[HOT] Win10 Update makes nForce RAID arrays unaccessable

Some strange things i have found out in the last few days:
1. The Windows 10 Insider professional Version higher than Build 16232 does not work on Nforce Boards in Combination with the Intel Q9650 CPUs.
2. The Windows 10 Insider professional Version higher than Build 16232 works on Nforce Boards in Combination with the Intel QX9650 CPUs.

I don´t know exactly if it is possible with an NTLite full Version to remove the CPU-Inf Drivers and replace them with an older version of for instance from Windows 10 Build 14393!
With the NTLite version you can download from the hompage “NTLite.com” (“unpaid, unlicensed Version”) it is not possible to remove the CPU-Drivers or replace them!
Perhabs somebody can try this with a full version. (eg: need Nforce boards in combination with Q9650 CPUs and RAID 0)

On Intel Chipset Mainboards, at the moment, it is still possible to use any Quad-Core CPU on the Insider Preview Build 16232 or higher. But how long that will be possible is the question!

EDIT by Fernando: Unneeded blank lines removed (to save space)

NTLite in full Licensed mode can remove (microsoft) cpu.inf.
I would recommend caution with w10 though. You never know what changes ms makes between different builds.
NTLite downloads are the same, it just depends if you add your license file and number whether you get Free and Licensed(full) mode.

Remember, you are working with a preview build. The final public release may not have such issues.

EDIT: Thought - You would have to remove the cpu.inf from the boot wim - microsoft windows setup aswell as the install wim.

EDIT by Fernando: I have merged your recent posts (to save space)

edit - No problem Fernando.

These things are well known by me. But thanks to you.
Replacement of the inf drivers have to be done in install and boot wim. That´s a fact!
But perhabs nuhi the special friend of Fernando is able to just allow in a later version of ntlite unlicensed version to remove and replace the cpu.inf drivers!

The FREE variant of the tool NTLite generally doesn’t allow to remove such in-box INF files from the OS Image. Nuhi just made an exception regarding the scsidev.inf file, because all nForce RAID users were affected by the Windows Update issue.

Although I have good contacts to nuhi, I will not ask him to introduce an additional exception regarding the limited options of the FREE NTLite variant. This would mean additional work for him and he is already working at his limit to make his tool better and compatible with all upcoming Windows Builds. Please remember, that nuhi is not an employee of any company and the NTLite license fee is what he needs for his daily life.
Nevertheless affected nForce Chipset users themselves can ask nuhi by posting their request into >this< special NTLite “Questions and Reports” site.

The next thing i have found out, is that you can still use the Nforce chipset Mainboards with Quadcore CPUs when changing the CPU Q9650 for instance to a QX9650.
Under these conditions with that special type of CPU you can use a Mainboard Asus Striker 2 Formula, Striker 2 Extreme or Striker 2 NSE and Windows 10 Build 16257.
Testet 2 days ago
Asus Nforce Chipset Boards with Q9650 CPU no function.
Asus Nforce Chipset Boards with QX9650 CPU no problem.

In recent posts i have written about the non working combination of Nforce 780/790 Chipset Mainboards and a Q9650 CPU under Windows 10 professional Version Build 16232 or higher.

A neighbour from me has got a licensed NT-Lite Version. With that NT-Lite we tried to find out if it is possible to get Windows 10 to work with that special combination of hardware by changing the inf and Sys-Files for the CPU. It failed.
What we have found out is that Windows 10 is still rebooting all the time after changing those files in the boot.wim and install.wim. We think that windows 10´s HAL.dll or the early bootloader-files are responsible for the failure of getting Windows 10 installed.
And this is something you cannot change so easily with NT-Lite.
In my opinion Microsoft software engineers have changed something in the routine of those bootloader-files. When the OS is asking for Chipset and CPU and it is a Nforce 780/790 Chipset and a Q9650 CPU or lower, than the OS starts a reboot.

What is still working is a Intel QX9650 CPU and a QX9770 CPU on Mainboards with Nforce Chipset 780/790!
On Intel Chipset Mainboards (P945, ICH 8, 9 and 10) like the Asus P5Q Series Boards Windows 10 is still working with all kinds of LGA 775 CPUs!

I wanted to inform you all of my latest venture with my Asus Striker Extreme with a QX6850 using 4 wd raptor 150’s in raid 0. I had tried to use the modded drivers and modifying the installation media but could never get it to work. Just decided to try another approach. Installed a single hard drive. Installed Windows 8.1 Home and upgraded it to Windows 10 Home then switched it to Pro, I did all the updates. I then reinstalled my raid to see if I could get windows to see my drive with the modded drivers and noticed that Windows was already seeing the raid drive without them. So I Cloned the OS drive onto the raid drive. Removed the single drive and booted from the Raid drive. No issues and it works. We’ll see if it still works with the next big update “Creators”.

