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ChandlerL

44 Posts

154135

February 18th, 2007 19:00

Vista Installation solution for RAID setup/dual-boot that get worker_thread BSOD

The following instructions should solve the issue users have been having with installing Vista on Dell systems that use a RAID bios that, by default, is turned on.
 
Firstly, we know that going into your BIOS settings and changing the RAID BIOS parameter to Autodetect enables you to install Vista without any special instructions-- So if you're willing to give up a RAID array or willing to do a clean Vista install that wipes your old XP install then you're good to go.
 
However the above "solution" doesn't help those that wish to dual boot XP/Vista (probably a very good idea for now) and want to keep their entire XP install with all settings and files and/or are using an enabled RAID setup and wish to continue using that functionality (turning that functionality off would be tantamount to erasing your hard drives). See DELL shipped these RAID supporting computers with the RAID setting defaulted to ON even if your HD setup is not using it. So the default Windows XP installs shipped on these Dells REQUIRE this setting to remain on. If you turn it off, you will no longer be able to boot up your XP install without getting the same BSOD we see in Vista forcing you to do a clean install only. So how do we keep our RAID setups and/or install Vista in a dual-boot XP/Vista configuration?
 
These instructions are meant to solve the issue that people have been having with the "WORKER_THREAD_RETURNED_AT_BAD_IRQL" BSOD. Keyword: Worker Thread Returned at Bad IRQL (Keyword placed here to facilitate people that are searching the forums for this solution)
 
#1-- Forget the DELL drivers-- they don't work-- at least they certainly didn't for me and they're also out of date.
 
#2-- From Windows XP, go to Intel's site and download the latest (6.2.1.1002) Intel Storage Manager exe for Vista. Run it but don't hit the NEXT button through the prompts-- you don't want to install it-- the good news is that if you do install it into your Windows XP install by accident the Vista driver release does work with Windows XP as well so you won't have an unbootable XP install. *whew* Either way the reason why I want you to hold off its installation is because we need to pull drivers from it that you can only get to from the a temporary folder that is created when you run the Intel setup. (there is another way that uses flags but we'll skip that idea for now)
 
 
 
#3- Go into your Windows\temp ($windir$\temp) directory and look for the IIF folder-- this is a temporary folder created by the Intel Storage Manager setup. Dig into that folder looking for the Driver or Driver64 folder (it's inside the WINALL folder). The correct folder will have the "iaStor.sys" file within it along with a few others such as "iaahci.cat" and "iastor.inf" Take the contents of that folder and write it to the root directory of a floppy disk, USB key, or CD. Don't write the folder "Driver" or "Driver64" to your media-- just the contents (I'm trying to keep things simple). The 32bit drivers are in "Driver" folder and the 64bit drivers are in the "Driver64" folder.
 
#4- Cancel the Intel Storage Manager for Vista installation since you got what you needed from it.
 
#5- Now try and install Vista again-- run the install from Windows XP and do a clean install-- if you wish to setup a dual boot and have a partition ready be sure to select that destination. While you're going through the install, look for the Load Driver icon (it's quite small) and click it. Be sure the USB key, floppy disk, or CD is inserted/connected to your system and browse to it. Then select OK. It will take the Vista install a long time to find it (god knows why). You should eventually see the Intel RAID driver pop up as an option. Select it and click OK or NEXT (I believe NEXT is the available button).
 
#6- Vista install should then copy the drivers and continue with the installation.
 
#7- Keep the USB key, CD, or Floppy Disk inserted/connected throughout the installation-- the Vista install may need to reinstall the driver again and will look for it later in the installation-- without it you may BSOD again so don't eject the media or disconnect your USB key until Vista is running properly.
 
#8- Vista should now install for your system with RAID capability allowing you a successful installation whether dual boot or clean and no more WORKER_THREAD BSOD.
 
I hope this helps everyone who's been having major issues-- as a medium-business DELL customer, I am troubled that DELL hasn't posted these instructions for users of its higher end systems that have this issue (such as the Dimension 9200, XPS 410, 700, etc.) It took a number of install retries along with a measure of sharing everyone's frustration for me to realize that I needed to look outside of Dell's support site to find what is needed to remedy the issue.
 
I also took the time to erase my newly working Vista install and doing this over again using my instructions to make sure they worked. Not exactly a controlled experiment but good enough for now.
 
