Using a PCI RAID Controller (CompUSA) won't allow Dimention 8100 to boot

Hi, I;m trying to install a RAID 1 setup with 2x60G Samsung HD's. I'm installing a brand-new XP Pro version and pressing F6 during the install to have the XP installer load the drivers from floppy - all works 100% with the installer copying all files to the HDD.

 

The problem that I'm having is that following the initial installation where the system reboots, the RAID BIOS on the card shows up on the screen, but there appears to be nothing on the HDD (ie: no boot sector configured). Redoing the above steps allows the XP installer to see that there is indeed something on the HDDs - the previous install.

 

Its almost like either there is no boot sector or a conflict with the DELL bios (I disabled the on-board primary IDE driver, leaving the secondary as being the CD-ROM).

 

I even thought I would configure the PCI RAID card to be IDE, then use the original HDD by itself with the other disconnected. Same symptom, which leads me to beleive that there is a problem booting from a PCI based IDE controller. Is this BIOS related?

 

Are there PCI based RAID cards that work on the Dell Dimention 8100's without the need for the primary being off the motherboard?

 

Thanks in advacne for any help.

 

rjmiller