new esata causing windows failure

[illustr8r]

ESATA causing windows failure

Hi,

I just bought an external hard drive enclosure (vantec: nexstar 3 model#NST-360SU-BK) with usb 2.0 & esata. I put a Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200KS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM in it.

When I use the usb, the drive is recognized in windows and I can transfer data on and off of it. I also tried plugging the drive directly into the motherboard via standard sata cable and it works that way.

I tried to install the esata port into an empty slot in my case. [ The enclosure came with an included pci port/cable that I connected to one of the sata ports on my motherboard. ]

PROBLEM: when I plug in the drive via esata, windows (xp pro) fails to boot up properly. It gets to the screen where I can see the windows logo and then it just freezes.

Is my motherboard not compatible with this esata to sata cable that was bundled with the enclosure?

Do I need a esata pci card rather than just the port/cable thing?

Am I missing an important driver or something?

Is it something I need to set up in bios?

Is it a windows problem?

Is my enclosure defective?


...........I can't figure it out, please help!

Thanks

other info:

motherboard is: chaintech vnf3-250 nvidia nforce 3 250 chipset ddr 400
amd socket 754 athlon 64

I tried booting plugged in with external enclosure power on and off. It does the same freeezing thing either way. If I have it unplugged windows will open. I tried plugging it in after windows opens, it is not recognized and nothing else happens either.

I have 1 internal sata already in the machine with windows installed on it that I have been using as my primary drive for a while. The external I want to use for backup and transfering between work and home.


Another thing is... I'm not very familiar with navigating through bios. I can't find any hard drives in bios (phoenix award v6.00). All I can find is my dvd drive, floppy drive etc. ...and a raid controller menu. Do you have any idea why I wouldn't see my drives anywhere (even my primary drive that I know works) ? I tried looking through as many menus and sub menus as I could and still couldn't find it. What menu should I find this info in?

 

[illustr8r]

bump.

any ideas?..........anybody?

 

[FlashDude]

Do you see your sata/raid hub in device manager?? if not you need to install the drivers

 

[illustr8r]

I see "NVIDIA nForce3 250 Serial ATA Controller (v2.6)" in device manager. I don't see anything raid related in there, but I don't want this drive to be part of a raid array. I just want it to be treated as a seperate second drive. And the thing that gets me is that it does just that when I connect directly to the mobo with a standard sata cable, or if I conect it with the usb.

 

[FlashDude]

Ok let me get this straight,,

If you plug the external hdd directly to the mobo sata connector and it works then you try to use the esata connector (same everything else, like exact same connector) and it doesn't work then the esata connector is bad.

Or are you taking the hdd out of the enclosure and then it works?

Don't forget there should be two set's of sata connectors on the board the nvidia ones and the onboard ones.

 

[illustr8r]

when i say "conncect directly into mobo via standard sata cable" I mean I am taking the drive out of the enclosure to plug it into the mb with a sata connector.

I only see two sata connectors on my board (see pic below)....the one my primary drive is plugged into and the one I have the sata to esata cable plugged into.

I have two of the sata to esata connectors, the one that was bundled with enclosure and this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813997001 They apear to be pretty much the same thing. It doesn't work using either of them.

 

[FlashDude]

Have you installed the drivers that came with the case?

 

[illustr8r]

yup...but it only came with usb drivers anyway.