Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
10 Posts
0
11202
IASTOR.SYS issues with Dimension XPS Gen 5 - Download latest drivers directly from Intel?
Hello - I have a Dimension XPS "Gen 5" circa late 2005. In preparation for purchasing a new XPS, I'm trying to do a (several) full backups of this machine before I decommission it.
I've had various Blue Screens and hangs over the years, and usually downloading and installing recent drivers from Dell has fixed them. However, at this point every single time that I try to run a backup, I either have the system hang or get a Blue Screen.
I've disconnected my Seagate external drive, and tried to backup to a drive (using a USB/SATA converter). I've also bolted a drive directly into the machine and tried to backup to it, and I get the same problem regardless of destination.
I've run diagnostics, and everything comes back healthy.
I'm currently running the Matrix Storage Manager that I downloaded from Dell dated 9/28/06, version 6.0.1.1002 A10. This appears to be the most recent version from Dell.
However, after reading other threads, it looks like my machine won't explode into a million pieces if I dare go to the Intel site and do it myself that way.
My questions are:
1. Is this in fact recommended, and won't step on any Dell-specific drivers?
2. I see the Intel Application Accelerator RAID Edition download (which appears to load Matrix Storage Manager 5.5.0.1035 dated 2/27/07 - IATA55_ENU.EXE), and also the Intel Matrix Storage Manager directly, which appears to load version 8.9.0.1023, dated 7/17/09 - IATA89ENU.EXE). The latest and greatest seems like the way to go, but maybe it just seems too easy - anything to worry about? Will it at least refuse to install if it will screw my system up?
Thanks very much in advance!
Scott
sdharvey
10 Posts
0
December 11th, 2009 22:00
I was hoping that there was a little more activity on this forum. I guess I'll wing it and hope I don't screw up my system beyond repair. Oh well.
osprey4
4 Operator
4 Operator
•
34.2K Posts
0
December 12th, 2009 05:00
Hi, sdharvey:
I'm a bit confused by your description. But I understand your objective. You're trying to get important files off the machine before you wipe it.
First, I would not use backup software, nor is there any need to back up the entire system. Just copy the files you need off the drive. To do this, the most convenient method is to use an external USB enclosure plugged into your new machine.
Once that is done, you can use your XP disc to wipe the old drive, reload the OS and sell or give it away.
Let me know if you need help with any specifics.
sdharvey
10 Posts
0
December 12th, 2009 12:00
Thanks very much for the reply, and sorry to be confusing.
Bottom line is that whether trying to backup or even just copy files manually to an external disk or DVD or anything, the system hangs or crashes. So, I obviously don't want to spend too much time (or too much of your time) fixing a system on the way out. But unfortunately I need to fix it before I can access the disks where the data currently resides.
Any thoughts on which of the Intel packages to install (or do think it might be something completely different?)
Thanks again for your time.
Scott
osprey4
4 Operator
4 Operator
•
34.2K Posts
0
December 13th, 2009 04:00
I think it would still be easier to slave this drive into another machine.
Did you try this Dell driver?<ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed / replaced from this post by Dell>
Did you see this page in the Dell support site (I found this by searching the support site for "iastor.sys)?
sdharvey
10 Posts
0
December 13th, 2009 12:00
Really appreciate your time on this. Some unanticipated problems (slab leak) mean that I'll be putting my purchase of a new box on hold for a while, so fixing this one is more important all of a sudden!
I did try the Dell driver you linked to, and no difference. I also saw the the page on their support site, but thanks for that one.
I didn't see that external site yet, but it calms my fears about getting the driver directly from Intel instead of the 3 year old Dell driver. I guess I'll try one or both of the Intel drivers I originally mentioned in my post and see how it goes.
I'll report back once I know what is going on.
Thanks again for your time and help.
Scott