@Caladelind :
Welcome to the Win-RAID Forum and thanks for your interesting report.
Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)

Just finished the Fall Creators Update and everything is still working.

Side note - Also noticed that a new driver was installed for my old GTX260’s that I have in SLI. I was getting almost 1 sometime 2 daily BSOD due to a TDR error. After that new driver was installed with the Fall Creators update and restarting the system GeForce experience showed another new driver available. So far I haven’t had anymore TDR errors.

I’ve also noticed that my system is running cooler with stock cooler. Pre-update my CPU was running in the low 90’s C and now high 60’s low 70’s.

Same here; MCP61 with ‘RAID’ (single disk JBOD for AHCI) drive as boot.

Rather than editing the windows 10 iso I left Windows alone and broke open the nVidia package so that I could install only the graphics driver (and leave windows to manage itself for the nvraid side of it, which it does when the nVidia drivers haven’t updated)
Drawback: You won’t get all the options to look after the drive through windows
Benefit: It’s really easy and doesn’t need any fancy tools and it ‘just works’ - without fiddling with anything of Microsoft’s

www.techkit.co.uk/nvidia-nvraid-on-windows-10-make-it-work

@Alasdair :
Welcome to te Win-RAID Forum and thanks for your contribution.

The best solution would be, if NVIDIA as the chipset manufacturer would release updated/corrected nForce RAID drivers and Microsoft would customize its management of NVIDIA nForce RAID devices.

Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)

In the latest Build of Windows 10 professional there is a new driver for Nforce RAID 0 and it works.
MS has changed the driver from Septembers Fall Creators Update (V1709 / Build 16299.15) to the latest Build Spring Creators Update (V1803 / Build 17110.1000).
The SCSIdev.inf and the nvrad.inf stays the same, but the nvraid.sys and nvstor.sys are smaller in the latest Build.
If have installed the latest Build on an Asus Striker 2 Extreme Mainboard without any modification of the boot.wim and install.wim via NTLite and it works.
I think that MS has changed it and hopefully MS will keep this driver within the final Version 1803 coming out on the end of March 2018 perhabs at the begin of April 2018!

Hey @Fernando et al; hope you’re well. :slight_smile:

As a second to @edv.kleini , I just installed v1803 on my MCP61 with ‘RAID’ (single disk JBOD for AHCI) drive as boot.

Fwiw, the nvraid.sys for nForce RAID {Controller, Device} says:
Provider: NVIDIA Corporation
Date: 1/6/2017
Version: 10.6.0.24

Though in the Driver Details, version is shown as “10.6.0.23 (PART_L3.131021-1012)”. The nvstor.sys for nForce Serial ATA Controller has the same metadata.

Man oh Man!!!

you just saved the day.

FTR, i did not need to install the OS on the NForce Raid volume, i was upgrading from 2008 R2 to 2016 and the Raid5 Volume was just a Library of sorts where i keep all my goodies.

When i installed windows 2016 (1607 bld 14393.447) I did not see the raid volume.

then i stumbled upon this… man what a GEM!.

All i had to do was get Fernando’s 64 Bit drivers from https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AK…014229B9E752333

and installed the driver as follows:
1. Install the Certificate (under …\64bit nForce SATARAID drivers v10.6.0.23 for orig scsidev mod+signed by Fernando\Win-RAID CA Certificate)
2. right-click on nvraid.inf and click install (under …\64bit nForce SATARAID drivers v10.6.0.23 for orig scsidev mod+signed by Fernando)

Got my goodies back.

What’s the difference between

v10.6.0.23 orig scsidev mod+
and
v10.6.0.23 mod scsidev mod+
cheers.

@salighie :
Welcome to the Win-RAID Forum!
It is fine, that you succeeded and were able to get access to your “goodies”.

Look into the related INF files. Then you will see the differences.

Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)

Hi Fernando, hi everyone. I know this is an old post, but I need help on this topic (tring to get array visible on a Windows Server 206). The mod and signe drivers aren’t available anymore for download, is possible to get them back?

Thanks

@dbcom : Welcome to the Win-RAID Forum!

Which drivers from which post/thread are not available?
Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)

Thanks for your reply. I’m refer to the onedrive link to >>Test files for nForce RAID users<< - from post #311. Do you think I’ll get it working also copyng files from Windows Server 2019 ISO (Windows 10 1809, supported)? Thanks for your help

@dbcom : The linked files were designed just for testing and meanwhile removed from my OneDrive account.
Which NVIDIA nForce SATA and RAID driver version are you using and which specific problem did occur?