Regards,
 
Chandler


Message Edited by ChandlerL on 02-19-2007 12:48 PM

proimage1

82 Posts

February 21st, 2007 01:00

Hey Scott - I guess I do have the so called express upgrade dvds coming whenever - I'll check them out good whenever they do ship and who knows - maybe just the thing to get it going -- being in photography - you can well imagine what I have tied up in that stuff - the last digital camera I bought was almost 6 grand and will be another somewhat cheaper one within the next few months. I'll surely be in touch if anything changes here. Take care Tom

scott784

388 Posts

February 21st, 2007 02:00

Hey Tom,
I believe the starting date for the Vista upgrade DVD's was October 26th and going forward.  So if you bought your system on that date or later, you can still register (if you haven't already) for a Vista upgrade from Dell.  Dell asks for your credit card and you are charged a shipping charge only, which I think is about ten dollars.
 
Like you, I didn't want to wait though and that is why I went out and bought my retail version of Win Vista.  Plus I figured if I bought a "full" version of vista, it would never be tied to XP.  As you probably know, with full versions of operating systems, you can install them without ever having to worry about showing any qualifying media.
 
BUT as I've said before, if those upgrade DVD's don't have the raid drivers on there, I imagine Dell is going to have a lot of upgraders screaming at them and it will be good enough for them!  Most people would never know anything about the BIOS (as we've discussed or how to change it).  The disadvantage of the upgrade dvd (from what I'vd heard) is that you "will" have to install it from the XP desktop.
 
That doesn't mean you have to give up XP.  However, if you wanted to keep XP, you would have to install another (bare bones copy only of XP on another hard drive).  Only then, you could turn around and upgrade to Win Vista off the XP desktop.  Unlike previous windows versions, it seems Microsoft is no longer allowing upgraders to just slip qualifying media into the DVD/CD rom drive and then continue with the new installation.  Microsoft obviously is looking for more control.  So like I said, you have to actually install Vista from the XP desktop with the upgrade version of Vista.  To me, that is a disadvantage over the full version of Vista.
 
However, having said that, the good news is you can still opt for a clean install of Vista without saving files/settings and all the junk.  I am a firm believer in clean installs so again this is good news.  It just stinks that you are forever tied to the XP desktop to get Vista loaded.  Again, this is all  what I have read so I am fairly certain about this.....just not 100% positive.  My PC was bought 10/29/06 and delivered 11/2/06 so eventually I will get my upgrade dvd too but I don't expect I'm going to have much of a need for it.....at least not any time in the near future.
 
So there you go with the "most likely" pros and cons of the upgrade version that Dell will be sending.  Just be sure you've registered for it if you are qualified to receive it.  You do have to register though or they will NOT send it to you.
 
Regards,
Scott
 
 
 




Message Edited by scott784 on 02-26-2007 10:20 PM

proimage1

82 Posts

February 21st, 2007 03:00

Hey Scott - yep - I did register for the express upgrade around 2 weeks after this system go here - I think it to was delivered around the 5th of December - My status still shows pending, but honestly I doubt I'll do anything with - maybe fool around with it on the other pc -- but not this one - I will not do an upgrade instead of a full clean install on this one - like someone here said - would you get the oil changed in your car and leave the old oil in it - NOT -- hey - that G7 is a GREAT camera - seriously - all of the G series Canons are destined to be classics - believe it or not - I have a Canon G3 that I use for snapshots - wouldn't get rid of it for anything - the one thing I really like about it is the ability to shoot in Canon raw format - they did do away with that option with the G7 - but it's still a great camera and it can produce very high resolution images when you get good exposures. Photography is a great hobby - I'm very lucky to be able to make a good living doing something I truly enjoy. Have a super week. Best regards Tom

kuhnesito

140 Posts

February 21st, 2007 06:00

Last try... I went to my bios in my xps 710.. and i dont get the auto detect feature you guys are talking about! i went to my sata drives and changed it from Raid on to just "on" and yes, when installing vista it did detect 2 hard drives but it didnt let me install on them because it said the volume was incorrect or osmething about bios drivers... in other words.. please get me out of my missery.. is vista simply UNINSTALABLE on my XPS 710???

scott784

388 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 01:00

Kuhnesito,
Sorry to hear you're having so many problems too :-( 
 
I am not familiar with the BIOS on the XPS 710.  I can only say how I changed my BIOS in my XPS 410.  I went to the Drives folder in the BIOS and then opened up the subfolder Sata Operation.  That particular folder is where the switches are for "raid on" and "autodetect" on the XPS 410.  Because the retail versions of Vista (at least right now) don't have the software for RAID, this creates the BIG problem and the BSOD (blue screen of death).  As I said before, my XPS 410 "did" accept the retail version of Vista BUT only after I switched the setting from "raid on" to Autodetect". 
 
I wished I could say more about the BIOS on the XPS 710 but I am not familar with it.  If you have a Sata hard drive (like the XPS 410's do), then see if you can navigate to the Drives folder and the the Sata Operation subfolder.  If it's set up like mine, see if you have a "autodect" switch, "raid off" or something like that. 
 
