GA-7VAXP Ultra & Sata Bios

GR8_ONEGR8_ONE
edited August 2006 in Science & Tech
I have the GA-7VAXP Ultra with on-board Sil3112A raid controller. I am using it in BASE mode and i experience long boot up delays and paging error in windows. I have read a lot of threads here and i have already updated my drivers from Silicons website and have seen minor inprovements. From everything i have read i need to update my bios controller but can't find a bios file that has it. I am running F7, newest from gigabyte, but the controller is very old. Anyone know where i can get a updated file.

THANKS

Comments

  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited January 2005
    GR8_ONE wrote:
    I have the GA-7VAXP Ultra with on-board Sil3112A raid controller. I am using it in BASE mode and i experience long boot up delays and paging error in windows. I have read a lot of threads here and i have already updated my drivers from Silicons website and have seen minor inprovements. From everything i have read i need to update my bios controller but can't find a bios file that has it. I am running F7, newest from gigabyte, but the controller is very old. Anyone know where i can get a updated file.

    THANKS
    Okay well the latest BIOS file (F7) for your motherboard does indeed have a very old SI 3112 SATA controller BIOS version, however the BIOS file has limited space and can't by default accomodate the latest version of the SI 3112 SATA controller BIOS because of its file size. However...

    What I have done is this:

    I've removed the PATA RAID controller BIOS (you have 4 standard IDE ports on that mobo) to free up some space in your mobo BIOS file. This will mean 2 of your IDE ports (the RAID ones, probably IDE3&4) will cease to function if you flash this BIOS. If you require use of all four of your PATA ports then you shouldn't flash this BIOS. Also, if you have a RAID array on those PATA ports, if you flash the attached BIOS, you will almost certainly lose it and all the data on the array.

    However, if you can make do with just 2 IDE ports and if you're not reliant on those extra IDE ports, then flashing the attached BIOS should give you a fully uptodate SI 3112 controller BIOS to play with.

    Let me know how you get on and please note you can always flash back to the un-modded version of this BIOS if you decide you want to use all 4 of your IDE ports. So don't worry about that.

    Cheers

    Note: Also you should run your SI 3112 SATA controller in RAID mode, not BASE. You can still just use a single disk on the controller, it just means the controller is fully and properly turned on. Make sure though, you use the RAID drivers (the latest being v1.0.0.51) instead of the non-RAID ones when running your controller in RAID mode.
  • GR8_ONEGR8_ONE
    edited January 2005
    Spinner,

    Thank you very much; words can't adequately express my appreciation for your help.

    I only use one SATA hard drive and one DVD-Rom so I can get away with the loss of the channel. I should have time to try the file in the next day or so, I will let you know how it goes. I will also follow your recommendation and switch from BASE to RAID.

    THANKS AGAIN
    :thumbsup:
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited January 2005
    GR8_ONE wrote:
    Spinner,

    Thank you very much; words can adequately express my appreciation for your help.

    I only use one SATA hard drive and one DVD-Rom so I can get away with the loss of the channel. I should have time to try the file in the next day or so, I will let you know how it goes. I will also follow your recommendation and switch from BASE to RAID.

    THANKS AGAIN
    :thumbsup:
    Let me know how you get on mate.

    Cheers
  • GR8_ONEGR8_ONE
    edited January 2005
    Spinner,

    I was able to flash your bios, and the Sata controller does reflect the new version. I switched to RAID mode, from BASE as you suggested. I am still having the same results; I forgot to mention one additional error I was getting, in case it helps. Aside from the Paging and the hang ups I get at the windows splash screen, I get “the device \Device\SCso\Si3112r1, did not respond within the timeout period.

    One other additional note, the boot hang only occurs on the first boot up, I can reset 25 times and it is fine, aside from the paging errors. But the minute I shut down for 5 mins and turn back on I get a 5 minute boot time.

    I am thinking something might be wrong with the onboard chip. Either way, thanks for all your help and effort.
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited January 2005
    GR8_ONE wrote:
    Spinner,

    I was able to flash your bios, and the Sata controller does reflect the new version. I switched to RAID mode, from BASE as you suggested. I am still having the same results; I forgot to mention one additional error I was getting, in case it helps. Aside from the Paging and the hang ups I get at the windows splash screen, I get “the device \Device\SCso\Si3112r1, did not respond within the timeout period.

