From: meijin :Subject: [PCBUILD] Abit BE6-II and Maxtor 7200 rpm drives


> Hello all,
>
> I am really stuck and in need of some serious help.
>
> I have a brand new Abit BE6-II motherboard and a brand new Maxtor 7200 rpm
> drive.
>
> When I attempted to attach the Maxtor, I could fdisk it and then, at the
> end of the format it would totally lock up. I tried the MAxtor on the
> ATA-33 controller and it works without a hitch.
>
> I called Maxtor and they told me that there was an issues with their drive
> and this main board, but that it usually corrected when you update to the
> latest drivers.
>
> So, I worked with Abit and they walked me through getting the latest
> drivers and also the latest BIOS flash. I flashed the system without a
> hitch, moved the drive back and got the drivers loaded. However, just as
> the unit is booting into Win98 SE (i.e. I have a blank desktop), the unit
> totally locks.
>
> The drive is recognized correctly, just that it absolutely refuses to
boot.
>
> At this point, Abit and Maxtor seem to be at a loss as to what is going
on.
> Each has said that they would replace the devices but they include the
fact
> that they do not think that will solve the issues as every other
indication
> points to the fact that their devices are working otherwise.
>
> Anyone had the same experience or ideas as to how to correct this?
>
> Thanks!
>
> David Ray

David,

There have been many problems with the BE6, BE6 II and the Highpoint
controllers.  Both the BE6 and the BE6 II have the onboard Highpoint HPT366
controller, the HotRod66 is the Abit ad in PCI controller.  Apparently there
is no consistency on which drives will work with the Highpoint Controller
and which won't.  One person will have no problems with a Maxtor drive but
can't get a WD or IBM drive to work.  You might try getting a new
motherboard from Abit and see if the problems your are having disappear as
some people have had luck replacing the motherboard.

I have a BE6 with a Maxtor 13.6 gig 7200 hard drive an a Quantum 13.2 gig
7200 rpm hard drive.  To fdisk, format and install Win98se I had to do it on
the Ultra 33 controller and then switch the drive to the Highpoint
controller.  I was not able to run Norton Disk Doctor with the drives on the
Highpoint controller as it would incorrectly identify the hard drives
whenever the computer crashed.  Unfortunately this was often, I also
suffered from slow downs where the computer would not respond for very long
periods of time but it was not frozen.  I also had random reboots.   I
finally broke down and bought a Promise Ultra 66 controller for $22.00,
disabled the HPT366 controller in Win98se, and have not had any of my
previous problems.  For me the Promise card made the difference.

You did not mention what else is installed in your computer, but for a BE6
II your PCI slot 5 should be empty, and make sure whatever is in slot 3 can
share an IRQ with the Highpoint 366 controller.

Good Luck,

Mary Wolden

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