If your BIOS is set up differently than the XPS 410, you might want to call tech support and insist that they tell you how to cut raid off in your computer.  Once you cut it off, you will NOT be able to configure a raid array (as in raid 0 or raid 1) but heck most home computer users don't seem too worried about that.  In fact, it seems most home users have never even heard of raid.  From what I've read about it, it really is geared more toward businesses that need a more elaborate backup system (using a 2nd drive to do that) or for high end gamers that feel they want a raid 0 array.  However, there are disadvantages to raid, like a greater increase of hard drive failure so it's not all that either.
 
If you only have one drive, you CAN'T use raid anyway so I personally don't know why Dell insists on having "raid on"as the default setting on these higher end computers that come with raid technology.  Good luck and I hope you work it out.
 
As for me, I've got the retail version of Vista on my 3 month old Dell XPS 410.  However, I also went through a lot of aggravation before I ever even determined that raid was causing the problem.  It's not like setup in Vista specifically tells you what to do!  It just asks for unknown driver(s) and them gives that error message and the BSOD (blue screen of death).  So frustrating!  I went nuts until I figured out what was going on.
 
btw, if you call Dell and they start telling you how they don't support retail versions of Vista, you can advise them fine, but they can at least explain your BIOS to you and tell you how to cut off your raid setting.  If you can get it cut off in your BIOS, I would expect you should be able to install the retail version of Vista.
 
fyi....why Dell and Microsoft did NOT work together on this issue is beyond me!  As I mentioned to Tom on here, it is very possible that the OEM versions of Vista from Dell have the necessary software slipped on them so there is no concern about making BIOS adjustments.  However, that doesn't do someone like yourself any good if you've put out good money for retail Vista that you cannot return to the store.  Again, good luck :-)
 




Message Edited by scott784 on 02-21-2007 09:53 PM

scott784

388 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 02:00

Hey Tom, I hope you gave yourself a rest from the Vista woes!  Not really worth it.  I did want to point out one thing about those Dell upgrade Vista DVD's that they are supposed to be shipping.  While they are NOT the full versions of vista (like you and I bought from the store), they supposedly still allow a clean install. 
 
For example, (provided you are installing from the XP desktop) supposedly the upgrade dvd gives you two options.  That is you can 1) save your files, settings, and programs and do an overlay OR 2) You can choose a clean install and NOT save your files, XP settings, etc.
 
Now, this stuff can become debatable though if you want to split hairs.  For example, a clean install does NOT mean that you get to format the drive.  It just means that Vista is supposed to set aside the XP installation (think it renames it to something called old and pushes the XP installation aside).
 
Assuming all of that is true, the clean install of the upgrade disk should work (in theory  just as good as a "full" version of Vista if you choose a clean install (even though its not doing another format once you are at the desktop of XP and select clean install of Vista).
 
However, as I said before, the thing I don't like about those upgrade DVD's is that you are forever tied to the previous operating system.  If you've moved on to Vista but now need to reinstall it for whatever reason.  With those upgrade DVD's, you CAN'T reinstall unless you first put XP back on and start the Vista installation from the desktop of XP.  This is the part that I really don't like about the upgrades.....and it is this part that has changed!  For example, back in the days when people were upgrading (lets say from Win 2000 to Win XP), all you had to do was slip in your qualifying media to prove you were eligible.  It was not necessary to have the previous operating system installed and to start the new installation from the desktop of the old OS.
 
Anyhow, I agree with you Tom.  Give yourself a rest from all of this Windows stuff!  I just wanted to share some feedback about those upgrade DVDs.
 


Message Edited by scott784 on 02-26-2007 10:20 PM

kuhnesito

140 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 04:00

Scott! thanks for your info man, there is a folder in my Bios that shows my sata drives, from 0 , 1, 2 ,3  etc..
 
my hard drives are 0 and 1.. and each one of them has 3 options
 
Raid on = device will be avialable with raid
 
on = device will be avialable
 
off = device wont be avialable.
 
So naturaly I asume I have to switch them to just "on" that way the raid doesnt kick in and everything was ok, the machine rebooted, it didnt show the raid info it usualy displays at the start, it went straight into the windows vista setup boot (i had the disc in) abd up to that part everything was great, it even detected my 2 hard drives perfectly (with raid it would have only detected one as it is in Mirrored mode)
 
so for that brief moment I was happy.. until I chose one of the harddrives to install windows and vista said something about "incorrect values" or something.. even before i clicked on the drive to install I got amessage that said that vista may not be able to install in those drives due to lack of activation of the drivers in the bios or some like that....
 
in other words.. even with the Raid mode off... I still seem to need some drivers!!!
 
ahhh, heeeeelp.. heheheheh
 
 


Message Edited by kuhnesito on 02-22-2007 12:52 AM

ChandlerL

44 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 16:00

kuhnesito:

What version is your XPS 710 bios?

