> I'm about to install 2 SATA drives that I intend to run in a RAID array. I
> don't have a floppy drive, so I've been following the instructions in this
> how-to article about slipstreaming SATA/RAID drivers into my Windows XP boot
> CD. This is the first time I've tried something like this, though, so I have
> a couple of questions.
>
> The first is pretty basic. How do I know which drivers I need to install?
> I'm checking out the directory on the CD that came with my mobo, and under
> Promise, there are two folders that look like they could be what I'm looking
> for. But then again, maybe not. One is called 378ATA and the other is called
> 378RAID. There is also a folder called VIARAID, under which is a folder
> called 6420RAID, and beneath that, a folder called SATA. How do I know which
> one I need? Shall I just copy the XP .sys files from all of them to be safe?
>
> The second question is a little more specific. Once I've found/copied the
> appropriate .sys files, in the article it says:
>
>   quote:
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>   Now that we've added our RAID/SATA driver files to the mix, we need to
> tell Windows Setup about the existence of these drivers and how to use them.
> You'll need to look it up in your driver's INF file. This file is usually
> found in the same place as the SYS file you located in the previous step and
> will probably have the same name, albeit with an INF extension. Open the INF
> file in Notepad and copy the PCI identifier string, which is a series of
> characters beginning with PCI\VEN-for instance, PCI\VEN_105A&DEV_3376. There
> may be other text on the same line as the identifier string; if this is the
> case, start at the first occurrence of PCI\VEN and copy the text up to but
> not including the last period (or the end of the line, whichever comes
> first). If your driver's INF file contains multiple PCI identifier strings,
> copy all of them into TXTSETUP.SIF.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Now in the case of one of the .INF files associated with a .sys file I think
> I need to copy, there appear to be two PCI identifier strings. The first is:
>
> %PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3149.DeviceDesc% = viasraid , PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3149
>
> So does that mean I ought to only copy the part that says
> PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3149? Do I copy the whole thing? And in either case, do I
> include the percentage symbol at the beginning of the line?
>
> The second PCI identifier string seems to be:
>
> PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3149.DeviceDesc="VIA Serial ATA RAID Controller"
>
> Again, do I just copy up to the period? If so, it appears it would be the
> same as the string I copied before. Or should I copy the whole line?
>
> These are the most specific questions I've asked on these forums. I hope
> they aren't too technical. I would certainly appreciate any help you can
> provide and am happy to clarify if you need me to. Thank you.
>
>

"nikko" <notha***@yourmomma.com> wrote in message
news:WqOdnQvmUaV3jLnfRVn-pw@comcast.com...
> I'm about to install 2 SATA drives that I intend to run in a RAID array. I
> don't have a floppy drive, so I've been following the instructions in this
> how-to article about slipstreaming SATA/RAID drivers into my Windows XP
> boot CD. This is the first time I've tried something like this, though, so
> I have a couple of questions.
>
> The first is pretty basic. How do I know which drivers I need to install?
> I'm checking out the directory on the CD that came with my mobo, and under
> Promise, there are two folders that look like they could be what I'm
> looking for. But then again, maybe not. One is called 378ATA and the other
> is called 378RAID. There is also a folder called VIARAID, under which is a
> folder called 6420RAID, and beneath that, a folder called SATA. How do I
> know which one I need? Shall I just copy the XP .sys files from all of
> them to be safe?
>
> The second question is a little more specific. Once I've found/copied the
> appropriate .sys files, in the article it says:
>
>  quote:
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Now that we've added our RAID/SATA driver files to the mix, we need to
> tell Windows Setup about the existence of these drivers and how to use
> them. You'll need to look it up in your driver's INF file. This file is
> usually found in the same place as the SYS file you located in the
> previous step and will probably have the same name, albeit with an INF
> extension. Open the INF file in Notepad and copy the PCI identifier
> string, which is a series of characters beginning with PCI\VEN-for
> instance, PCI\VEN_105A&DEV_3376. There may be other text on the same line
> as the identifier string; if this is the case, start at the first
> occurrence of PCI\VEN and copy the text up to but not including the last
> period (or the end of the line, whichever comes first). If your driver's
> INF file contains multiple PCI identifier strings, copy all of them into
> TXTSETUP.SIF.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Now in the case of one of the .INF files associated with a .sys file I
> think I need to copy, there appear to be two PCI identifier strings. The
> first is:
>
> %PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3149.DeviceDesc% = viasraid , PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3149
>
> So does that mean I ought to only copy the part that says
> PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3149? Do I copy the whole thing? And in either case, do I
> include the percentage symbol at the beginning of the line?
>
> The second PCI identifier string seems to be:
>
> PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3149.DeviceDesc="VIA Serial ATA RAID Controller"
>
> Again, do I just copy up to the period? If so, it appears it would be the
> same as the string I copied before. Or should I copy the whole line?
>
> These are the most specific questions I've asked on these forums. I hope
> they aren't too technical. I would certainly appreciate any help you can
> provide and am happy to clarify if you need me to. Thank you.
>
>