K8VNXP / VIA 8237 vs. Hitachi Ultrastar

[fs_jim]

Originally Posted by tcsenter

The fact that a newer option ROM does not solve this, assuming that your modded BIOS is viable (100% functional), causes me to doubt whether the problem relates to the VIA SATA ROM.

I think it works 100% as I don't have any issues with my other SATA drives - 320 GB Samsung and 1TB Maxtor.

While the option ROM is a prime suspect in these issues, it is not the only component of the BIOS that is involved in drive initialization or detection.

Maybe. But problems with 8237R and Samsung HD103UJ are not only related to my ECS KV2 Extreme; reading various forums it turns out it's a common problem for mobos based on 8237R chip, of various manufacturers.

You came to the wrong place. There are no VIA technical staff here.

Heh I wrote "stuff". Monty Python comes to mind ("I will not buy this record, it is scratched"). On the other hand it's kinda Freudish as I suppose the staff will tell me to get stuffed.

You can try contacting VIA technical support:

Contact Us - VIA Technologies, Inc.

Select Technical Support for "type of enquiry". Good luck.

Thanks! I don't have much hope but I'm going to try anyway.

[tcsenter]

Originally Posted by fs_jim

But problems with 8237R and Samsung HD103UJ are not only related to my ECS KV2 Extreme; reading various forums it turns out it's a common problem for mobos based on 8237R chip, of various manufacturers.

Actually there appears to be an above-average number of similar problems with the Samsung F1 drives on older NVIDIA chipsets as well, particularly NF3 and NF4.

[fs_jim]

Originally Posted by tcsenter

Actually there appears to be an above-average number of similar problems with the Samsung F1 drives on older NVIDIA chipsets as well, particularly NF3 and NF4.

Yes, I've read about them too but from my experience - it seems to be better than with VIA. After HD130UJ+8237 fiasco first thing I was trying to do was running Samsung SpeedSwitch utility to force 1.5Gbps mode. My second SIS controller recognized the drive ncely but SpeedSwitch didn't, so I was forced to try some other chipset. My neigbour has ASUS mobo based on NF4 and it had no probs detecting the drive, so I succesfully switched it to SATA I mode (which sadly didn't help with 8237). Now, maybe NF4 would fail later, causing problems with everyday disk use but for starters it did better recognizing the drive properly in the first place.

But you are right - Samsung could put a lot more thought into their F1 firmwares, compatibility-wise.

P.S. Still no reply from VIA.

[fs_jim]

Well. I asked for it. The official reply from VIA tech department has just arrived in my mailbox.

First, my query:

"8237R southbridge seems to be unable to properly detect Samsung HD103UJ SATA drive. Would it be possible to release a fix for the problem (corrected Windows drivers and BIOS module)? I'm using AFAIK the latest drivers - 4.97 for BIOS and 6.0.6000.252 for Windows. Thanks."

and the kind answer of the bot:

Hello,

Thank you for your email. For all VIA drivers and technical support, please visit our product and technical support portal VIA Arena: Welcome To VIA Arena ....

Commonly asked technical support questions are answered here:
VIA Arena - FAQ Section

If your question is not answered in that link, please note that VIA provides a forum for our customers to receive technical support and advice. To join the VIA Arena forums, go to http://forums.viaarena.com

When you post your question in the forums, be sure to include all of your system specifications and detailed description of the issue. This will help you receive a timely response and makes it easier for people to help you. In many instances you may find that the answer to your question is already mentioned in the forums.

Best regards,
VIA Technologies, Inc.
Taiwan

So, it seems I'm where I've started.

[tcsenter]

Well I give you an A+ for effort, if that's any consolation.

At least you have the option to use a non-Samsung drive. It could be worse.

[fs_jim]

Finally I found the solution to my problem. Samsung's SpeedSwitch utility has a bug. To switch drive into 1.5G mode you need to choose option 1.5G->3.0G (NOT 3.0G->1.5G as you would expect!) After successfull switch, 8237R has nicely detected the drive. SpeedSwtich can be downloaded here: http://www.samsung.com/global/system...3669SSpeed.zip

Case closed.