DTrider wrote:
> Hi DL and Paul,
>
> Thanks for your suggestions. PC is orig. Dell GX280, 40 gbHd, 528mbram.
> I do have the orig. install disks and will look for Sata driver there. I'm
> a little
> surprised that the driver was not bundled with the XP disk but the XP disk
> just
> contains the OS. I should know to give make/model info when making post.
> Sorry
>
> Thanks again,
>
>
The chipset could be Intel 915G/ICH6. The Dell site isn't clear about that,
choosing to say "Grantsdale" for the chipset. And since your OS is not installed
right now, it would be a little hard to run a utility to verify it :-(
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx280/en/ug/advfeat0.htm#wp1132975
Try "Compatible" mode. See this section.
Drive Controller Configures the serial ATA controller's operating mode.
*Normal* enables the serial ATA controller to operate in
its serial ATA native mode only. *Compatible* enables the
serial ATA controller to operate in serial/parallel ATA
combination mode.
The "Compatible" mode is supposed to work for OSes as old as Win98 and as new
as Windows 7. It fools the software into thinking there are two ribbon cables
with up to four drives. The SATA ports are made to look like they're PATA as
well.
The WinXP Gold (original release), should work with "Compatible" mode. If
the Dell CD corresponds to SP1 or later, then either mode should have worked.
There is no particular need to install an Intel driver via F6, unless:
1) The chipset supports RAID (ICH6R)
2) You plan on either installing RAID immediately, or at some future date,
plan on experimenting with RAID. If you see RAID in your future, then
installing the RAID driver from the first day, makes sense.
Now, a good question would be, what would you do if you were stuck in
"Native" mode for some reason, and had a WinXP Gold CD. I'm not sure the
Intel Matrix driver, in F6 package format, would install on a vanilla ICH6.
It would be expecting an ICH6R.
I looked in the Matrix driver, and these are the devices it supports.
ExcludeFromSelect=PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2652&CC_0106
ExcludeFromSelect=PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2653&CC_0106
I looked in the ICH6 Specification Update (301474.pdf) and these
are the entries there.
2651h 03h 04h 05h ICH6
2652h 03h 04h 05h ICH6R
2653h 03h 04h N/A ICH6-M
So the Matrix driver doesn't mention "2651" or ICH6 as being supported.
And that is what I suspect is on your motherboard, as it is probably
$3 cheaper than ICH6R.
Somehow, you'd need to slipstream some Service Pack into the Dell CD,
and I don't know if you can do that or not.
In any case, I'm hoping a BIOS setting of "Compatible", will fix you up,
and that will be enough to get the job done.
If you need background info, on what "Native" and "Compatible" do, try
PDF page 11 here. Page 11 provides most of the value that the document
has to offer. The rest of it is harder to follow. While this document
explains how Intel did things for the ICH5, the ICH6 will share most
of the same characteristics.
"ICH5 Programmer’s Reference Manual"
http://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/manual/252671.pdf
Paul
9321C8F-E3B3-448D-AB0F-0F562845BC73@microsoft.com...