[mythtv-users] OT: SATA errors

[Brian Wood]

On Thursday 16 July 2009 19:22:17 Harry Devine wrote:
> Brian Wood wrote:
> > On Thursday 16 July 2009 15:56:12 Harry Devine wrote:
> >> John Drescher wrote:
> >>>> OK, here's an update.  I bought a new internal SATA controller card
> >>>> from NewEgg
> >>>> (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815280008) and
> >>>> just installed it.  The PC won't boot from the HD.  I get "Insert
> >>>> System Disk and try again" (something like that).  I can boot to the
> >>>> LiveCD and see the HDs under /dev (/sda is my main OS disk and /sdb is
> >>>> my storage drive for Myth).
> >>>>
> >>>> I mount the sda1 partition since I know that's where my /boot
> >>>> partition is. I can see the files, so I'm not really sure why the
> >>>> system can't boot from the drive.  I know that in my MB, there were
> >>>> options for the Onboard SATA controller, but I disabled it since I
> >>>> figured that would interfere with the new card.
> >>>> Does anyone have any ideas on what I need to do to get the OS to boot
> >>>> from the drive on this new card?
> >>>
> >>> Is the drive marked active in fdisk? Do you have the controller listed
> >>> in the boot section of your bios (sometimes this will be called
> >>> external card or try other interfaces...)?
> >>>
> >>> John
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> mythtv-users mailing list
> >>> mythtv-users at mythtv.org
> >>> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
> >>
> >> No, my BIOS doesn't have anything for a controller card.  Only the
> >> Onboard SATA (enabled/disabled).  When you say fdisk, do you mean the
> >> old DOS fdisk?  Why would the onboard SATA not require that but the new
> >> card would?  Just curious.
> >>
> >> I don't see anything about the card, or any external card for that
> >> matter, in my BIOS.  When I boot off the LiveCD, like I said, I can see
> >> the card when I run lspci, and the system can see my drives properly as
> >> /dev/sda and /dev/sdb.
> >>
> >> Any ideas?
> >
> > Your last sentence just means the OS drivers work and can see the drives.
> > but you need your BIOS to see the drives in order to boot from them.
> >
> > Usually, there is some BIOS on the SATA card that gets loaded, similar to
> > a SCSI card.
> >
> > I use a SuperMicro SATA card, and the system sees the drives and boots
> > from them, but it's a SuperMicro motherboard so it's designed to work
> > with the card (or vice versa).
> >
> > Depending on your SATA card, there might be a jumper or something that
> > tells it to try and load its BIOS.
> >
> > Try looking up the docs on your mobo, there might be information about
> > booting from a plug-in card. It might be under something like "booting
> > from SCSI".
> >
> > Also make sure you have the latest BIOS installed in your motherboard.
>
> I don't see anything in the cards manual concerning any BIOS jumpers.
> The only jumpers that exist are to enable the SATA connectors as SATA 1
> and SATA 2.  Also, neither my MB manual or BIOS says anything whatsoever
> about booting from a SCSI card.  I'll keep looking and tweaking, but
> there has to be something to allow this to work.  I found a newer BIOS
> version for my MB, but what they say they changed has nothing to do with
> SATA.  But I'm going to flash it and check anyway.

Sometimes changes happen in new BIOS releases (and any other sort of software 
I guess) that don't get mentioned in the notes, usually not with major things 
though.

>
> To answer John's earlier question, the only boot options my MB BIOS
> gives me are CDROM, Hard Disk, Removable Disk, or Disabled.

Wow, not even a floppy option, or a network option? 

I assume you tried the removable option?

I've heard tell of boot floppies that allow for booting from additional 
devices, usually to be able to boot a CD via a floppy (for old machines that 
won't boot a CD normally). You might search for "boot floppy" or something 
like that, it might be usable as a CD image as well as a floppy.

But BIOS can't boot what BIOS can't see, so you have to change the BIOS or 
change what you are trying to boot to something it can see. The BIOS might be 
changed by DLing a BIOS driver from the SATA card, I think that's how my 
SuperMicro card works.

There might be a "scan" option somewhere in your BIOS setup, or perhaps go to 
your mobo maker's site and do a search for SATA or SCSI or external boot.

-- 
Brian Wood
beww at beww.org