Help! ASUS Pundit P2-AE2 + WD3200KS SATA XP install

Peepsalot · Post by **Peepsalot** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 2:41 pm

I am at my wits end trying to install windows on this box that I just got. My windows install CD refuses to recognize this SATA hard drive.

I downloaded drivers from both VIA and Western Digital, tried them on my USB key, bought a USB FDD and tried them on that, tried(and failed) to create my own bootable slipstreamed cd. Is there any way in hell to get this to work right? Am I using the wrong drivers?

The via driver came in a zip called VIA_RAID_V520C.zip
and the WD driver I downloaded calls itself "FastTrak TX4000/S150 TX Series Driver Diskette"

Has anyone here succesfully installed windows directly to an SATA hard drive, with this or similar|(WD2500KS? mobo w/ VT8237R chipset?) hardware combination?

ultrachrome · Post by **ultrachrome** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 3:34 pm

Can you be more specific about where the problem is occuring?

During the initial phase of windows install, are you hitting the F-key (might be F6?) as prompted to load additional drivers?

If so, does windows install show you any drivers on your floppy?

Peepsalot · Post by **Peepsalot** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 3:53 pm

Yes, sorry I'll explain in better detail. I press F6, windows prompts for the diskette, I put it in, and it seems to load the driver just fine. I tell it to load another driver, and I put the other disk in. It loads two drivers(one from western digital, one from VIA). Then the install setup continues and it gets to the first menu screen where you can either chose to repair console or press enter to install on a drive. I press enter and it says there is no hard drive to install to, and then the only option is to quit and reboot. This is the exact same result I get if I don't bother to press F6 at all.

When I tried it with my USB key, it would do a similar thing, but it was a little glitchy, I had to remove the key at some point before it got to the menu, or it would seem to lock up before getting there.

When I tried to make a slipstreamed CD, I wasted a bunch of CDs that wouldn't boot at all, then I got one that would get into setup, and quit on error: PROCESS1_INITIALIZATION_FAILED

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 4:16 pm

Peepsalot wrote:Is there any way in hell to get this to work right? Am I using the wrong drivers?

Has anyone here succesfully installed windows directly to an SATA hard drive, with this or similar|(WD2500KS? mobo w/ VT8237R chipset?) hardware combination?

Use the VIA Raid driver, not the WD drivers (those are for a WD expansion card, not for your drive.)

Did you try installing Windows XP on a normal, old IDE/PATA drive?

Peepsalot · Post by **Peepsalot** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 4:21 pm

QuietOC wrote:
Peepsalot wrote:Is there any way in hell to get this to work right? Am I using the wrong drivers?

Has anyone here succesfully installed windows directly to an SATA hard drive, with this or similar|(WD2500KS? mobo w/ VT8237R chipset?) hardware combination?
Use the VIA Raid driver, not the WD drivers (those are for a WD expansion card, not for your drive.)

Did you try installing Windows XP on a normal, old IDE/PATA drive?

I didn't try installing on an IDE drive, i don't have a spare one that I feel like formatting.

I'll try loading the VIA driver by itself, with the FDD, I did try this already with the USB key with no results.

aidanjm2004 · Post by **aidanjm2004** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 4:48 pm

the pundit wouldn't do raid, would it? just in case, make sure sata raid is turned off in the bios (if indeed there is such an option in the bios).

Peepsalot · Post by **Peepsalot** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 5:06 pm

OK, I just figured it out, had to set a jumper(which was not included) to 150MB/s mode. It is now recognized, and I'm installing.

When I first got the drive, I read on the sticker "Master/Slave jumper not required for SATA" so I ignored the jumper completely. Then I went back and read the details under that and realized what the jumper settings are for.

Peepsalot · Post by **Peepsalot** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 5:41 pm

Also, none of this driver crap was necessary at all.

In fact it actually hindered installation when I tried it after setting the jumper correctly. It basically asked for the driver disk again at a later point, only it wouldn't recognize my USB FDD at that point.

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 6:57 pm

Peepsalot wrote:OK, I just figured it out, had to set a jumper(which was not included) to 150MB/s mode. It is now recognized, and I'm installing.

Glad to hear that it worked.

Evidently VIA has better SATA support than SIS. Let us know how the Pundit is working for you when you have all set up.

Peepsalot · Post by **Peepsalot** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 8:35 pm

Well, windows is installed, and I've got the computer mostly set up to my liking. Just been installing and putting the essential programs on here. As soon as I got windows running I switched off my groaning tower and enjoyed a little peace and quiet. My other machine has something like 8 fans(3case, 2psu, 1cpu, 2vid card) and the bearings are failing on one of the video card fans, so it was driving me insane.

The first thing I noticed when I turned off that computer, was that my apt. air conditioning was on. I couldn't even hear it before over all the racket.

I'm really pleased with this system now that I finally got it setup. Very quiet and performs well too. I think overall it was an excellent deal.

