SCSI controler card not detecting.

[gorgut]

I recently bought a Tekram DC-305 controler card and a Seagate Baracuda 18.3 gig SCSI hard drive and Im having trouble getting my computer to find the drivers for it. I think this card doesnt have the drivers built in like some other controler cards. It came with a disk and I boot the computer up in MS-Dos mode and run it, everything seems to go fine. then when It tells me to restart I do and then I put in the disk for setting up the hard drive and it doesnt detect the controler. When installing the controler it detects both the hard drive and the controler card fine. thanks to anyone that can help.

[akaBruno]

Can you get in w/ out the disk, to do a normal fdisk?

[Mntsnow]

SCSI BIOS:
DC-305E & DC-305I have NO on-board SCSI BIOS. Therefore, it would not be possible to boot from a hard drive connected to these controllers.

In other words you cant use that card to use a HD connected to it as a Booting OS drive....HD's connected to it will be strictly for STORAGE...

http://www.tekram.com/Hot_Products.asp?Product=DC-305_Series

[gorgut]

Thanks Mntsnow, do you recommend any controller cards that would allow me to run my operating system from this HD. Ive been looking all over the internet and it seems that there isn't a controler card that will plug directly into the HD without the little converter chip. Ive been building computers for a while but this is my first encounter with SCSI. Im not sure what card to buy. Ive also tryed getting the the HD to work with my IDE HD running the operating system but I can't seem to get the HD software to recognize that there is a controler card installed and a HD hooked to it.

[gorgut]

I'm running Windows 98.

[Mntsnow]

Well since I see from the 305 controller you had it is a 50 pin interface, therefore I can and will recommend the SIIG AP-20 (http://siig.com/products/scsi/specs/AP20_SCSIPro_S.html) controller card as it does have the bootable bios chip (and is the eqivalent to what you currently have except this one has the BIOS chip). or I will suggest the SIIG AP-40 (http://siig.com/products/scsi/features/AP40SCSIPro.html) as it's still very inexpensive and is bootable and has both 50pin & 68pin interfaces for scsi devices. (I have this card in use and will say it has worked flawlessly for me for about 4 years now)

[gorgut]

The hard drive is actualy 80 pin, I had to get a 80 to 50 pin converter. would you still recomend using the ap-40? Thanks for all the help.

[Xaotic]

What model of drive is it? And what is it's rated interface? Just about anything with an SCA(80 pin) interface will be faster than a narrow SCSI adapter.

[gorgut]

Seagate Barracuda model # ST118273LC. I perchased a controller card today that has the needed software built in. Im still confused as to why they sell 80 pin HD but I cant find a 80 pin controller card anywhere.

[Mntsnow]

80 pin drives are for "HOT SWAP" bays thus don't normally connect directly to the actual controller unless you use an adapter.

A scsi controller connects to the hotswap backplane normally via a 68pin ribbon cable and then the drive within a drive caddy slides into the backplane thus making both power and data connections.

The AP40 will work fine for you but that drive does support even faster than the AP40 so if you dont mind spending more money you could go to a faster card and get even more performace out of your hardware....

btw here is the specs page for the HD you listed http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/specs/scsi/st118273lc.html