Windows XP won't boot with Tandberg SLR7 tape drive

Greeting everyone,

I am having severe problems getting Windows XP (SP 1) to boot up with my new
Tandberg SLR7 tape drive on board. System has a 3 GHz P4 in a Gigabyte
GA-8KNXP Ultra Rev. 1 M/B - this is the version with embedded Adaptec
AIC-7902 U320 SCSI adaptor. There is a 4 x Maxtor Atlas IV 36.4GB RAID-10
array on Channel A; there is nothing on Channel B apart from the SLR7.

I am using a 68-pin high-density wide SCSI flat ribbon cable together with
terminator which I know works as I have used it in other systems. SCSI host
adaptor is SCSI ID 7. The SLR7 is ID 2 (factory default) & I have also
tried ID 6. Termination is disabled on the host adaptor. All other
settings are as defaults. With this setup I don't get any SCSI errors on
startup, & everything looks normal in the SCSI BIOS utility (i.e. device
scans pick up all devices correctly). This is as I would expect (after a
bit of trial & error) & other settings cause SCSI errors when I boot up.

However, Windows XP won't start properly; the system boots OK but when it
gets as far as the Windows splash screen it hangs there - doesn't crash or
BSOD, just doesn't get any further. On occasion it gets past that stage,
but still freezes before it has finished starting all programs etc.

The first time I booted up with the drive on board, there was no problem, &
Windows Device Manager showed the SLR7 as "Unknown device". I then
downloaded the XP device drivers from Tandberg (slr_w2k.zip). This
installed OK, after which (without rebooting) the drive appeared correctly
in Device Manager.

My guess is that there is some conflict with the RAID-10 disk array which is
preventing XP from booting. The only way I can boot up is to unplug the
SCSI cable. As the drive doesn't appear in Device Manager at all then there
is no way to uninstall the drivers - assuming this is the source of the
problem....

Anyone seen or heard of anything similar? Any suggestions gratefully
received!

Andrew

Andrew,

Check the requirements for SCSI termination. Sometimes channels are odd. If
this is one of those odd situations (IE the cable continues for both
channels - but I doubt it), then you could also have a clash of ID's.

Each cable should require termination at Both ends.
IE on the second channel with the tape drive on, you will have:

SCSI - cable - Tape Drive - Active Termination.

and it should be:

SCSI card with Termination enabled - cable - Tape Drive - Active
Termination.

In that situation, termination should also be enabled on the SCSI Controller
as well - unless the same conceptual cable is used for the first
channel.............. but then it wouldn't be a separate channel would it?
Take a look in the manual.

- Tim




"Andrew Wasielewski" wrote in message
...
Greeting everyone,

I am having severe problems getting Windows XP (SP 1) to boot up with my
new
Tandberg SLR7 tape drive on board. System has a 3 GHz P4 in a Gigabyte
GA-8KNXP Ultra Rev. 1 M/B - this is the version with embedded Adaptec
AIC-7902 U320 SCSI adaptor. There is a 4 x Maxtor Atlas IV 36.4GB RAID-10
array on Channel A; there is nothing on Channel B apart from the SLR7.

I am using a 68-pin high-density wide SCSI flat ribbon cable together with
terminator which I know works as I have used it in other systems. SCSI
host
adaptor is SCSI ID 7. The SLR7 is ID 2 (factory default) & I have also
tried ID 6. Termination is disabled on the host adaptor. All other
settings are as defaults. With this setup I don't get any SCSI errors on
startup, & everything looks normal in the SCSI BIOS utility (i.e. device
scans pick up all devices correctly). This is as I would expect (after a
bit of trial & error) & other settings cause SCSI errors when I boot up.

However, Windows XP won't start properly; the system boots OK but when it
gets as far as the Windows splash screen it hangs there - doesn't crash or
BSOD, just doesn't get any further. On occasion it gets past that stage,
but still freezes before it has finished starting all programs etc.

The first time I booted up with the drive on board, there was no problem,
&
Windows Device Manager showed the SLR7 as "Unknown device". I then
downloaded the XP device drivers from Tandberg (slr_w2k.zip). This
installed OK, after which (without rebooting) the drive appeared correctly
in Device Manager.

My guess is that there is some conflict with the RAID-10 disk array which
is
preventing XP from booting. The only way I can boot up is to unplug the
SCSI cable. As the drive doesn't appear in Device Manager at all then
there
is no way to uninstall the drivers - assuming this is the source of the
problem....

Anyone seen or heard of anything similar? Any suggestions gratefully
received!

