rec.autos.simulators

Good luck!

Achim

  I haven't been following this thread closely, but Highpoint has had
several conflicts with cd roms and burners...I 'thought' they released
updated hardware drivers to fix that tho...  I seem to recall a segate/raid
incompatiblity with highpoint cards.
dave henrie

I don't know the difference between 40 pin and 80 pin cables, but I'm
pretty sure I used the cable that came with the hard drive.  Is it
reasonable to assume that it's 80-pin?

My motherboard is a KT7, not KT7A.  They are different and use a
different VIA chipset, Apollo KT133 vs KT133A.  [The latter is a lot
more stable with CPUs that use a 133 FSB.]  

Also it's not a RAID board, so it doesn't have a Highpoint controller.
My understanding from reading my manual and the information on the Abit
site and Abit FAQ is that only the KT7-RAID (and KT7A-RAID) have the
Highpoint controller on them.

According to my motherboard manual, the KT7 supports Ultra DMA/33 and
/66 IDE protocol, but not /100.

BTW, according to the Abit download page, the Highpoint drivers you
mention, hpt201019.exe, are for the KA7-100 board, not the KT7-RAID.  I
don't know why this file is on the KT7/KT7A page!

The BIOS I installed was 64.  That has 1.3 Ghz support, and I didn't see
any point in risking a newer, potentially less stable BIOS since they
didn't have any features I needed.  Maybe that was a mistake.  I don't
recall where I got this from, but it should be the same as the one on
the Abit site.

I installed the VIA 4 in 1 drivers, version 4.42.  This is a little
newer than the version on the Abit site, so possibly Abit is not keeping
up to date with the latest 4 in 1 drivers.

It does sound correct that I should try to get rid of the "Generic IDE
Disk Type 47" but I haven't yet found the drivers that would seem to be
appropriate for my board.

Oh yes.  When Windows asked for that file and I couldn't find it, I did
try not only c:\windows and c:\windows\system, but everywhere else I
could think of, but I couldn't find it.  After I bypassed it, I unzipped
the new 4 in 1 driver archive to make sure I'd have any files available
that Windows needed.  As I recall, after I installed the 4 in 1 driver,
Windows needed a couple of files that were only in my unzipped folder!

I must say I'm not impressed with the hassles that have come along with
the VIA chipset and related drivers.  I've struggled with USB support on
this machine right from the moment I built it (it still hates my HP
scanner, which works perfectly on my Asus/Celeron box), and I had
hassles with the IRQ's after updating the BIOS, until I disabled a
serial port and told the BIOS that the OS was not Plug 'n Play.

I think my next machine will be built with a motherboard that doesn't
use VIA anything!

Anyway, thanks again, guys!  

Alison

PS.  If anyone has any more info on an IDE driver that might work with a
plain old non-RAID KT7 (not KT7A), I'd be glad to hear about it!

Remove the spam blocker ARGLEBARGLE to email me.
http://eaglewoman.maximumspeed.com

I had bizarre things happening with the IRQ's after upgrading the BIOS,
but I disabled a serial port and also told the BIOS that the OS was not
Plug 'n Play.  That seems to have ironed out the IRQ problems.

Alison

Remove the spam blocker ARGLEBARGLE to email me.
http://www.racesimcentral.net/

I think you're right.  As I mentioned to AndyC, I had bizarre things
happening with the IRQ's after upgrading the BIOS, but I disabled a
serial port and also told the BIOS that the OS was not Plug 'n Play.
That seems to have ironed out the IRQ problems.

Alison

On Wed, 02 Oct 2002 18:14:07 GMT, "Steve Smith"

Remove the spam blocker ARGLEBARGLE to email me.
http://eaglewoman.maximumspeed.com

you can actually count the wires in the cable, but also, a 40 pin cable's
wires looks a little coarse, while those of an 80 pin cable are really thin.

I've checked the ABIT pages again and found that the KT7 pages also contain
the Highpoint driver. The Southbridge seems to be a VIA 686B on both the
KT7A and the KT7. I also think after searching ABIT's pages that KT7E, KT7,
KT7A and even KA7 and KA7-100 used that southbridge. The KA7-100 is
explicitely mentioned as being a board where the driver can be used, and it
is not RAID (it doesn't have a Highpoint controller) according to the info
on the ABIT website I could find.

