eSata and Vista 64Bit

[glacebay]

Howdy Folks

Anyone have any issues with Vista 64Bit Ultimate and eSata? I can hook the external drive up USB and it works like a champ but when I hook it up using the eSata cable I get nothing (eg the OS doesn't reconize it). At one time the drive did come up but when it got to something like "10 seconds left until file is copied" it would hang like a MOTHER! =) Then I screwed with the drivers and now the OS doesn't see it at all (yeah!).


Chow

Jason

[OdiN1701]

I run an external Thecus eSATA RAID enclosure on Vista 64 and it runs great.

[Moppie]

Open computer Management, goto storage, disk management.

Does the drive show up in there?

[glacebay]

Open computer Management, goto storage, disk management.

Does the drive show up in there?

Nope. Maybe there is some drivers I need to reinstall?

[Moppie]

Did you build the PC yourself, or is it a pre-built complete system?

e-SATA is just an external SATA port, nothing really that flash about.
If you have an internal SATA drive working, then an external drive should also work.
Some mother boards however have SATA port that is intended to be used with an e-SATA connector, and this might need mother board drivers to be fully functional.

[gooble]

My first thought was that you haven't enabled the drive port in the BIOS but it sounds like you had it working at some point. Maybe a bad port, cable etc.???

[glacebay]

Did you build the PC yourself, or is it a pre-built complete system?

e-SATA is just an external SATA port, nothing really that flash about.
If you have an internal SATA drive working, then an external drive should also work.
Some mother boards however have SATA port that is intended to be used with an e-SATA connector, and this might need mother board drivers to be fully functional.

Slapped it together myself. I have the external drive plug into the eSata port.. reinstalled the intel AHCI drivers and marvell storage..no luck..

[glacebay]

My first thought was that you haven't enabled the drive port in the BIOS but it sounds like you had it working at some point. Maybe a bad port, cable etc.???

I'll have to double check my settings, but it should be good. The cable is solid..or so I think =) Don't have another system to test it on.

[Moppie]

Could be a fault with the external enclosure.

The first I used mine I had to plug it all in with the PC off. Start the enclosure, then turn on the PC.

Once it had booted up, open computer Management, goto storage, disk management and the enable the disk.

[glacebay]

Could be a fault with the external enclosure.

The first I used mine I had to plug it all in with the PC off. Start the enclosure, then turn on the PC.

Once it had booted up, open computer Management, goto storage, disk management and the enable the disk.

It's just not showing up. I had it once and then after jacking around with the setting it never came back =)

Do you have your BIOS set to AHCI?

[Moppie]

Pass, it is all default Intel settings.

[gooble]

Do you have the drive enclosure on and plugged in before booting up? E-sata drives don't hot swap in XP (at least on my machine) and maybe it's the same in Vista. If the drive isn't on at bootup or if you turn it off with the computer on the drive won't be recognized.

[OdiN1701]

I hot swap mine in Vista. Turn it on/off whenever needed. That's what eSATA is for really. Never tried it in XP myself.

[Moppie]

I hot swap mine in Vista. Turn it on/off whenever needed. That's what eSATA is for really. Never tried it in XP myself.

This is how it should work.

I have a cheap enclosure though that won't connect to the PC unless it is restarted.
It is possible glacebay has a similar problem.

[OdiN1701]

Yes the enclosure itself has to support hot swap - if the controller in it doesn't, then it won't work. So that may be the problem that some people have if it's a cheaper enclosure.

[glacebay]

Some steps:

1. Reinstall ATA/Storage Drivers
2. Power Down the Machine
3. Plug in the eSata drive
4. Turn on the eSata drive
5. Boot the Machine

Boots up, not *bleepin* drive. One Time it did come up but I was having some problems with the drive going offline. Tried messing with the drivers and Bios and now it doesn't come up at all.

I read somewhere about some file to wack from the /windows directory that might help but I can't remember what it was.

I did try to flash the BIOS.. Woo! Bad Idear =)

I got an Asus P5Q Deluxe Motherboard.

[gooble]

Yes the enclosure itself has to support hot swap - if the controller in it doesn't, then it won't work. So that may be the problem that some people have if it's a cheaper enclosure.

Won't the motherboard have to support hot swapping too?

[OdiN1701]

Won't the motherboard have to support hot swapping too?

What motherboard would include an eSATA port that ISN'T hot swap capable?

[glacebay]

What motherboard would include an eSATA port that ISN'T hot swap capable?

It's not a hardward thing more than it's a BIOS setting change. I believe that I have to be setup for AHCI before I would be able to hot swap...

Which I tried..and it still didn't work =)

[gooble]

What motherboard would include an eSATA port that ISN'T hot swap capable?

Older MBs that don't have e-sata ports per se where you have to extend a regular sata port to a slot. They didn't expect you to be hot swapping internal drives.