Also did you download and use your nvidia Mediashield drivers for Vista while attempting to install it?

 

kuhnesito

140 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 17:00

Hi chandler, my bios version is 1.1.0
 
as far as the mediashield drivers go, what exactly do I need to do? I havent installed any media shield drivers, in what way would those work for me? and what do I do??
 
thanks!

ChandlerL

44 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 18:00

Quote:
 
See my original instructions. However, in your case you don't have an Intel board with an Intel chipset. You have an nVidia board with an nForce chipset. So you need the corresponding RAID Drivers from nVidia to install Vista.
 
You need to pull the drivers from the nVidia nforce install. Dell has a version for Vista on their website-- you should try them first.
 
 

kuhnesito

140 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 18:00

Ok thanks, however I read that vista just isnt working well ont he xps 710 cos there are no raid drivers for it.
 
are you talking about raid or no raid?

proimage1

82 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 19:00

Hey Chandler - Not sure if you read my post a few notes up, but I didn't have any luck - I'm sure I did everything exactly as you noted with the driver package - guess it just isn't meant to be for now - I may wind up getting a local computer guru in my area to handle if -- it will be either that or nothing - because I'm done with this Vista - Dell fiasco - however I for one sincerely appreciate all the work and research you did to help us all out - at this point I'm no better or worse off than I was before I ever heard the word - VISTA !!!! ROFL !!!!!!!!

Here was my post from a few strings up:

Well - I hate to bring bad news to this very hopefull thread and work around to the ongoing saga of installing Vista - I followed the exact instructions -- to the T -- had files ready of my floppy - it copied them fine - everything looked great - windows copied completely to 100% -- then I get to the expanding files -- at the now familiar 27% - it reboots - acts like the install is going to continue and BOOM - crash to the now very familiar blue screen of death or BSOD as it's commonly called -- !!! Well - gang - that's it for me -- I can honestly say without reserve that I'm done with VISTA -- I WILL NOT MAKE ANY ATTEMPT to install Vista on this machine again - once I go in and kick out the dual boot option - I will be back with good old XP for now and the future - Will I ever have Vista - yes, probably - but anytime soon - very doubtful. At any rate - good luck to all of you with the same troubles - and congrats to all that have successfully installed and are enjoying Vista. Regards Tom

Message Edited by proimage1 on 02-22-2007 03:06 PM

Message Edited by proimage1 on 02-22-2007 03:08 PM

ChandlerL

44 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 21:00

Kuhimto:
 
Have you tried here for the nforce drivers?
 

ChandlerL

44 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 21:00

Yes, I did see that you still had issues which is unfortunate.
 
I have the same systems as you (at least in model #) and have been successful on 10 out of 40 so far.
 
Let me ask you.. What driver did it make available to you when you used the "Load Driver" option during the install. What was the name?
 
 
 

scott784

388 Posts

February 22nd, 2007 23:00

Kuhnesito,
Even after the BIOS was changed, did you try actually unplugging one of your hard drives?  From your comments, it seems your drives were already formatted for a Raid array and Vista retail didn't want any part of reformatting one of those drives (which it would've had to have done) before Vista would've loaded.  Who knows why!
 
In my case, I had (and still do) two hard drives.  However, neither one of them was ever actually configured to raid array....it was just that the raid setting in the BIOS was set to "raid on".  After the BIOS was changed, one of my hard drives was also physically disconnected.  My machine then allowed the reformat and clean install of Vista on one of my two hard drives. 
 
Then (because I chose a dual boot system), the other hard drive was plugged back in and Win XP (the OEM version I had from Dell) was reinstalled.  It stunk that I could not use the ghost image to restore XP but you see that ghost image (on your hard drive too) is configured for Raid too and nothing about the retail version of Vista seems to work with anything that is Raid on in the BIOS or even in a software configuration.
 
That dang Raid!!  Or should we say the culprit is Dell and Microsoft for FAILING to work together on this issue.  Funny, isn't it how the OEM XP version smoothly goes back on there (reinstall) but there have been so many issues with the retail copy of Vista on these higher end Dell systems with Raid technology.
 
Kuhnesito, I wished I could say for sure what your solution is.  However, I can only tell you what I did on my machine that made it work.  You've already cut Raid off in your BIOS but you might want to try physically unplugging one of your hard drives to force Vista (retail version) on there.  Then if you can get it up and running, plug your other hard drive in and see what happens.
 
Chandler, do you have any suggestions for Kuhnesito??  My situation was a pain in the ........and extremely time consuming because two hard drives had to be reformatted and reinstalled from scratch.  However, things have been working fine for me ever since.




Message Edited by scott784 on 02-22-2007 07:06 PM

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