33 replies to this topic

[GRS]

I'm trying to install a 40 gig WD drive in a Pen ll machine put together by a computer shop. It has 98 installed but won't recognize the 40 gig. I figure it's the BIOS. The main drive is a 15 gig Seagate, the machine won't see a wester digital disk but does read a 98 startup disk. What Do I have to do.

[Smokey]

Is it installed on the same IDE channel as the other drive? Is it installed on the middle connector on the ribbon cable? Make sure both the power connector and the IDE cable are pushed in all the way. It should be recognized even if the jumpers are positioned incorrectly. Also windows98 won't recognize a drive that's not formatted with fat or fat32.

[Berton]

And it could indeed be a problem with a BIOS limitation of 32GB, maybe even smaller. Might check with the maker of the motherboard for an updated BIOS file that takes care of the issue. I had to do it with a Tyan board and a Pentium II 400MHz.

[rob]

Several possibilities. First, is BIOS v able to see drives larger than 33 GB? If you go to the mobo maker's site/support, you can usually read the different BIOS update versions and find one that will see larger HDDs. If you need a upgrade, download it and flash your BIOS. If this isn't the problem, then it's most likely jumper settings on each drive. First, try CS on ea drive with the WD drive as middle on the cable. Next try jumpering the Seagate as Master w slave and the WD as slave. I've seen on older systems where the Master needs to be the larger drive. To get around this, just make the Seagate Pri Master and the WD Sec Master. Keep fidding around and you'll get it !! Good Luck, rob
PS.. I would put the WD as Pri master and slave the old drive. Then boot from data Lifeguard and partition and format the WD drive. Then use Advanced>Partition to Partition and xcopy all the Seagate to the WD drive. This willake the newer, faster WD drive your main drive, and after you know all is well, you can use the old drive as a BU or extra storage. The thing to be careful about... make certain that the BIOS can see the WD drive first, otherwise, Data Lifeguard may install the drive overlay software, which you do not want !!

[GRS]

I've tryed every which way of connecting it,I'll go see if I can find a Bio's update, If I put the 40 gig in by itself the computer still doesn't see it, It's a good drive cause the other computer sees it fine.Get back later.

[Smokey]

Gary, just enter the bios and see if it appears there. Is it formatted with fat/fat32? Like I said here, 98 won't see it if it isn't. Put your 98 startup disk back in, partition and format the drive.

[GRS]

I found the Bio's update for my board but I can't find the proper Flash procedure. Mother board is Asus P2L97, The update to correct for bigger drives is Ver 1009. http://support.asus.com/download/download....SLanguage=en-us ,lx2i1009

[Berton]

GRS, on Apr 12 2006, 04:08 PM, said:

I found the Bio's update for my board but I can't find the proper Flash procedure. Mother board is Asus P2L97, The update to correct for bigger drives is Ver 1009. http://support.asus.com/download/download....SLanguage=en-us ,lx2i1009

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This page with the file necessary to create the floppy doesn't list that motherboard. What is needed is the Flashing program [bootable] with the updated file on the same disk.

That's a pretty limited motherboard:
"Question
What is the fastest CPU which P2L97 can support?

Answer
P2L97 can support up to Pentium II 333MHz with 66MHz FSB max or Celeron 533Mhz with 66MHz FSB max using 1009 BIOS and S370-DL CPU adapter card. P2L97 doesn't support 100MHz FSB as chipset limitation; so don't use 100MHz or above FSB CPU on it."

I did find a file at
http://members.driverguide.com/index.php?a...2l97&qa5=1&sm=s
with this warning:
"When flashing your BIOS on the ASUS P2L97 - DO NOT - Use ASUS aflash.exe utility available on the Asus sight. ASUS posted a bogus flash ver and it does not work with
Award Bios ver 4.51PG

12/02/97-i440LX-00
This took me a few hours to figure out.
The zip file contains
CTBIOS.exe
Tool to help identify your BIOS.
PFLASH.exe Flash utility that works.
LX2i1009.awd – Asus BIOS update.
FYI
update for drives over 32 gigs.
See ASUS for the rest of the flash utility enhancements.

You may need to go to http://www.driverguide.com/ and sign for a free membership first.

[rob]

Good find, Berton !!

[Smokey]

Yeah, good find Berton. Here is the file that Gary was referring to. 1009 bios file is available from asus.



Checkout the feedback from folks that flashed this "Driver Guide file".



I would rather use the file from the mobo manufacturer. Flashing a corrupt file will mean replacing the bios chip and that old mobo isn't worth buying a new bios chip.

[GRS]

Hi Guys, 40 gig is fat 32, I finally flashed Bio's using Uniflash, nice program, spent an hour trying to get asus flash to work,Grrr.Bio's now 1009 and it still can't see the 40. Processor is a 266, very fast for what it is.I've had enough for now,my friend will have to live without a second drive. By the way,if I hook up the 40 by itself as the master it still is not seen.

[GRS]

PS, Thank you for all your efforts, I appreciate it very much.

[GRS]

Finally got it, had to hook 40 gig as slave to the CD Rom, Who Knew?

[Smokey]

That's odd Gary but at least you know that drive will work with that mobo.

GRS, on Apr 13 2006, 08:10 AM, said:

By the way,if I hook up the 40 by itself as the master it still is not seen.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When you said that you installed the 40 all alone and set the jumper to master, did you mean you set the jumper to a single drive master or just master. With the WD drives, single drive master is a different jumper setting than if it's used as master/slave.

[GRS]

With Wd no Jumper is Master, that's what I did.

[Smokey]

Unless WD just changed their jumper configuration, the top drive configuration is how you should of positioned the jumper.

[GRS]

In the first picture that's the same as no jumper, called a neutral position, a place to store the jumper.

[rob]

Gary is right on. For a while, most WD drives are Single Master with no jumper. But they offer the "Park" pos as a neutral storage place. I too am baffled why the drive would be seen as a slave to CD-Rom and not Single master. Hmmm, wonder if a new ribbon cable on the Pri channel would help? At any rate, slave wouldn't be my first choice for the faster, newer dive, but we are talking old rig !! Glad your efforts were worthwhile, Gary ! rob

[Smokey]

Thanks Gary and rob, I did not know that. Since I switched from using primarily Seagate drives to WD, I always placed that jumper there not realizing it was just a storage spot.

This problem is baffleing. I wonder if it is the ribbon cable, the primary channel or the drive itself.
Gary if you get the chance, see if it will work on the secondary channel as the master and the CD drive as the slave? If not, don't worry about it, like rob said, it's such an old rig, it doesn't matter that much.

[GRS]

Hi Guys, I put the drive in for MP3 files he could play in his workshop,I put 8000 songs on it, He's very happy,it plays very well. I will try setting it up as the master on the secondary next time I work on it. Once again Thank you very much. Boy, whoever thought I could teach Smokey something, he's the best.