Computer Hope
Hardware => Drivers => Topic started by: alienated1 on September 29, 2011, 10:21:59 AM
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I'm trying to install a Seagate Momemtus 500GB hard drive into an Alienware Clevo D9k D900K Aurora Laptop m7700
Pheonix bios 1.00.05ad
KB bios 1.00.3
VIA RAID controller VT8237 ver 4.93
have an alienware bios update:
ftp://alienware.com/Mobile/7700/BIOS/
higher up on the tree, there's a raid controller update as well
I've heard that the raid update is in the bios update, and getting either one to update should work?
I'm trying to get a thumb drive to boot the bios file unsuccessfully
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The seagate drive is faulty?
What drive was in there b4 u tried adding the seagate ?
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alienated1 tried the disk init. via usb sata adapter - no go
12:37 Immental1200 so the drive didnt work on another pc?
12:37 alienated1 the hp utility in not compatible with win7
12:37 Immental1200 then its the drive
12:37 alienated1 the drive works fine, I can use it through the adapter just fine
12:37 Immental1200 oh
12:37 Immental1200 u said no go
12:37 Immental1200 i thought that meant faulty
12:38 Immental1200 reply to this on the forum as well so others know
12:38 alienated1 I intiated the drive over the adapter, cloned it, put it in the sata internal port, and laptop does not see it
12:38 alienated1 I format the drive to install windows clean on it, laptop does not see drive
12:39 alienated1 am trying to make a bootable usb thumb drive to replace a floppy disk system
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I am under the impression updated raid bio or system bios will solve the problem
am trying to make a usb thumb drive act like a bootable floppy or cd
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I am under the impression updated raid bio or system bios will solve the problem
am trying to make a usb thumb drive act like a bootable floppy or cd
http://www.intowindows.com/bootable-usb/
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I am under the impression updated raid bio or system bios will solve the problem
am trying to make a usb thumb drive act like a bootable floppy or cd
Not sure why you would Post quotes from chat but as i stated there it's not a BIOS issue and flashing it although you are convinced is the way to go may have you wind up with an expensive paperweight...
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I am certain that this is the way to not turn my $160 hard drive into an expensive external USB drive, and get rid of the occasional burp this machine causes with its hdrive bottleneck
I made a bootable cd, but it seized when verifying the memory blocks...
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Then that machine has other issues...none related to a BIOS update...
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the error message on the bios update was that the memory did not match the table expected; wrong bios update
the bios update was not the right one
I need to find the right bios update for the motherboard or the raid controller; either will make this happen
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You got lucky flashing the BIOS the 1st time and not turning that laptop into a brick...
Cut your losses and do some diagnosis of what the real issue is...
A laptop has basically no need in MHO to run a RAID/controller/setup...
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if the bios update won't do it, then what?
I tried a 250GB seagate, does not work
a 500GB Western digital, does not work
60GB western digital, works
200GB limitation of old bios seems to be the popular concensus
upgrading the bios and or the raid seem to be the only solution that has worked for others, DELL also concurs that this is the only way
finding the bios update is an adventure, evidently
Dell wont give it up because I'm not the original owner of this laptop, and they'd rather treat me like a criminal than help out
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A laptop has basically no need in MHO to run a RAID/controller/setup...
The M7700 features (up to) two internal Serial ATA hard drives, and can be configured with a RAID array, a very rare feature in a laptop.
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you are correct, sir
if I can get two hybrids running, I'll have a TB of very fast space for video editing
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you are correct, sir
if I can get two hybrids running, I'll have a TB of very fast space for video editing
on a 5 or 6 year old laptop?
I understand why these things go for (much) less than $100 on ebay
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so, this is more like computer hopeless than anything else...
everyone is all judgmental on what I need, and treat the topic like it's taboo, no apparent actual help
I need a good bios update, not criticism
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so, this is more like computer hopeless than anything else...
everyone is all judgmental on what I need, and treat the topic like it's taboo, no apparent actual help
I need a good bios update, not criticism
This site exists so members can offer advice and help. You are convinced, for whatever reason, that a BIOS update will fix whatever problem you have. This is reasonable to assume before you research the problem in question.
Either way, I suppose it's your perogative to take the risk of bricking the machine. :)
On that note, The Alienware m7700 is 'really' a Clevo D900K notebook; whose BIOS files can be found here (http://www.eurocom.com/support/drivers/bios/main_bios.html). The changelog doesn't show anything about changes to the way it handles Hard drive sizes (assuming you are under the impression that there is some sort of limitation), but that makes sense since all versions of SATA already support 48-bit LBA (which is generally the only software-controllable thing needed), so any BIOS supporting SATA already has 48-bit LBA. Most likely, the limitation is in the actual Hard disk controller hardware, and not something you can change with a BIOS update. (And presumably, such a change would be listed in the BIOS changelog). The drives works via the USB adapter because the USB adapter itself basically acts as the hard disk controller for the drive and "translates" it into a Mass Storage Device, which uses the SCSI transparent command set and thus doesn't really have a size limitation. Connected to the laptop itself, however, it is limited by the OS, HD controller, and the BIOS. the BIOS is probably fine since it already has 48-bit LBA by virtue of having SATA (and that is the only thing that a BIOS needs to support for drives >127GB), the software is fine- since based on the posted chat excerpt you are running windows 7, leaving only the hardware itself (as in the actual hard drive controller circuitry) which of course cannot be changed by a BIOS update.
If you are trying to setup a RAID Array right off the bat, it could be that the RAID controller (or it's software) doesn't support the hard drive size. I don't think that would be the case though, usually the RAID array BIOS replaces the standard BIOS interrupt vectors for HD access, but still delegates the task of actually accessing the disk to those vectors. And if that was the case, the drive would be detected perfectly fine normally, which from what I can tell is not true in your case.
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so, this is more like computer hopeless than anything else...
You're refund check is in the mail...
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You are refund check is in the mail...
huh? :P
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You're refund check is in the mail...
Can I have a refund as well, I am not happy with the free help offered here.
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BC-Programmer:
Thank you for the link, that looks like what I need
looks like the jackpot for the other stuff I may need, too!
I'm gonna give it a go, I'll let you know how it turns out
thanks again
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Thank..you..for..sharing..this..informa tion.
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Thank..you..for..sharing..this..information.
What? Why did you bother posting that? And what are those dots for?