Win XP Fresh Install Update & Advice Needed

[Keebler Elf]

Continued from this thread... https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=214894

So far, so good (knock on wood). My latest attempt at a fresh install of Win XP Home Edition is moving along.

I started by formatting the drive on which the OS would be on. Then I plugged the audio, video, and SATA adaptor cards in. Then I installed Win XP. Then I installed the mobo drivers and got an internet connection. Then I installed the video card drivers.

I then tried to install the audio card but ran into trouble. When I tried to install the drivers from the disk, it said the hardware wasn`t detected. On Device Manager, I had two audio controllers listed: one for my onboard mobo audio and the other for the PCI card. I tried disabling the onboard audio and then I tried uninstalling it but neither enabled me to load the drivers for the audio card. When I uninstalled the audio from my mobo, as soon as I rebooted it was detected again. Thinking back to my last install, I unplugged my audio card and then installed the onboard mobo drivers for audio. That worked and I now have sound. I`ll have to figure out how to get my audio card working later (but I think I have to make a change to my BIOS; I set it to Auto but I think I have to Disable it).

Next I installed all the Windows XP updates. Then I tried to install my SATA adaptor card (Promise FastTrak TX2300) but no dice. It`s detected in Device Manager with a yellow ?. I tried auto updating the drivers but it found none. I don`t have an install disk for the card. I went to the website and there`s an updated BIOS and drivers. More on this later...

Then I installed Firefox. Then I installed my Adobe Professional because I wanted to read the pdf manual for my SATA card. Then I installed MS Office and all its updates. I`m waiting on installing my Anti-Virus; that`s going to be the very last thing I do.

So far I haven`t run into any crashes, errors, or instability problems (again, knock on wood).

I`m at the point where the only glitches are I can`t use my SATA drives because I can`t get the SATA card working and I haven`t installed my audio card.

Note that both my audio and SATA adaptor card were working on my previous install.

I was having numerous and frequent problems with SATA drives intermittently disconnecting. People asked to make sure I have the latest BIOS. Apparently, as I have come to learn, there is a mobo BIOS and a SATA adaptor card BIOS (when I reboot, the first page shows my American Megatrends BIOS but then the second page shows my SATA adaptor card BIOS, which is different). My mobo BIOS is up to date. But the SATA card website has a newer BIOS than that which I currently have installed. So this might be the source of my earlier BIOS problems.

Here`s the tricky part. I`m leery of flashing the BIOS because I`m not sure how to do it and once I change my BIOS I can`t go back to my previous install where I could access my SATA drives.

Here`s the webpage with the latest BIOS and drivers for my SATA adaptor card: http://www.promise.com/support/download/download2_eng.asp?category=all&os=100&productID=136

My current SATA BIOS is 2.00.0.31. There`s a 2.5.0.3122 on the website. The additional instruction file (second from the top) has me a little nervous because it talks a bunch of stuff I don`t understand but mentions losing all your data.

I don`t use my SATA drives in any kind of RAID configuration. I just use them as individual storage devices.

Can someone assist in how I can update my SATA card BIOS, preferably by saving my current SATA card BIOS in case I need to go back to it? I`m not sure of which drivers to use either. There`s multiple ones listed for the 2.5.0.3122 BIOS version.

 

[Keebler Elf]

Below is the Read Me file that comes with the BIOS update for the SATA adaptor card. I don't think English was the author's primary language. Some of this is greek to me...


PFLASHTX V3.00.0.4
===================================================
Syntax : PFLASHTX /? - help
PFLASHTX /f [path] filename1.bin filename2.bin - Update BIOS from file.
(PS: filename2 is optional and only for TX2200/2300.)
PFLASHTX /s [path] filename.bin - Save BIOS image to file.
PFLASHTX /e Erase BIOS on controllers.

