Computer bods please help

[GaryWary]

Please help.

This is the spec of my current (old) computer (the one I am using to write this):

500MHz AMD KP6II CPU
Tyan Trinity AT Motherboard
3x64Mb DIMM Ram 100MHz Bus speed
Samsung 8read-4write-32Speed CD-R/RW SW-208B (purchased early last year)
Quantumn Fireball 8Gb Hard-drive (2.5 years old)
20Gb Fujitsu Hard-drive
ATI Rage III 32Mb Video Card

I have just got some new (ish) computer bits. I got:

1.2GHz Athlon CPU
Supermicro (viatech) KT7A Raid motherboard

jjProblems:
I tried to get the new stuff working with the old stuff. But bios doesn't see the hard-rdives i.e. when it first boots up and looks for the respective drives C: D: and E:. It says primary drive = none, etc. However, it then goes to another screen and scans for drives and then boots into Windows. When in bios settings, it still cannot be made to see the hard-drives - so I have to rely on this scan feature. It also refuses to see the CDROM. I discharged the CMOS to see if that would help, but no.

So I guessed that I was going to have to reinstall windows. But could not because the computer could not see the CDROM. So I start from boot-disc, I fdisk and format drive c and hope that things will now flow... It didn't work, the Oak driver CDROM thingy that happens when you use the boot disc kept saying drives not found, aborting files something or other.. it could not find my CDROM.

So here I am on my original system loading everything again (my old system was fine with the win98 boot-disc and found the Oak CD-Rom driver straight away no problem - and so allowed me to re-install Windows).

So why wouldn't the newer system see the CD-ROM?

As I said above, the new system does boot into Windows, it just cannot be made to see the CD-ROM.

Please please help me......

 

[Y_lifter]

This is a perfect example why CPU / MB upgrades BLOW !
It's like putting a 442 engine in a YUGO...

I will pass it around a few IT weanies and let you know if I get something other than laughter.

 

[naturally anabolic]

ok this isn't a problem, you can either

a) go to the cdrom manufactures website and pick up the cdrom drivers and put them onto a floppy disk/ go in and add new hardware, tell it to select from a list, then click have disk and add it that way.

b)go to the motherboard manufactures website and get the bios update, then flash your bios and see if the updated bios do not help to allievate the problem

c) a combination of A&B

 

[naturally anabolic]

on a side note, did you check the connections to the cdrom? did you line up pin 1 with pin 1 on the connector? (though cables only fit one way usually there are some that will fit both ways, did you check the jumper on the cdrom and make it secondary master?

 

[GaryWary]

This is a perfect example why CPU / MB upgrades BLOW !
It's like putting a 442 engine in a YUGO...

I will pass it around a few IT weanies and let you know if I get something other than laughter.

It's hardly a Yugo. The oldest component is only 2.5 years old = the 8.4Gb HD. Everything else in no more than a year old. It is more a Ford Focus than a YUGO...

I'll try try what naturally said...

naturally: what does flash the bios mean? I am sorry, I really don't know.

 

[GaryWary]

on a side note, did you check the connections to the cdrom? did you line up pin 1 with pin 1 on the connector? (though cables only fit one way usually there are some that will fit both ways, did you check the jumper on the cdrom and make it secondary master?

Yes, did all dat stuff.

 

[naturally anabolic]

ok the bios on the motherboard is a chip, and it is what is known as EEPROM or Eraseable Electronically Programmable Read Only Memory, the manufacturer of the motherboard will provide you with the ability to update the coding on the chip thru the use of software go there and find the proper board to get a bios update, you may not need to go this far, check out the cdrom first and let me know and i can walk you thru the rest.

-Chris

 

[naturally anabolic]

the KT7A Raid board is not produced by supermicro..... it is made by Abit.http://www.motherboards.com/catalog...&index_id=7&subcategory_id=7&products_id=341&

 

[GaryWary]

Naturally: You going to be here for an hour? Enough time for me to scream a bit more and pull me hair out?

I shall try the cd-rom thing first. I shall see if a driver can be found. And let you know what happens. I suppose that I get the driver and then hook up the new gear and see if it will see the cd-rom in Windows via 'add new hardware'.

I assume therefore, that there may be a problem with the new chipset and the CD-ROM? but why did the same boot-up disc provide the CD-ROM drivers ok with the old PC set-up?

 

[naturally anabolic]

it happens, welcome to the wonderful world of PC's

 

[mrbill]

it is so hard to fix things like this without being there and actually messing with your system to see what's up. I don't think you should need a bios update as it is a new motherboard. The only advice I can give is check all connections again, try reformatting HD and do a complete windows re-install. You can also contact the MB manufacturer and see if this may be a re-occurring problem they have with certain CD-roms, also contact the cd-rom manufacturer for the same info. good luck

 

[daemon]

First off, the new motherboard is made by Abit. Second, how are you even powering the system? You say your old Tyan board was AT, the Abit board is ATX, they're not compatible and I don't even understand how you got it powered in the first place. Third, bus speed are you running? The abit board will support PC133 and you only have PC100. Fourth, are you plugged into the right IDE headers? If I recall correctly they're were multiple headers on the board for UDMA100. Lastly, do you have the drive jumpers set correctly?

There are two many things that could be wrong at this point.

 

[the Prince]

So why wouldn't the newer system see the CD-ROM?

How is it configured?

Is the CD-ROM on the same IDE Channel as a hard drive?

Is it set as a master or slave?

In CMOS is the IDE Channel for the CD-ROM set to AUTO?

 

[GaryWary]

First off, the new motherboard is made by Abit. Second, how are you even powering the system? You say your old Tyan board was AT, the Abit board is ATX, they're not compatible and I don't even understand how you got it powered in the first place. Third, bus speed are you running? The abit board will support PC133 and you only have PC100. Fourth, are you plugged into the right IDE headers? If I recall correctly they're were multiple headers on the board for UDMA100. Lastly, do you have the drive jumpers set correctly?

There are two many things that could be wrong at this point.

I got a new case and PSU

 

[GaryWary]

Thanks to everyone that replied with help. I had plugged my hard-drives into the Raid IDE sockets by mistake. I plugged them in correctly and everything worked. Everyuthing that is except the modem. It is an old generic Rockwell chip 56k modem ISA type. Nothing I did would make the new computer see that modem. I am thinking that having just one ISA port on my pc is maybe why.. I know sometimes you have to move things to different slots to get 'em working.. I have only one ISA port.

I am using the old system again to write this. Today I am going to buy a PCI Modem. I hope this solves my problems. Does anyone here think it will?

Thanks again.

GJL

 

[GaryWary]

bump

will buying a PCI modem sort me out?

My ISA one just doesn't seem to want to work.....

Anyone?

 

[GaryWary]

bum

 

[daemon]

Probably. It depends on what problems your still having. Is just you modem not working now?

 

[GaryWary]

It works!!!!!!!!!!!