85 replies to this topic

[gianni_trad]

During my hundred tests, I've noticed this thing:

If I Disable SCSI Card BIOS and then Install XP SP2, at the reboot, obviously, I can't boot from SCSI Hdd, so I boot from Floppy with NTBOOTDD.SYS included... and I select the SCSI Hdd by signature or scsi syntax, indifferently, then this error message appear: "Impossibile avviare Windows a causa di un problema hardware al disco del computer... ecc"


Now, if I Boot from SATA XP and I go to see wich files are present in the ROOT of SCSI Hdd, i can regulary find NTBOOTDD.SYS.


If I Enable SCSI Card BIOS and then Install XP SP2, at the reboot this error message appear: \windows\inf\biosinfo.inf not present or damaged.

Now, if I Boot from SATA XP and I go to see wich files are present in the ROOT of the SCSI Hdd, I CAN'T find NTBOOTDD.SYS

this mean that if SCSI Card BIOS is enabled, Windows installation program doesn't copy the driver adpu320.sys renamed as NTBOOTDD.SYS in the ROOT of the SCSI Hdd.


If I install XP SP2 with SCSI Card BIOS Disabled (so that windows regulary copy and then load NTBOOTDD.SYS to/from the ROOT) and at the reboot, I Enable SCSI Card BIOS support, at the boot-time this message appear: "Impossibile avviare Windows a causa di un problema hardware al disco del computer... ecc"

P.S. I'm still waiting fot Adaptec and Intel answers...

P.P.S. Many thanks to Jaclaz, ilko, cdob and other people have read this topic.

[gianni_trad]

There is a NEWS

I've just PERFECTLY INSTALLED on my new SCSI Hdd....

WINDOWS 2000 Professional

What does this means?

HOW could it happen?

I would like to up-grade to WIN XP Home edition but Windows said me that I can't upgrade from 2000 Professional to XP Home... I could only do a new Install of XP (but doing this the same message appear...)

Is this possible (up-grade to XP Home) from Win 2000 server?

[was_jaclaz]

VERY GOOD NEWS.

I don't think that upgrade is possible, but having Win2K working (guess which OS I personally use? ) is a great step forward, as it excludes any BIOS/Hardware problem and limits the possible culprits to just two:
1) the SP2 NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM
2) a conflict between .inf files with "concurring" PCI Vid&Pid for the drivers.

Tests to be made firstly:
1) After having made a backup of the Win2k NTLDR/NTDETECT.COM, try replacing them with:
a. SP2 version
b. SP1 version
c. SP0 (Gold) version
d. Server 2003 SP1 version

Win2K should boot normally with any of the above.

jaclaz

[gianni_trad]

VERY GOOD NEWS.

I don't think that upgrade is possible, but having Win2K working (guess which OS I personally use? ) is a great step forward, as it excludes any BIOS/Hardware problem and limits the possible culprits to just two:
1) the SP2 NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM
2) a conflict between .inf files with "concurring" PCI Vid&Pid for the drivers.

Tests to be made firstly:
1) After having made a backup of the Win2k NTLDR/NTDETECT.COM, try replacing them with:
a. SP2 version
b. SP1 version
c. SP0 (Gold) version
d. Server 2003 SP1 version

Win2K should boot normally with any of the above.

jaclaz

Hi jac

where can I download all these ntldr and ntdetect.com different version?

Do I have to install evry OS and extract these proper files or can I download them somewhere in the www?

[gianni_trad]

However, I've just tried to copy ntldr and ntdetect.com (XP SP2 version) in the SCSI Hdd where WIN2K is intalled.

Booting from SCSI Hdd, WIN2k still run perfectly!

At this point I think ntldr and ntdetect.com (XP SP2 version) aren't the problem...

[was_jaclaz]

At this point I think ntldr and ntdetect.com (XP SP2 version) aren't the problem...

It seems to me that you, your "stupid" SCSI board and drive, and the guys at MS, Intel and Adaptec are all together in the same plot to prove how many times and in how many ways my guesses may be proved wrong!


(I'm keeping the guys at Seagate just because I seem not to be able to find ANY rational reason to put the blame on them too.