The loudest thing now(besides the occasional CD drive usage) is the hard drive seeks. I would like to enable AAM if possible, but I can't figure it out. I read on this site that the Hitachi Feature Tool is usually used, but it gave me an unhandled exception. Are there other ways to do this?

Peepsalot · Post by **Peepsalot** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 8:50 pm

WD has this to say about AAM, real helpful

:

Western Digital does not provide software that will change the Acoustic Management settings on Western Digital hard drives.

If you have an Intel chipset based motherboard listed in Answer ID 1004, you can use a program called the Intel Application Accelerator to change the Acoustic Management settings for our hard drives. This utility can be downloaded and installed from Intel's web site.

IMPORTANT: Western Digital does not support third party utilities that change firmware values on our hard drives. It is recommended that any data on your hard drive be backed up before using such software.

Peepsalot · Post by **Peepsalot** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 9:06 pm

I found a program called ATITool that has options for AAM, even though it's main purpose is supposed to be overclocking ATI graphics cards. I enabled AAM to the max, but I can't really tell if there is difference. So I'm not sure if it's working correctly, or maybe this drive just doesn't do AAM so well. Either way, I'm not really complaining, overall everthing is magnitudes quieter. Just thought I might as well try to optimize it. I can see how striving for silence could get addicting.

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 11:37 am

Peepsalot wrote:The loudest thing now(besides the occasional CD drive usage) is the hard drive seeks. I would like to enable AAM if possible, but I can't figure it out. I read on this site that the Hitachi Feature Tool is usually used, but it gave me an unhandled exception. Are there other ways to do this?

I believe the Pundit's BIOS gave me the option of turning on AAM in the BIOS. I was using a Seagate U6 PATA drive. You might check in the BIOS under the drive detection settings.

The other thing to do is minimize seeks. Turn off the page file, etc.

coconut · Post by **coconut** » Mon May 22, 2006 1:27 pm

Sorry to revive this old thread. Going insane and need help!...

After much searching, I haven't been able to find a reputable supplier here in the UK from whom to buy the Pundit with the optical drive installed. This means I'll have to buy the Pundit sans optical drive from ebuyer and then find a compatible slimline drive and install it myself.

Unfortunately, the Pundit manual is rather sparse on this topic. It doesn't give any instructions on how to install an optical drive nor does it list compatible drives.

Could anyone here recommend a quiet optical drive that would fit the Pundit? Apparently this will fit but it's pricey and has had lukewarm reviews, so I'm not too keen on it.

I've also looked at this thread here, but I've no idea whether any of the recommended drives will fit. I'm not thinking just of physical dimensions, but also of all that master/slave crap. For example, one of the user reviews in newegg says: "Verify that you have a primary and secondary IDE channel. If you have only one IDE channel, the ND-6750A won't work". I suspect that the Pundit has only one IDE channel, which, if I understand correctly, does complicate things... I'm not quite up to the task of resoldering pins 45 and 47 on the drive to make it work.

I also thought about the possibility of buying an external USB optical drive and installing Windows from there. It would seem to be the most affordable option. But does the BIOS in the Pundit give you the option of booting from a USB drive?

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Tue May 23, 2006 12:08 pm

coconut wrote:If you have only one IDE channel, the ND-6750A won't work". I suspect that the Pundit has only one IDE channel, which, if I understand correctly, does complicate things... I'm not quite up to the task of resoldering pins 45 and 47 on the drive to make it work.

Yes, the Pundit only has one physical IDE connector. Two channels do show up in Windows, however, and it does have a single SATA channel too.

coconut · Post by **coconut** » Wed May 24, 2006 2:42 am

QuietOC wrote:Yes, the Pundit only has one physical IDE connector. Two channels do show up in Windows, however,

hmm...

and it does have a single SATA channel too.

I won't be using the SATA channel as I already have an IDE hdd and would like to keep costs down.

I guess I'll just buy a cable select optical drive (probably the Pioneer DVR-K16 or DVR-K06) and hope for the best.

Hifriday · Post by **Hifriday** » Mon May 29, 2006 10:03 am

Coconut, hope you have figured out what optical drive to get. I posted some photos and details on my Pundit's optical drive here. I believe any standard-sized slim optical drive should fit fine, however you do need to be sure the Pundit you're getting comes with a small adaptor board that converts the standard IDE/FDD power connector to a slim optical drive connector.

coconut · Post by **coconut** » Tue May 30, 2006 6:02 am

Thanks, Hifriday. That's brilliant! I'm checking it out now...

Help! ASUS Pundit P2-AE2 + WD3200KS SATA XP install

Help! ASUS Pundit P2-AE2 + WD3200KS SATA XP install

Re: Help! ASUS Pundit P2-AE2 + WD3200KS SATA XP install

Re: Help! ASUS Pundit P2-AE2 + WD3200KS SATA XP install