I can also confirm that I used this driver on an Intel board, and I think I
still used it on my first Athlon boards while still using Win98. I'd give it
a try, although I'd as always back up the Registry files before doing so.
And maybe even the inf directory, to be entirely sure. But I think the
Highpoint is for your board as well.

I actually think someone at ABIT just copied the descriptive text over
without adapting it properly to the other motherboards.

If you got the BIOS from somewhere else but ABIT that was perhaps not such a
good idea, but flashing a BIOS other than the latest is not necessarily
risky. But you could of course always flash a BIOS from the ABIT pages.

Try the Highpoint, seriously.

Well VIA indeed has had its probs. But your scanner problem could be a
problem Microsoft has a patch for. I saw such a prob on a colleague's
machine in Spain and discovered that Microsoft had a patch for it. It's a
communication error, a problem of Win98 rather than the USB port.

Good luck!

Achim

Well, I've totally hosed my system.  It looks like I damaged my hard
drive.  The local computer store (a very good but expensive shop in
Portsmouth called Botnay Bay) estimates a week and $240 minimum to
repair it, if all they have to do is fix the drive translation software
in the BIOS and the hard drive BIOS.  If the drive itself is damaged, it
could be much more and take much longer.

I can't afford even $240.  Racing the Cobra has drained my financial
resources dry.  I'm so upset!  I don't know what to do.  I've never
wrecked a computer this bad before.

This computer has all my GPL stuff on it - all my setups, the latest
tracks, car graphics, etc., as well as other stuff like special mods to
F1 2001 and all the other sims I've used like N4, N 2002, Racer, N Heat,
etc., many with mods and updates.  It's my main racing computer.  It
will take me weeks to recover all this stuff, if I start over with a new
hard drive (assuming a new hard drive will work; according to Botnay
Bay, the motherboard's BIOS may be screwed up too).

Here's what happened:

I downloaded hpt201019.exe and read its readme carefully.  It stated
clearly that it was only for RAID boards, and I don't have a RAID board.
My motherboard manual also states clearly that the Highpoint drivers are
only for RAID boards.  Non-RAID boards like mine don't even have a
Highpoint controller on them.

However, I had another VIA program, IDETool, which I had downloaded a
couple of weeks ago when I started having these problems.  This is in a
zip archive called 580_3012.zip.  I had not installed it before, but
today I looked at its readme and it said it enables DMA on IDE drives,
so I figured I'd try it.

Before doing so, I ran ConfigSafe95 to back up the registry and drivers,
because Win98 does not appear to save copies of the registry as Win95
did.  I was pretty confident with that, because ConfigSafe has never
failed me before.

Then I installed IDETool.  It hung during installation, just after the
"Windows has found new hardware" message.  I had to hit the reset
button.

I tried booting into Safe Mode, but that failed too, as did booting into
DOS mode.  Both hung.  The only way it will boot is into DOS Safe Mode.

I tried restoring the old configuration using ConfigSafe's SOS, but that
got errors writing to the hard drive and failed.  I tried again to boot
into Windows, but now ScanDisk says that it can't write to the C
partition, and it hung on the D partition at 99%.

I guess I need to look at possible strategies for going forward from
here.  I can get a new 80 gb drive at the local Best Buy for $135.
However, if the BIOS on the motherboard is possibly messed up, as Botnay
Bay suggests, then perhaps I should reinstall the motherboard BIOS
before installing the new hard drive, lest I***it up too.

Then, assuming the new drive works, the first step would be to partition
it and copy the D partition from the old drive to the new drive.  If I'm
lucky, maybe the data, or at least most of it, will still be good - and
readable.  

Then if that works I could install Windows on the C partition of the new
drive, and reinstall all my programs.  At least I would have a
functional GPL (which is on the D partition).

Does that sound like a good approach?  Can anyone suggest anything else
I might do that would be easier and/or safer?  Or should I just take the
thing to Botnay Bay and let them deal with it (with the likely
unfortunate side effect of curtailing my Cobra activities)?