Point is, if you manage to prove me wrong on this also:

2) a conflict between .inf files with "concurring" PCI Vid&Pid for the drivers.

you will also run out of options, so you'd better start working to prove, at least this time, that I'm right.

Ideally you should start by comparing the WIN2K TXTSETUP.SIF with the XP TXTSETUP.SIF to see if there are differences regarding either SCSI drivers or hardware Vid&Pid's and as well confirm that the adpu_whatever driver you have now working in Win2k is the same that failed with XP, or at least (should the driver be a different one) that the respective .inf files are similar or identical.

I would also try if, at least with Win2k, the scsi() syntax and NTBOOTDD.SYS work, not really needed, just to give me a little satisfaction (if they work, if they don't you can well keep your mouth shut and post that you had no time to carry this experiment - I will understand the code - it will be our little secret ).

jaclaz

[gianni_trad]

It seems to me that you, your "stupid" SCSI board and drive, and the guys at MS, Intel and Adaptec are all together in the same plot to prove how many times and in how many ways my guesses may be proved wrong!


(I'm keeping the guys at Seagate just because I seem not to be able to find ANY rational reason to put the blame on them too.

Point is, if you manage to prove me wrong on this also:

you will also run out of options, so you'd better start working to prove, at least this time, that I'm right.

Ideally you should start by comparing the WIN2K TXTSETUP.SIF with the XP TXTSETUP.SIF to see if there are differences regarding either SCSI drivers or hardware Vid&Pid's

Ok, I'll work for this

and as well confirm that the adpu_whatever driver you have now working in Win2k is the same that failed with XP, or at least (should the driver be a different one) that the respective .inf files are similar or identical.

Adaptec doesn't provide Win2K driver.... I used the SAME XP driver.

I would also try if, at least with Win2k, the scsi() syntax and NTBOOTDD.SYS work, not really needed, just to give me a little satisfaction (if they work, if they don't you can well keep your mouth shut and post that you had no time to carry this experiment - I will understand the code - it will be our little secret ).

[ ]

OKKK, I'll try the scsi syntax in the Win2k boot.ini ...then I'll post here the results.

No fear... I'm already sure scsi syntax, this time, will correctly work

[gianni_trad]

Jac, here are the TXTSETUP files:

2K one has been renamed TXTSETUP-2K.TXT

XP one has been renamed TXTSETUP-XP.TXT

I've found some difference in some scsi strings but I don't know if this is normal or not...

Attached Files

•  TXTSETUP_2K.txt   327.85KB   1640 downloads
•  TXTSETUP_XP.txt   405.6KB   1079 downloads

[gianni_trad]

Hi all!

There is a NEWS...

Intel pre-sales support still didn't answer me.

Adaptec is still saying that it isn't an "Adaptec problem"...

Therefore few days ago I decided to buy a DP965LT Intel Motherboard.

Saturday night I changed my motherboard and...

now, the problem is DEFINITIVELY RESOLVED.

I can perfectly Boot from SCSI Hdd...

Probably it was an incompatibility issue between Motherboard BIOS and SCSI Card BIOS that Windows 2k was able to "go around".

Many thankses to Jaclaz, ilko, Fabio and Luca and all other people have read this topic.

[ilko]

Wow, at least happy end. Thanks for letting us know and all the patience

[was_jaclaz]

Yes, I like happy endings , though I am a bit disappointed .

We weren't able to find the EXACT problem, and moreover, as I see it, you behaved as a "bad" consumer.

In a nutshell:
1) Intel support did not even reply back to you, this definitely is a bad practice.
2) Presumably, they are the guys responsible for the incompatibility, being Adaptec one of the most common brands, this is extremely serious, another bad practice.

By buying another product from them, you showed that the Intel guys can go on with "bad practices" without any form of "retaliation", expecially item 1) above is in my opinion something that would make me protest till I had voice .

I would have accepted a timely reply asserting that the product was not compatible with the SCSI card, but a "no-reply" is the worse possible example of a support service lacking even the basic requisites, politeness.

Not that selling one motherboard less would change dramatically Intel's earnings, or would ever be noticed, but it would be a start to "punish" the bad practices and hopefully make them correct their behaviour.

Writing them that you won't buy another product from them because of their poorly organized/managed support, may make them better it, at least at the level of "common" civilization.



jaclaz