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12-28-2023 05:16 AM
SSDs are expensive; HDDs are cheap. I wanted more and faster local data storage so decided to configure a hardware RAID. There's space only for two 3.5in form factor hard drives and I have all of my data backed up with a cloud service so I decided to use a RAID0 (striped). I have two identical hard drives. I followed the instructions in the HP Z400 Workstation Maintenance and Service Guide without problems.
Then I rebooted Windows 10 and guess what … no drive visible other than the system drive C:. Disk Manager, also, could see nothing other than the system drive.
Windows update – done
Intel Driver & Support Assistant – done
Google – done (though most of the questions and answers out there concern Windows' software RAID)
I'm hoping that somebody out there can advise on what I should do next.
Thanks for reading.
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12-28-2023 08:00 PM - edited 12-28-2023 10:23 PM
DGroves, a friend and a valued highly experienced IT professional, simply made a mistype in his response. Instead of "eSATA" he meant to type RSTe or IRSTe, with the "e" standing for Enterprise. That "e" driver set has been licensed by HP from Intel for use in its workstations for years now (with different versions for different Intel storage controllers). The right to use those drivers comes with your workstation's motherboard, paid for in the past by HP to Intel.
I understand that if you just do a clean W10Pro64 or W11Pro (always x64) install using the Rufus-modification of the MS .iso W11 23H2 boot installer creation method that thumb drive will also work fine with your Z400 and will pick up a more recent driver if you don't need RAID capabilities. The "e" installer also gets you the GUI RAID interface. I don't use RAID so defer to DGroves on that part of it.
The HP installer does exist in an easy-to-find form that will work for you whether you end up using W10Pro64 or W11Pro64. You simply navigate in Google to search for Z400 Drivers, the top link will usually be the HP site, you go there, select W8, subselect Windows 8 (64-bit), click on Submit, and go down to "Driver-Storage (7)" listing. The top one there to download will get you SP65105, and I captured the HP readme from that for you in PDF form, attached below.
If you follow his advice, you will get to your goal. I certainly agree with him that SSD(s) would be the right way to go.
Remember that SATAII is the fastest the Zx00 workstations can run unless you figure out a way to get a PCIe card onto the PCIe bus via a PCIe Gen2 slot (fastest PCIe slot the Zx00 has) with a specific M.2 stick that has an AHCI-controller in it. That is my boot drive, an old and relatively rare Predator 240GB version, in a Z600 I'm working on here just for fun, mounted in a HP ZTD G1 or G2 PCIe card which has the Q1 transistor removed so it will work with that M.2 stick in the Z400 or Z600 v2 workstations. That is working great even under W11 23H2 in this Z600 v2 and I also use a SATA II or SATA III fast SSD (which can only run at SATA II speeds in the Zx00) as a documents drive here in our library. I've posted on the Predator project here recently. I've got Zx40 and Z4G4 workstations that are faster but not as much of a challenge. Here's that Kingston Predator SHPM2280P2 240G boot drive in action...
Kingston Predator SHPM2280P2_240G in action...
See attached...
12-28-2023 05:23 AM
PS
Device Manager…Storage controllers…Intel Chipset SATA RAID Controller…Update driver (search automatically for drivers) - done 'The best drivers for your device are already installed'
Device Manager…Storage controllers…Microsoft Storage Spaces Controller…Update driver (search automatically for drivers) - done 'The best drivers for your device are already installed'
12-28-2023 09:35 AM
don't know where you live, but bootable SATA SSD or Mech drives that work on a z400 must be under 2.78 TB in size
next, 3tb or smaller SSD storage devices are currently at or under the same price as mech drives at this time
be they new or used
last, even using 3 mech 15k RPM enterprise drives in raid 0 will be no faster than the cheapest no name dramless SATA SSD
to install windows 10 you must load the intel eSATA driver for the z400 during the OS install, this driver is posted on the HP z400 web page and has included documentation on how to install this driver during the OS install
12-28-2023 10:57 AM
Thanks for your reply.
Sorry DGroves: my first post was ambiguous. I do live on the same planet as you! The RAID will be for data only. My OS is on a different drive, in fact an SSD (a good one) which used up a lot of my budget.
