSS%=Crush11_Inst,PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0055
...
[NVIDIA.NTamd64]
%CK804SSS%=Crush11_Inst,PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0054
%CK804SSS%=Crush11_Inst,PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0055

to:

Code: Select all

[NVIDIA.NTx86]
%CK804SSS%=Crush11_Inst,PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0054&CC_0101
%CK804SSS%=Crush11_Inst,PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0055&CC_0101
...
[NVIDIA.NTamd64]
%CK804SSS%=Crush11_Inst,PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0054&CC_0101
%CK804SSS%=Crush11_Inst,PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0055&CC_0101

Then I have updated 'IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers'->'Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller' with this modified driver. It was transformed to the 'Storage controllers'->'NVIDIA nForce4 Serial ATA Controller'. Through RAID BIOS I forced an array rebuilding process. And now I have one 'NVIDIA MIRROR' device in the 'Disk drives' instead of two HDD as before.
Thanks to all for your suggestions!