Solve : SCSI's not seen by Windows?

1.	Solve : SCSI's not seen by Windows?
Answer» Hey Guys, I picked up a used COMPUTER to use as a Security PC with digital cameras, and they work great off of the 80 gig HD. The PC also came with a Tape Drive on a SCSI pci card. And two 10 gig SCSI drives on another pci SCSI card. All drives are SEEN in the system DOS startup and I can verify and format the SCSI HD's with the SCSI Utility in DOS BIO. Everything works, but I cannot get Windows to see the SCSI harddrives or the tape drive. I have tried Windows 98SE, Windows ME, and last night I install Windows XP, but none can give the SCSI drives a Drive Letter for Windows. The MSDOS Prompt FDISK in Windows sees the two SCSI drives as drive 2 and 3. But when I try to partition the two SCSI's it says there is not enough room to create a DOS position. I wanted the extra drives to use as Backup for the 80 gig hd to save the Security Cameras, as they are at Entrance Gates to keep track of the gates opening and closing. I have tried downloading several SCSI Windows drivers from ADAPTEC, but none has helped Windows give the drives a Drive Letter. Thanks for any help Quote I have tried downloading several SCSI Windows drivers from ADAPTEC You don't need several; you just need the right drivers for your PCI cards. (Rob states the obvious.) Have you matched up the cards to the correct make/model drivers?Hi, Yes, I have two Adaptec 19160 SCSI pci cards. One for the tape drive and one for the two SCSI hds, and downloaded the driver for that adapter, but windows does not see either card and will not assign a letter. At the MSPrompt in windows, I can use FDISK and the scsi hd are there and I can format then using the scsi utility inthe BIO at startup, but all I get is"No space to create DOS Partition." And without the partition, no drive letter. Is there a program I can use in windows to format, fdisk, and assign drive letters?So it's not working correctly in DOS either? I wonder why this PC was being sold... Afraid I have little experience with the nitty gritty of SCSI, but it does sound like there may be a hardware problem here. Have you tried connecting up one of the adapters and a drive to a different PC?I believe the SCSI's in DOS is working correctly. This is a DELL Server with Two cpu's. It is OverKill, but it is what I need to expand the Security System to 16 cameras. A PC Video Surveillance System is the way to go, Business or at your home. It would be easy to install another HD in the Server, but I like the challenge. I got the system due to the entire DELL Server System upgrade at the office. I was hoping someone here knew about SCSI's, I had a similar problem a couple weeks ago. If your adapters and drives are seen in bios and u can format with the utility, then the drives and cards are working properly. You need to get a Win98 ( or some other) boot disk. Boot the computer to DOS with that, enter fdisk and look at the drives. At this point, on mine, I removed ALL partitions from the drive using fidsk. exit fdisk, start fdisk again and at this point assign a primary DOS partition and make it active. Exit fdisk, and format each of the drives. Now when you reboot windows, it should assign a drive letter. You will HAVE to remove all partitions if fdisk is telling u there is not enough space. I simply overlooked that obvious step with mine. Hope this helos. Good luck, and post back the results.Were these drives set up in a RAID array? How are the devices set up on the SCSI card? I would take out the tape drive adapter PCI card and reduce the number of variables. Just use one SCSI hard drive as well, and unhook your IDE or SATA drive as well. Now boot with the Windows CD and see if it will initialize IF the ID's are set up correctly. Is this a type of SCSI that REQUIRES a terminator? If so, do you have one? What model card? What model drives?Quote I had a similar problem a couple weeks ago. If your adapters and drives are seen in bios and u can format with the utility, then the drives and cards are working properly. You need to get a Win98 ( or some other) boot disk. Boot the computer to DOS with that, enter fdisk and look at the drives. At this point, on mine, I removed ALL partitions from the drive using fidsk. exit fdisk, start fdisk again and at this point assign a primary DOS partition and make it active. Exit fdisk, and format each of the drives. Now when you reboot windows, it should assign a drive letter. You will HAVE to remove all partitions if fdisk is telling u there is not enough space. I simply overlooked that obvious step with mine. Hope this helos. Good luck, and post back the results. MAN, You have really got it together. Last Week I had printed out your post, and we went out of town, Yesterday we returned and this morning I reread you post and tried what you said to do, And it worked perfectly. Both SCSI's are seen in windows and have the drive letter assigned. Now I need to figure how to get the DDS3 Tape Drive that came with the same system to work. It also has the same 19160 SCSI pci adapter, but I never had a system with a tape drive either. It will only be used to save Security Surveillance Camera movement at the gates for the police. Thanks you so MUCH............. You the man!!!!!Since you re-installed the OS all is needed for that tape drive is to track down the correct drivers and re-install them. If they are not available for XP the Win2K ones should SUFFICE.

