Migrating from an Tekram DC-390U3W to an Adaptec 29160

[Clocker]

Just part of my planned eventual migration to an SMP rig that will probably have a 64-bit slot I'll need to use I found my self a grreeeeaaat deal on a retail box 29160. It should arrive in about a week.

Do you guys think I can just unplug my X15 boot drive from the Tekram and move it over to the Adaptec without doing anything else? Or, do you think I'll need to format etc?

C

 

[Mercutio]

I haven't owned a non-adaptec SCSI card in, well, ever, but in the olden days, when hard disks were swapped between brands of cards (SCSI chipsets, nowaday), standard practice was to low-level format the drives from the BIOS of the new card.

I don't know whether or not that's still the case.

 

[Clocker]

I haven't owned a non-adaptec SCSI card in, well, ever, but in the olden days, when hard disks were swapped between brands of cards (SCSI chipsets, nowaday), standard practice was to low-level format the drives from the BIOS of the new card.

I don't know whether or not that's still the case.

That is my initial impression as well. I planned on doing that but would like to avoid doing a fresh install until I move to the new system (month or two I guess). Time is just to tight these days to freshing install on a monthly basis like I used to do with all the tweaking and breaking I did in the good old days.

C

 

[Mercutio]

I've found that keeping generic Ghost images + specifying app installs in the batch .INF cuts my fresh install time down to just a half-hour or so.

 

[GIANT]

. .
Monsieur Clocker:


The best way to approach upgrading such devices as the SCSI host adaptor that you boot your system on, is to:



1.) Install the Adaptec card into the PCI slot you plan on using, which would likely be a 64-bit PCI slot. Do nothing else.


2.) Power up your system and let it continue the boot sequence until you get to the Adaptec Cntl-A SCSI setup message. Go into the Adaptec SCSI setup and set your SCSI host adaptor to boot on the proper SCSI ID of your X-15. The default settings should be correct for your hard drive: Boot = ID 0, SCSI Channel = Wide, SCSI Speed = 160 MB/s, Send Start Command to ID 0 = True, BIOS = enabled, SCSI Termination = Automatic (I always set mine to ON); but, you just never can tell what those settings might be, so it is usually a wise move to check out the Adaptec's SCSI settings and correct any if needed.


3.) If you checked your Adaptec SCSI settings, let your box re-boot and then let it continue to boot all the way with your existing Tekram SCSI host adaptor still installed. Once the system has booted and you've logged in, the Windows 2000 / WinXP (yer runnin' Winderz, correct?) "Install New Hardware" routine will recognise the existence of your newfound SCSI host adaptor and install the Win2K SP-2 or WinXP device driver for it. At this point your Adaptec will show up in the ControlPanel / System / Hardware / Device / SCSI & RAID Controllers device list as "operational." If it doesn't show up there, do whatever it takes to get it installed and operational.


4.) Power your system down and move your hard drive over to the new Adaptec SCSI controller. At this point you should remove your Tekram so as to force your box to boot on te Adaptec + Seagate X-15 duo. It should boot.


5.) If it doesn't want to boot on your new Adaptec, it may be that your BIOS is expecting the SCSI host adaptor to boot from to be plugged into the 32-bit bus -- yes, I have experienced this problem a couple of times. It could even be that you have to go back into the system BIOS (the mobo BIOS) and "re-tell" it to boot on the "SCSI" device. But usually, the way to alleviate the booting deadlock is to move the 64-bit SCSI adaptor to the 32-bit PCI slot that is the farthest away from the processor and power the system up and let it boot (it should at this point). Next, power the system down and move the 64-bit Adaptec SCSI adaptor *back* to its 64-bit PCI slot. Your box should now boot up without problem with the 64-bit Adaptec SCSI host adaptor plugged into a 64-bit PCI slot.


. .

 

[Tannin]

Monsieur Giant, as he so often does, is making perfect sense. In the old days you used to have to reformat your SCSI drives because of the various incompatible LBA addressing schemes that the various adaptor makers used. You shouldn't have to do that anymore though, not since, oh, about the time that LVD and Ultra/80 adaptors came into fashion. As I recall, my Buslogic 40MB/s adaptor is not compatible wih my two Adaptec 2940UWs - I can't just swap the drives over, where I can swap the drives over between the two Adaptecs, even though one is a 2940 and the other a 2940 Pro. That's why I have my office X15 on the 2940 UW Pro, because if the card ever fails I can plug in the 2940UW in the showroom machine and be up again within minutes, where if I used the Buslogic I'd have to reformat.

I think I could just plug the Tekram in though. (It's the same model as yours.) Only thing is, without the drivers loaded, I couldn't boot from it.

 

[Clocker]

Thanks for your input guys. I'll be sure to follow up....

C

 

[Clocker]

. .
Monsieur Clocker:


The best way to approach upgrading such devices as the SCSI host adaptor that you boot your system on, is to:



1.) Install the Adaptec card into the PCI slot you plan on using, which would likely be a 64-bit PCI slot. Do nothing else.


2.) Power up your system and let it continue the boot sequence until you get to the Adaptec Cntl-A SCSI setup message. Go into the Adaptec SCSI setup and set your SCSI host adaptor to boot on the proper SCSI ID of your X-15. The default settings should be correct for your hard drive: Boot = ID 0, SCSI Channel = Wide, SCSI Speed = 160 MB/s, Send Start Command to ID 0 = True, BIOS = enabled, SCSI Termination = Automatic (I always set mine to ON); but, you just never can tell what those settings might be, so it is usually a wise move to check out the Adaptec's SCSI settings and correct any if needed.


3.) If you checked your Adaptec SCSI settings, let your box re-boot and then let it continue to boot all the way with your existing Tekram SCSI host adaptor still installed. Once the system has booted and you've logged in, the Windows 2000 / WinXP (yer runnin' Winderz, correct?) "Install New Hardware" routine will recognise the existence of your newfound SCSI host adaptor and install the Win2K SP-2 or WinXP device driver for it. At this point your Adaptec will show up in the ControlPanel / System / Hardware / Device / SCSI & RAID Controllers device list as "operational." If it doesn't show up there, do whatever it takes to get it installed and operational.


4.) Power your system down and move your hard drive over to the new Adaptec SCSI controller. At this point you should remove your Tekram so as to force your box to boot on te Adaptec + Seagate X-15 duo. It should boot.


5.) If it doesn't want to boot on your new Adaptec, it may be that your BIOS is expecting the SCSI host adaptor to boot from to be plugged into the 32-bit bus -- yes, I have experienced this problem a couple of times. It could even be that you have to go back into the system BIOS (the mobo BIOS) and "re-tell" it to boot on the "SCSI" device. But usually, the way to alleviate the booting deadlock is to move the 64-bit SCSI adaptor to the 32-bit PCI slot that is the farthest away from the processor and power the system up and let it boot (it should at this point). Next, power the system down and move the 64-bit Adaptec SCSI adaptor *back* to its 64-bit PCI slot. Your box should now boot up without problem with the 64-bit Adaptec SCSI host adaptor plugged into a 64-bit PCI slot.


. .

Worked GREAT. No reformatting requred or anything. I'm happily on a 29160 controller now.

Thanks!

C