Alison

Remove the spam blocker NOSPAM to email me.
http://www.racesimcentral.net/

This means I'm not charging nearly enough for my services

First thing you do is remove the HD and hook it up to your other system
and check it using the "LifeTools" available from WD's site

http://support.wdc.com/download/

That will tell you if your drive is mechanically hosed or not, secondly,
if you can manage to get your system to boot to DOS safe mode or from a
floppy, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to update the BIOS
again, this time making sure you're using the correct BIOS file of
course....:-/

If your BIOS/MoBo IS hosed to the point where you can't get it back to
working state by updating the BIOS, you have two options

Send the BIOS chip to a reputable store, they should be able to burn a
new BIOS image to the chip, should cost about 50 dollars, although it
hardly seems worth it for a MoBo that doesn't support 133 FSB, you can
pick up MoBo's like the ASUS A7V133-C (KT133A with 133 FSB) for as
little as 45 dollars at Surpluscomputers.com or something, and you can
still use your old RAM sticks, I'm only suggesting ASUS as you already
have experience with them from your other PC and I know them well myself

If the HD is indeed hosed as you say, a new 80 GB Western Digital HD
costs less than 100 dollars on Pricewatch, then I personally think 240
dollars is a rip off.....

Beers and cheers
(uncle) Goy

http://www.theuspits.com

"A man is only as old as the woman he feels........"
--Groucho Marx--

Can you boot with a Win98 startup disk and see your hard drive?
Run Scandisk from a Win98 Startup Disk. If you can then your hard drive ain't too messed up.

I sent a follow-up post that I guess got lost in the ether-realm. It'll probably appear in a couple of weeks.

I found your KT7 mother board on the "Taiwan" Abit site. I was looking at the USA Abit site that only had the KT7A board.
Your board at the Abit Taiwan site;
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N26342561

On the download page is probably the file that you need. It's called VIA Service Pack 4.29v.
You probably have these on your motherboard installation CD, all though older.
These are the VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller drivers
Download Page;
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H2B122402

Don't worry about this right now, this is for later when everything is booting.

Now what you have done with this IDE tool is unknown to me, but I doubt if it's that serious. I just hope it didn't do
something to the VIA chipset.
If your motherboard Bio's is screwed up, just re-flash it from the boot floppy that you made for your previous bios
flash.
I hope that you did flash from a boot floppy???? You can do this without even having a hard drive hooked up.

Then if you have a spare hard drive (ya must have a drive kicking around right? borrow?) install that alone into the
computer and load a OS on it.
Make sure the computer boots up and runs normally.
Take your hard drive with all your GLP stuff on it and put it in computer as a slave to this new OS hard drive.
Remember the correct jumper settings. Don't use "Cable Select". Use master & slave.
See if everything boots up and you can see all your partitions.
Run Scandisk on the problem drive. If everything is OK start backing up the drive to CDR's, CDRW or another hard drive.
I have 8 drives for this box, 130gb is dedicated just for file & Mp3 backups, plus incremental CDR & CDRW backups.
I'm a former Macintosh user, and one thing about using a Mac is that you learn to backup your files daily if not hourly.

Then you can run some more serious utilities on the drive. After you have backed it up, (if you can).
Hope that 45 gigs ain't near it's capacity. Mirroring the drive to another BIG drive is the fastest and simplest.
Western Digital hard drive tools is the first one to start with. You can use the disk that came with the hard drive when
it was new or download a newer version at the WD website here;

http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp

These file may require you to build a boot floppy, read directions.

When you run any of the diagnostics DON"T DO ANYTHING THAT WILL DESTROY DATA!
If everything checks out OK, it probably will if you can see both partitions and backup the drive.
The this IDE tool did something to the OS during the boot process that is giving you problems, which will take a little
more to figure out.

Let me know if you read this, I will also post this through my ISP's news service, but they have a UDP on them so...

And I'll try to resend the follow up post again.

I've written Alison two long mails :) advising her (among other suggestions)
not to use Scandisk until she knows whether the other components like BIOS,
HD BIOS etc. are ok. I said that because I am worried that if indeed the
MBR, partition table or FAT got damaged, then perhaps Scandisk would convert
lost clusters into files and try to correct the FAT or partition table, thus
making a later restore of the files using a tool like Easy Recovery
impossible.