[OdiN1701]

Older MBs that don't have e-sata ports per se where you have to extend a regular sata port to a slot. They didn't expect you to be hot swapping internal drives.

Right....but those boards didn't have eSATA....I believe my comment was regarding those that did.

[glacebay]

Older MBs that don't have e-sata ports per se where you have to extend a regular sata port to a slot. They didn't expect you to be hot swapping internal drives.

True, but if you don't have AHCI enabled, I figure you are hosed.

[dehoff]

Some steps:

1. Reinstall ATA/Storage Drivers
2. Power Down the Machine
3. Plug in the eSata drive
4. Turn on the eSata drive
5. Boot the Machine

Boots up, not *bleepin* drive. One Time it did come up but I was having some problems with the drive going offline. Tried messing with the drivers and Bios and now it doesn't come up at all.

I read somewhere about some file to wack from the /windows directory that might help but I can't remember what it was.

I did try to flash the BIOS.. Woo! Bad Idear =)

I got an Asus P5Q Deluxe Motherboard.

Just to clarify- are you trying to use the eSATA connector on the back I/O panel?

I have a P5Q-E MB (really close to the P5Q Deluxe) that I'm having major issues with the rear panel eSATA connetor. I've tried nearly everything like yourself, and can't get it working. I've heard there are some issues with the two internal Mavell/SI ports (orange/white), which also control the rear eSATA port.

My case has a front panel eSATA that I have connected to the last SATA port which is the only internal hotwap capable port(the lone red one that faces up, not in the group of three) on the MB and I can get the HDD to work and hotswap no problem. When I move it over to the rear eSATA I get nothing.

Maybe try an eSATA bracket and extend that last SATA port to a rear peripheral slot, or do like I will probably try and get a PCI eSATA card. Not really cool to spend another $10-30 to get it working on a new MB, but I've already spent much more than that in my time trying to get it working.

[glacebay]

Just to clarify- are you trying to use the eSATA connector on the back I/O panel?

I have a P5Q-E MB (really close to the P5Q Deluxe) that I'm having major issues with the rear panel eSATA connetor. I've tried nearly everything like yourself, and can't get it working. I've heard there are some issues with the two internal Mavell/SI ports (orange/white), which also control the rear eSATA port.

My case has a front panel eSATA that I have connected to the last SATA port which is the only internal hotwap capable port(the lone red one that faces up, not in the group of three) on the MB and I can get the HDD to work and hotswap no problem. When I move it over to the rear eSATA I get nothing.

Maybe try an eSATA bracket and extend that last SATA port to a rear peripheral slot, or do like I will probably try and get a PCI eSATA card. Not really cool to spend another $10-30 to get it working on a new MB, but I've already spent much more than that in my time trying to get it working.

Did the external drive come online at all for you? Mine did, but after trying to figure out why the drive kept going offline (changing drivers, etc) it has not since. I just switched over to USB2..ta heck with it =)

[dehoff]

It did the first time, but after formatting the disk it wouldn't show up any longer.

Tried the drivers, etc., but to no avail. Tried the drive in the front eSATA port, and it worked consitently but I couldn't hotswap. Figured out that I had the front eSATA plugged into port 4 or 5, and only port 6 on the ICH10R southbridge supports hotswap.

I could probably be happy with the front eSATA working, but I'd rather not have a cable hanging off the front of my case most of the time. I have two eSATA external drives that I'd like to use, so now it's just a decision if I want a PCI 2X eSATA card or just a eSATA bracket and use the MB port that I had the front eSATA connected to.

I'm starting to lean towards the bracket. I know that the port works, and running off the southbridge should give me the fastest speeds. Basically just moving the connector from the front of the case to the back.

There's a ton of people having eSATA issues with the P5Q MBs. Unfortunately, not many have found a solution.

[glacebay]

It did the first time, but after formatting the disk it wouldn't show up any longer.

Tried the drivers, etc., but to no avail. Tried the drive in the front eSATA port, and it worked consitently but I couldn't hotswap. Figured out that I had the front eSATA plugged into port 4 or 5, and only port 6 on the ICH10R southbridge supports hotswap.

I could probably be happy with the front eSATA working, but I'd rather not have a cable hanging off the front of my case most of the time. I have two eSATA external drives that I'd like to use, so now it's just a decision if I want a PCI 2X eSATA card or just a eSATA bracket and use the MB port that I had the front eSATA connected to.

I'm starting to lean towards the bracket. I know that the port works, and running off the southbridge should give me the fastest speeds. Basically just moving the connector from the front of the case to the back.

There's a ton of people having eSATA issues with the P5Q MBs. Unfortunately, not many have found a solution.

Agreed! Googling here and there has resulted in some WAGs (wild arse guesses) but nothing that has really helped.

Huh, I did not realize that about the eSATA plug for the front. I'm going to have to try that when I get home...Matter a fact, I don't think the book says anything specific about that. Thanks! It would not bother me to plug the eSata drive into the front.