Adaptec 1210SA and 2x WD 74gig Raptors

[deandownunder]

I am following an article entitled" DIY: Serious speed with Serial ATA" written by Mitt Jones CNET.com where he installs an Adaptec 1210SA and 2 Raptors in a Raid0. Then he uses WD's Data Lifeguard utility to move data from an existing PATA drive to the Raid. I followed this to the letter, installing drivers & setting up the Raid. However when I rebooted after leaving the ACU ( and before attempting any data transfer) the controller would not boot and my array showed only one drive. As soon as I disconnect the Raptors ( new & completely clean) I can boot into windows using the old system. I have checked the controller ( using Adaptec's management software) all connections and downloaded the latest drivers. The error message from the controller say's " bios not installed". I thought the bios was imbedded, what could be stopping it from installing? How can I check if one of the drives is not faulty?
The mobo is a Gigabyte GA-81PE1000 Pro2 which has SATA but no raid.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Dean.

 

[Nodsu]

BIOS not installed means that the adapter is not booting from its own drive. It is normal and not an error really. If you configured a RAID0 array then you have exactly one logical drive so this is normal too. Your computer should still be able to boot from your PATA drive if the SATA controller fails to do so.

The WD Data Lifeguard should have a diagnostic part in it oo that lets you test physical drives.

 

[deandownunder]

Thanks Nodsu, I forgot to mention that I have subsequently deleted the array and as soon as I connect the SATA drives to the controller and reboot I get this "waiting for controller" message. On entering the ACU it shows no array naturally but only one drive connected to 00. When I reverse the cables it shows connected to port 01 indicating non recognition of one drive. I can't get to the Data Lifeguard utilities because I can't boot in to anything with the drives connected to the controller. Sorry to be such a knothead but I am stumped. Cheers, Dean.

 

[Nodsu]

You can download a DLD floppy or CD image from Western DIgital and boot from the floppy or CD.

 

[deandownunder]

Thanks Nodsu, It was one of the new 74gig Raptors. Absolutely DEAD. Just to verify because I could not believe a new drive would go like that I took it out and had it independently tested. Thanks for your help. Cheers, Dean.