I'm not sure that this risk exists, but thought it's better to be safe than
sorry. What do you think, should Alison perhaps first check everything else,
then run the trial version of Easy Recovery to see what's recoverable, and
only then, after she's recovered what she needs, run Scandisk again?

Achim

ain't too messed up.
probably appear in a couple of weeks.
the USA Abit site that only had the KT7A board.
it's that serious. I just hope it didn't do
oppy that you made for your previous bios
even having a hard drive hooked up.
right? borrow?) install that alone into the
as a slave to this new OS hard drive.
the drive to CDR's, CDRW or another hard drive.
backups, plus incremental CDR & CDRW backups.
learn to backup your files daily if not hourly.
backed it up, (if you can).
BIG drive is the fastest and simplest.
use the disk that came with the hard drive when
partitions and backup the drive.
giving you problems, which will take a little
service, but they have a UDP on them so...

I hope that she understands to try to get the hard drive to mount up and be seen by a good working HD/OS and do a quick
scandisk with the option to not to automatically fix errors or convert files. Just to make sure the directory structure
is good. And then back it up, i.e. mirroring the drive to a known good drive is the easiest and fastest way if it has a
large amount of files. And of course keeping a clean "House" (TIF folder etc.) helps also.

I think her original problem can be found in her first post;

I haven't set jumpers to cable select since the 286/386 days. I don't know where she got that information. Especially
with Ultra DMA.

I really don't think she did much damage to the HD and files because of "The only way it will boot is into DOS Safe Mode"
and my guess is that the HD is mounting, just*** on the Win98 boot. Heh that's why the DON'T PANIC! and go crazy
with the recover utilities. That's always a last resort.

I'm a little worried about the use of that "ConfigSafe95" backup utility. I know Win98/ME don't like some Win95 reg
backup utilities, but it sounds like she's used it before, just wondering how many times? Maybe her Win98 install is old
and on the brink of disaster anyway.

And Alison, if you read this, go race the Cobra and enjoy the Fall foliage. GPL and VROC will still be here when ya get
back.
Although I don't know about the Internet, WorldCom (UUNET) had a big outage this week. :-(

REDLINE426 can be found on PalTalk in the PC Tech rooms for voice chat at times.

Steve

I decided to take a day off from the computer yesterday and took the
Cobra to a car show down the street.  It got as much attention as a
Lamborghini Diablo that was parked next to it!

Anyway... I can see the hard drive by booting, hitting F8, and selecting
DOS Safe Mode, so I am pretty sure I can also see it if I boot using a
Win98 boot floppy.  Dir on both C and D partitions works.  

Unfortunately I let Scandisk run before I read the posts from you guys,
and it had write errors on the C partition, so my Windows installation
is probably done for.  But Scandisk didn't find any errors on the D
partition (it hung at 99%), so it seems like there's a good chance its
data is ok.  If so, I should be able to get GPL off of it.

My plan at this point is to buy a new hard drive ($80 with rebates for
an 80 GB WD 7200 rpm from CompUSA; thanks Steve Smith!) and try to copy
the D partition from the old drive to a partition on the new drive.  

If that works, I will be ok.  All I'll need is to install Windows on the
C partition on the new drive, and reinstall a bunch of programs.

I've got a Cobra event this weekend, so I may not be able to put a lot
of time into this till next week.

Thanks again, guys!  I'll keep you posted.

Alison

Alison

Remove the spam blocker NOSPAM to email me.
http://eaglewoman.maximumspeed.net

I'm glad to see that things aren't as bad as they looked at first. If you
can get a dir, and if Scandisk didn't mod anything on the D drive, your data
won't be lost.

However, this brings me to another thought - if I understand you correctly,
the only real problem is under normal Windows mode. But you can boot into
SafeMode, and there see the HD? I don't remember Win98 well enough to know
wether there are two different Safe Modes, one which gets you into DOS, and
one that starts a Windows GUI, but if the SafeMode you mention boots into a
Windows' grafical user interface, then I'm pretty sure that not even your
Windows installation is hosed. IMO this would indicate that it's really only
the HD /chipset driver that gives you troubles.

If this were the case, then I'd be pretty convinced that neither the
Motherboard BIOS nor the HD BIOS cause any probs, in this case it would
really only be a Windows driver problem.

Apologies if my memory fails me and there is a SafeMode that only uses
DOS...

Achim