How do I disable a Marvell Controller?

[Jacee]

My computer starts up very fast, but it takes over 2 minutes to restart! I had 2 500 hard drives with a Raid array set up (I think). This caused endless waste of time because it had to keep repairing it'self ... so I disconned one of the hard drives.

Now when I select to 'restart' my computer, this is the screen I get (for over 2 minutes


I don't know where to look in order to disable the Marvell Controller
Here are two screenshots (sorry about the first being so blurry) ... am I in the right area or close to it? And what do I do, if anything in this area?

 

[Brink]

Hello Jeri,

Usually you should be able to from within Device Manager for that network adapter device. However, this would be your LAN ethernet controller. Unless you have a second one, disabling it will also disable your LAN internet connection with it.

My lappy uses a Marvell controller. Do you have the latest Marvel "Network Controller" driver installed for it?

Marvell: Consumer Driver Search

 

[Jacee]

Hi Shawn, I'm sure I don't have that driver ...can you see these picture? I can't

 

[gregrocker]

I did some research on an earlier RAID case and I believe Marvell also makes a controller for RAID array.

This was surprising because I have only ever known them to make ethernet adapters.

How about copying everything down, plugging the HD back in and attempting to un-RAID by searching in the Device Manager for the controllers given, as Brink suggests?

Check also the RAID settings in the BIOS to see what other choices are there.

If necessary suggest you post a new topic "Need help to undo a RAID array" because there are RAID experts around here, we have many Win7 installs being bollixed by these, and it'd be great to know how they are undone.

RAID is surely redundant with built-in drive imaging now.

 

[Brink]

Jeri,

Images fixed. They had a thumbnail link instead. Disregard my post above. That was for a network controller instead of a RAID controller.

I think you will need to connect the other drive back up, then unRAID them first before disconnecting it.

Staring at page 63 in your motherboard's manual (PDF file link) may help more on the setup options though.

Intel does have a newer RAID driver available though for it that may help it run better in RAID if you wanted to try it.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Sea...&ProductProduct=Intel®+Desktop+Board+D975XBX2

 

[Jacee]

I don't think I want to mess with the Raid mirror ... I just want to disable the controller so it will stop looking for the second hard drive.

 

[gregrocker]

Jacee, how can it have a RAID mirror if there is only one HD?

Doesn't it have to be un-RAIDed?

Just askin.

 

[Jacee]

That's what I don't know gregrocker ... I used the word 'mirror' because that's what the second hard drive was supposed to do from the first hard drive. It never worked right.

The latest driver looks like it's for a floppy drive, which I don't have.

I told the computer builder I didn't need a floppy drive, so he took it out after setting up my machine! I have the original floppys (2 of them), but they aren't doing me any good. One is a Marvell SATA Controller and the other is Intel Matrix storage technology Raid Driver

 

[gregrocker]

Most of the results are old like RAID:

I want rid of RAID 0 - AVForums.com

http://www.techspot.com/vb/all/windows/t-89679-How-to-disable-RAID.html

http://club.myce.com/f61/disable-raid-possible-115342/

Some seem to indicate it can't be done.

 

[bobkn]

I don't think I want to mess with the Raid mirror ... I just want to disable the controller so it will stop looking for the second hard drive.

The board has an Intel 975X chipset, plus a Marvell 88SE61XX secondary SATA controller. Which one were you using with your RAID 1 setup?

I guess that you can disable the secondary SATA in the BIOS settings: Advanced menu, Peripheral Configuration submenu.

I've never broken a RAID 1 array like that. I know that when drives are added to an array, the data on them are lost. Be sure to back up your disk (separately from the second drive in the RAID pair), just in case your experiments lead to data loss.

 

[Frostmourne]

For an array, you need to find out where the option is for your hard drives, and then change them to IDE, not AHCI. Try Advanced CMOS features. Otherwise look in the manual for the key to boot into the RAID config offered by the Marvell controller and then delete the RAID in there.

 

[Jacee]

The board has an Intel 975X chipset, plus a Marvell 88SE61XX secondary SATA controller. Which one were you using with your RAID 1 setup?

I guess that you can disable the secondary SATA in the BIOS settings: Advanced menu, Peripheral Configuration submenu.

I've never broken a RAID 1 array like that. I know that when drives are added to an array, the data on them are lost. Be sure to back up your disk (separately from the second drive in the RAID pair), just in case your experiments lead to data loss.

I've already cleaned and reformatted the second drive. This was first set up with Vista Ultimate when it couldn't function like it should have. The second 500GB drive is not connected, so no problem there.

 

[Jacee]

For an array, you need to find out where the option is for your hard drives, and then change them to IDE, not AHCI. Try Advanced CMOS features. Otherwise look in the manual for the key to boot into the RAID config offered by the Marvell controller and then delete the RAID in there.

The floppies I have say *Blue SATA Connectors* (Marvell Sata Controller RAID Driver), which I'm assuming they would be blue wires.
The *Matrix Storage RAID Driver* has black SATA Connections.

Which ones should I unplug?

 

[Frostmourne]

Have you entered the marvell config - probably by pressing Ctrl+F1 and deleting the RAID from there?

 

[Jacee]

No ... when do I do this --> pressing Ctrl+F1 ...on start up?
I get to the BIOS by pressing F2

 

[gregrocker]

Info on entering RAID utility: marvel raid utility - NAS-RAID-Technologies - Storage

This seems to say you need to install the Intel (earlier per Brink) for SATA drives as Marvel is not configured for them: D20 RAID problem - lenovo community

Here is the manual for Marvel RAID utility: http://download.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/d975xbx2/sb/mv_raid_manual.pdf

 

[Jacee]

Well I'll see what that does and get back to all you {{wonderful}} people later.
Thanks for trying to help me!

 

[sygnus21]

Hi Jacee,

I have the same MB as yours. To disable the marvel controller, disable it in the BIOS, then remove the hard drives from it. As long a a HD is connected it will show.

As a side note, I always found the marvel controller the be problematic, especially with RAID.

 

[Jacee]

Hi sygnus21

I don't know where to go to disable it in the BIOS
Can you give me a detailed map, please?

 

[iseeuu]

Hi sygnus21

I don't know where to go to disable it in the BIOS
Can you give me a detailed map, please?

Here are the Intel manuals for your MB:

Intel® Desktop Board D975XBX2 - Technical Documents

The two Manuals contain instructions on using the raid functions.

Cheers!
Robert

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