    One other additional note, the boot hang only occurs on the first boot up, I can reset 25 times and it is fine, aside from the paging errors. But the minute I shut down for 5 mins and turn back on I get a 5 minute boot time.

    I am thinking something might be wrong with the onboard chip. Either way, thanks for all your help and effort.
    You're using the RAID drivers now right? v1.0.0.51?

    Are you using a USB mouse or any other USB peripheral that is plugged in upon Windows boot? Try disabling all your USB controllers in your mobo BIOS or by switching a jumper/s on the board it self.

    Try disconnecting your DVD-Rom.

    Could you look in your motherboard BIOS and let me know the boot order and boot priority settings you have to the best of your ability.

    e.g First Boot : SCSI
    Second Boot: CDROM
    Third Boot: Floppy

    Is your PSU (Power Supply Unit) okay? Try and swap it out with another one if possible just for testing purposes.

    What SATA hard drive is it? You should be able to download a diagnostic tool from the manufactures website and test to see if it's okay, just to rule out it's not the drive causing the problem.

    I don't actually think for one minute it is your hard drive causing you these problems, but it is a possibility worth entertaining just out of the principal of being thorough.

    I don't also believe the SI controller is malfunctioning, I see this kind of behavier on consumer level Gigabyte boards all the time and it is typically a result of the incapabilities of Gigabyte to actually get all the components it puts on its motherboards working properly together.

    If you could answer the questions I've asked and try as many of things that I've suggested then post back.

    Cheers
  • twixRAIDertwixRAIDer Rotterdam, Netherlands
    edited August 2006
    Spinner wrote:
    However...

    What I have done is this:

    I also have GA-7VAXP Ultra with on-board Sil3112A raid controller. The information in this thread and Spinner's modded BIOS were my main sources to fix the problem.

    I ran into trouble after installing a new hard drive:
    Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA
    Model Number: ST3750640AS
    Capacity:750 GB
    Interface:SATA 3Gb/s (but 1.5 Gb/s with included jumper)

    My old situation:
    • GA-7VAXP Ultra
    • older BIOS (installed in 2003)
    • SATA BIOS setting to: BASE
    • One older SATA disk (Samsung SP1614C 160 GB SATA), running fine for years
    • Running older SATA non-Raid drivers
    • Also 2 non-SATA (PATA) hard drives connected and 1 CD Burner
    • No PATA RAID in use

    The symptoms were:
    In the Sil3112A boot sequence (in second screen during boot):
    • My old SATA drive (a Samsung SP1614C 160 GB SATA) would be recognized (Model number showing) and disk capacity indicated correctly. (as before)
    • The new Seagate would also get recognized (ST3750640AS showing), but not the disk amount. The new drive was spinning, though. Also the booting sequence got halted and Windows 2000 never started.

    Current, running situation:
    • GA-7VAXP Ultra
    • Spinner's modded BIOS
    • SATA BIOS setting to: RAID
    • Running current SATA Raid drivers (Version 1.1.0.50), downloaded from Gigabyte site
    • Still 2 non-SATA (PATA) hard drives connected and 1 CD Burner
    • Of course no PATA RAID in use
    • Samsung SP1614C (160 GB) and Seagate ST3750640AS (750 GB) are installed as 2 separate volumes, so not in a RAID configuration of any sort.

    Additional information:
    • The problem was fixed after updating to the modded BIOS and connecting the Seagate drive. Capacity now shows during boot and Windows starts normally.
    • Booting takes a tiny bit longer since the Promise (PATA RAID) still runs a check during booting. (second boot screen).
    • I did not try the unmodded, vanilla F7 (with older Sil3112A bIOS as a consequence), but have no need for PATA RAID, so no need to try at this point. So it is possible that regular F7 BIOS with an older SATA BIOS also fixes this particular problem.
    • Before fix, I also tried disconnecting some of the (non sytem) PATA drives, to make sure that my problem was not a power issue.
    • Before fix, I also tried running the ST3750640AS in place of the Samsung SP1614C, so with the same power and data cables. Just to make sure that the cause was not the new cables or a problem with the second SATA port on the mobo.

    So thanks also from me, Spinner :respect:
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