I note your remarks about pricing. I already had one of my two 2TB mechanical drives; the other cost me GB£27 (€31, US$34). 4TB, no-name SSDs seem to be around GB£100 (€115, US$127) so I'll wait a while.
I note your remarks about speed.
May I assume that your advice—to load the Intel eSATA driver for the Z400—should solve my RAID visibilty problem?
12-28-2023 08:00 PM - edited 12-28-2023 10:23 PM
DGroves, a friend and a valued highly experienced IT professional, simply made a mistype in his response. Instead of "eSATA" he meant to type RSTe or IRSTe, with the "e" standing for Enterprise. That "e" driver set has been licensed by HP from Intel for use in its workstations for years now (with different versions for different Intel storage controllers). The right to use those drivers comes with your workstation's motherboard, paid for in the past by HP to Intel.
I understand that if you just do a clean W10Pro64 or W11Pro (always x64) install using the Rufus-modification of the MS .iso W11 23H2 boot installer creation method that thumb drive will also work fine with your Z400 and will pick up a more recent driver if you don't need RAID capabilities. The "e" installer also gets you the GUI RAID interface. I don't use RAID so defer to DGroves on that part of it.
The HP installer does exist in an easy-to-find form that will work for you whether you end up using W10Pro64 or W11Pro64. You simply navigate in Google to search for Z400 Drivers, the top link will usually be the HP site, you go there, select W8, subselect Windows 8 (64-bit), click on Submit, and go down to "Driver-Storage (7)" listing. The top one there to download will get you SP65105, and I captured the HP readme from that for you in PDF form, attached below.
If you follow his advice, you will get to your goal. I certainly agree with him that SSD(s) would be the right way to go.
Remember that SATAII is the fastest the Zx00 workstations can run unless you figure out a way to get a PCIe card onto the PCIe bus via a PCIe Gen2 slot (fastest PCIe slot the Zx00 has) with a specific M.2 stick that has an AHCI-controller in it. That is my boot drive, an old and relatively rare Predator 240GB version, in a Z600 I'm working on here just for fun, mounted in a HP ZTD G1 or G2 PCIe card which has the Q1 transistor removed so it will work with that M.2 stick in the Z400 or Z600 v2 workstations. That is working great even under W11 23H2 in this Z600 v2 and I also use a SATA II or SATA III fast SSD (which can only run at SATA II speeds in the Zx00) as a documents drive here in our library. I've posted on the Predator project here recently. I've got Zx40 and Z4G4 workstations that are faster but not as much of a challenge. Here's that Kingston Predator SHPM2280P2 240G boot drive in action...
Kingston Predator SHPM2280P2_240G in action...
See attached...
12-29-2023 03:50 AM
Thanks very much, SDH.
I've followed your instructions and indeed achieved my gaol.
I won't be using an M.2 stick as I already have your favourite (TI-based) HP 2x2 US3B card in one PCIe Gen2 slot, two PCIe Gen2 slots will eventually contain two graphics cards, and the last PCIe Gen2 slot will be covered 🙁 by a wide graphics card. (My ultimate goal is an upmarket Flight Simulator machine with four monitors.) Do you any advice concerning the accessories which allow one to use a PCI slot that's physically blocked, by 'extending' it flexibly up the side of whatever's blocking it?
For any others passing this way
- Download (as described by SDH above) sp65105.exe.
- Run sp65105.exe and if you're using Windows 10 ignore the warning "This computer currently contains driver versions newer than the versions you are about to install. Are you sure you want to overwrite the following drivers with older versions?" and proceed to install the drivers.
- Reboot.
- Enter Disk Manager (type it in the Windows toolbar search box).
- You should see the RAID drive. Initialise it.
- Give it a drive letter of choice.
- Format the RAID drive. Use NTFS. (You don't need the interoperability of FAT32. You're not going to take it anywhere else!)
- Exit Disk Manager.
- Reboot once more to ensure that all's well.
- (Start saving up for an SSD instead!)
12-29-2023 08:54 AM
Happy to help. I don't have any experience with shifting the PCIe path sideways and up. I do have experience with the Oxford PCI cards (not PCIe) for if you want to add in a combined access to both serial and parallel ports... working here in the Z600 on W11 23H2. Let me know if you want that info and HP driver source. You might need that space, however, for your going-sideways project. 🙂