1. Update BIOS from file
User should put PFLASHTX and BIOS image file on a floppy diskette.
PFLASHTX will check and get Device ID from this BIOS file, then search associate controllers.
PFLASHTX will check if the content is correct after writting BIOS to flash memory of a controller.
If data is wrong, PFLASHTX will erase the whole flash memory to avoid trouble on next bootup.
PFLASHTX updates BIOS of all associate controllers one by one.
(PS:Because PROMISE provide 2 kind of solution for TX2300/2200. User could use filename2 at same time
for multi-flashing the BIOS for TX2300/2200. ex: pflashtx /f 579r01.bin 571r01.bin)

2. Save BIOS image to file
PFLASHTX can save current BIOS of the specified controller to the file.
PFLASHTX will list all controllers it found, then user can choose one to backup.

3. This utility supports Promise controllers as below:

FastTrak TX4300
FastTrak TX2300
SATA300 TX4302
SATA300 TX4
eSATA300 TX2
SATA300 TX2plus
FastTrak TX4200
FastTrak TX2200
SATAII150 TX4
SATAII150 TX2plus
FastTrak TX4000
FastTrak S150 TX2plus
FastTrak S150 TX4
SATA150 TX2plus
SATA150 TX4

It will search all listed controllers on your system.

 

[Keebler Elf]

So I've saved the BIOS upgrade for the adaptor card to a floppy disk. I've also saved the drivers to a separate floppy. Finally, I created a bootable MS-DOS disk on a third floppy.

According to Appendix B of the User Manual, now I reboot with the DOS disk in the A: drive. Then I insert the BIOS upgrade disk and type "pflash /f 771.bin" and press Enter. Then I replace the DOS boot disk and reboot. Then I insert the BIOS upgrade disk again, repeat the command above and press Enter again. Then reboot and the flash should be complete.

For the driver, it's a matter of manually installing it via Device Manager and the Update Driver command. Of course, this assumes Device Manager recognizes the controller. Right now it's an unrecognized yellow ?...

EDIT: Dang it, this won't work. The card must be properly installed before the Upgrade can be made. And since I don't have it properly installed yet...

 

[Keebler Elf]

Anyone? Where are all the tech gurus when you need them!!!

 

[baci2004]

Typically storage controller drivers can't installed through the 'update driver' they have to be installed through their own setup file. Explore the floppy that contains the drivers there should be an exe. file.

If that doesn't work uninstall the device in device manager, and reboot.

If that doesn't work re-seat the card in a different slot.

 

[Keebler Elf]

I now have new drivers installed and the SATA drive is recognized and accessible. However, I know my BIOS for the SATA card is out of date and the drivers are for the updated BIOS. So I'm hemming and hawing about flashing the BIOS because all the research I've done says to be extremely careful about flashing BIOS because it could be disastrous.

If anyone has any experience flashing BIOS, your thoughts would be appreciated.

I've saved the BIOS upgrade for the adaptor card to a floppy disk. I've also saved the drivers to a separate floppy. Finally, I created a bootable MS-DOS disk on a third floppy.

According to Appendix B of the User Manual, I reboot with the DOS disk in the A: drive. Then I insert the BIOS upgrade disk and type "pflash /f 771.bin" and press Enter. Then I replace the DOS boot disk and reboot. Then I insert the BIOS upgrade disk again, repeat the command above and press Enter again. Then reboot (without any disks in the drive) and the flash should be complete.

I've read that you're usually given the option to save your current BIOS during the flash process in case something goes wrong but the instructions for this particular card aren't clear on that.

 

[hunter001]

I have flashed the BIOS in the past no problems. If you have the wrong update for you Motherboard the utility will usually tell you. I believe there is a utility to backup your current BIOS before you do the update but it has been sometime since I did it.

I don't mess around with floppies and BIOS update much any more. I think the last one I did was 1.5 to 2 years ago. (I didn't have a lot of extra hardware on the machines usually an upgraded video card and that is about it.)


I hope that helps.

Cheers.

(I think you are sweating it too much. Just do it.)


Mark Twain
I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.

 

[Keebler Elf]

The weird thing is I don't think it's the mobo BIOS. I have the most recent mobo BIOS installed (I checked the mobo website).

When I boot up, the first page shows my mobo BIOS and then the second page shows a different BIOS for my SATA adaptor card. It's this second BIOS that's out of date and I need to replace with the updated version from the SATA card website.

 

[hunter001]

So just do the update you need. If you follow the instructions there won't be a problem. The stuff isn't rocket science.