Andrew

Andrew,

May want to reduce the sync rate of the Adaptec to something lower. Try the
slowest setting and see what happens. Also try it with the Synchronous
Transfer=disabled. If those do not work, play with the other settings. Since
you have four atlas drives and the tape drive, is you power supply
sufficient?

--
Pavel


"Andrew Wasielewski" wrote in message
...
Greeting everyone,

I am having severe problems getting Windows XP (SP 1) to boot up with my
new
Tandberg SLR7 tape drive on board. System has a 3 GHz P4 in a Gigabyte
GA-8KNXP Ultra Rev. 1 M/B - this is the version with embedded Adaptec
AIC-7902 U320 SCSI adaptor. There is a 4 x Maxtor Atlas IV 36.4GB RAID-10
array on Channel A; there is nothing on Channel B apart from the SLR7.

I am using a 68-pin high-density wide SCSI flat ribbon cable together with
terminator which I know works as I have used it in other systems. SCSI
host
adaptor is SCSI ID 7. The SLR7 is ID 2 (factory default) & I have also
tried ID 6. Termination is disabled on the host adaptor. All other
settings are as defaults. With this setup I don't get any SCSI errors on
startup, & everything looks normal in the SCSI BIOS utility (i.e. device
scans pick up all devices correctly). This is as I would expect (after a
bit of trial & error) & other settings cause SCSI errors when I boot up.

However, Windows XP won't start properly; the system boots OK but when it
gets as far as the Windows splash screen it hangs there - doesn't crash or
BSOD, just doesn't get any further. On occasion it gets past that stage,
but still freezes before it has finished starting all programs etc.

The first time I booted up with the drive on board, there was no problem,
&
Windows Device Manager showed the SLR7 as "Unknown device". I then
downloaded the XP device drivers from Tandberg (slr_w2k.zip). This
installed OK, after which (without rebooting) the drive appeared correctly
in Device Manager.

My guess is that there is some conflict with the RAID-10 disk array which
is
preventing XP from booting. The only way I can boot up is to unplug the
SCSI cable. As the drive doesn't appear in Device Manager at all then
there
is no way to uninstall the drivers - assuming this is the source of the
problem....

Anyone seen or heard of anything similar? Any suggestions gratefully
received!

Andrew

Thanks for all the suggestions guys...turns out that the problem looks to
have been due to the cable all along! Eventually I swapped the flat cable
for a LVD one (with the individually twisted pairs) & it worked fine, first
time. Worked with the default settings as well. Looking back, I should
have guessed that the temperamental behaviour might have been due to this,
but got fooled by the fact that it didn't *not* work from the outset.

Useful suggestions from Tim & Pavel, & worth bearing in mind for the future.
Tandberg tech. support also responded quickly, along the same lines i.e.
reduce bus speed setting.

Andrew

"Andrew Wasielewski" wrote in message
...
Greeting everyone,

I am having severe problems getting Windows XP (SP 1) to boot up with my
new
Tandberg SLR7 tape drive on board. System has a 3 GHz P4 in a Gigabyte
GA-8KNXP Ultra Rev. 1 M/B - this is the version with embedded Adaptec
AIC-7902 U320 SCSI adaptor. There is a 4 x Maxtor Atlas IV 36.4GB RAID-10
array on Channel A; there is nothing on Channel B apart from the SLR7.

I am using a 68-pin high-density wide SCSI flat ribbon cable together with
terminator which I know works as I have used it in other systems. SCSI
host
adaptor is SCSI ID 7. The SLR7 is ID 2 (factory default) & I have also
tried ID 6. Termination is disabled on the host adaptor. All other
settings are as defaults. With this setup I don't get any SCSI errors on
startup, & everything looks normal in the SCSI BIOS utility (i.e. device
scans pick up all devices correctly). This is as I would expect (after a
bit of trial & error) & other settings cause SCSI errors when I boot up.

However, Windows XP won't start properly; the system boots OK but when it
gets as far as the Windows splash screen it hangs there - doesn't crash or
BSOD, just doesn't get any further. On occasion it gets past that stage,
but still freezes before it has finished starting all programs etc.

The first time I booted up with the drive on board, there was no problem,
&
Windows Device Manager showed the SLR7 as "Unknown device". I then
downloaded the XP device drivers from Tandberg (slr_w2k.zip). This
installed OK, after which (without rebooting) the drive appeared correctly
in Device Manager.

My guess is that there is some conflict with the RAID-10 disk array which
is
preventing XP from booting. The only way I can boot up is to unplug the
SCSI cable. As the drive doesn't appear in Device Manager at all then
there
is no way to uninstall the drivers - assuming this is the source of the
problem....

Anyone seen or heard of anything similar? Any suggestions gratefully
received!

Andrew