Answer»

Hey Guys,

I picked up a used COMPUTER to use as a Security PC with digital cameras, and they work great off of the 80 gig HD.

The PC also came with a Tape Drive on a SCSI pci card. And two 10 gig SCSI drives on another pci SCSI card. All drives are SEEN in the system DOS startup and I can verify and format the SCSI HD's with the SCSI Utility in DOS BIO.

Everything works, but I cannot get Windows to see the SCSI harddrives or the tape drive.

I have tried Windows 98SE, Windows ME, and last night I install Windows XP, but none can give the SCSI drives a Drive Letter for Windows.

The MSDOS Prompt FDISK in Windows sees the two SCSI drives as drive 2 and 3.

But when I try to partition the two SCSI's it says there is not enough room to create a DOS position.

I wanted the extra drives to use as Backup for the 80 gig hd to save the Security Cameras, as they are at Entrance Gates to keep track of the gates opening and closing.

I have tried downloading several SCSI Windows drivers from ADAPTEC, but none has helped Windows give the drives a Drive Letter.

Thanks for any help
Quote

I have tried downloading several SCSI Windows drivers from ADAPTEC

You don't need several; you just need the right drivers for your PCI cards. (Rob states the obvious.) Have you matched up the cards to the correct make/model drivers?Hi, Yes, I have two Adaptec 19160 SCSI pci cards. One for the tape drive and one for the two SCSI hds, and downloaded the driver for that adapter, but windows does not see either card and will not assign a letter.
At the MSPrompt in windows, I can use FDISK and the scsi hd are there and I can format then using the scsi utility inthe BIO at startup, but all I get is"No space to create DOS Partition." And without the partition, no drive letter.

Is there a program I can use in windows to format, fdisk, and assign drive letters?So it's not working correctly in DOS either? I wonder why this PC was being sold...

Afraid I have little experience with the nitty gritty of SCSI, but it does sound like there may be a hardware problem here. Have you tried connecting up one of the adapters and a drive to a different PC?I believe the SCSI's in DOS is working correctly.

This is a DELL Server with Two cpu's. It is OverKill, but it is what I need to expand the Security System to 16 cameras. A PC Video Surveillance System is the way to go, Business or at your home.

It would be easy to install another HD in the Server, but I like the challenge.

I got the system due to the entire DELL Server System upgrade at the office.

I was hoping someone here knew about SCSI's,

I had a similar problem a couple weeks ago. If your adapters and drives are seen in bios and u can format with the utility, then the drives and cards are working properly. You need to get a Win98 ( or some other) boot disk. Boot the computer to DOS with that, enter fdisk and look at the drives. At this point, on mine, I removed ALL partitions from the drive using fidsk. exit fdisk, start fdisk again and at this point assign a primary DOS partition and make it active. Exit fdisk, and format each of the drives. Now when you reboot windows, it should assign a drive letter. You will HAVE to remove all partitions if fdisk is telling u there is not enough space. I simply overlooked that obvious step with mine. Hope this helos.
Good luck, and post back the results.Were these drives set up in a RAID array? How are the devices set up on the SCSI card?

I would take out the tape drive adapter PCI card and reduce the number of variables. Just use one SCSI hard drive as well, and unhook your IDE or SATA drive as well.

Now boot with the Windows CD and see if it will initialize IF the ID's are set up correctly. Is this a type of SCSI that REQUIRES a terminator? If so, do you have one?

What model card? What model drives?Quote

I had a similar problem a couple weeks ago. If your adapters and drives are seen in bios and u can format with the utility, then the drives and cards are working properly. You need to get a Win98 ( or some other) boot disk. Boot the computer to DOS with that, enter fdisk and look at the drives. At this point, on mine, I removed ALL partitions from the drive using fidsk. exit fdisk, start fdisk again and at this point assign a primary DOS partition and make it active. Exit fdisk, and format each of the drives. Now when you reboot windows, it should assign a drive letter. You will HAVE to remove all partitions if fdisk is telling u there is not enough space. I simply overlooked that obvious step with mine. Hope this helos.
Good luck, and post back the results.

MAN, You have really got it together.
Last Week I had printed out your post, and we went out of town, Yesterday we returned and this morning I reread you post and tried what you said to do, And it worked perfectly. Both SCSI's are seen in windows and have the drive letter assigned.

Now I need to figure how to get the DDS3 Tape Drive that came with the same system to work. It also has the same 19160 SCSI pci adapter, but I never had a system with a tape drive either. It will only be used to save Security Surveillance Camera movement at the gates for the police.

Thanks you so MUCH............. You the man!!!!!Since you re-installed the OS all is needed for that tape drive is to track down the correct drivers and re-install them. If they are not available for XP the Win2K ones should SUFFICE.

Solve : SCSI's not seen by Windows?

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