Can't Install Marvell 91xx Driver- GA-P55a-UD3

[vienna01]

Problem: Errors reported as no driver for Marvell 91xx.
Tried to install driver-failed.

See my signature for all HW info.
I don't think I am using the Marvell 91xx because my HDD config is NON-RAID with no ATA HDDs [only SATA HDDs].
Never-the-less Win7,utils & apps show a Marvell driver is missing error.

I downloaded the drivers for Marvell from www.station-drivers.com/page/marvell.htm. I extracted & got Miniport/i386 and Storeport/i386 folders with Marvell drivers.  I pointed Win 7 at these drivers [one after the other]trying to install a Marvell driver from Windows' DEVICE MANAGER.  Windows says it cannot find either the drivers in either the miniport or storportfolders. This is essentially the same problem I encountered when I tried to use the drivers from the Gigabyte site.[see below]


PREVIOUSLY, in an earlier attempt to install Marvell drivers, I downloaded the 2 Marvel driver files from the Gigabyte Americas site.
First File:
motherboard_driver_marvell_console.exe   When this file is executed it creates a Marvell file in Program Files [x86]
One of the files it creates is driverinstall.exe. When I executed it it seemed to complete, but Device Manager still showed the YELLOW problem flag. When I tried to install the driver in Program Files/Marvel/M91xx/Console I received this ERROR message: Windows found driver software for your device but encountered an error while attempting to install it.
Second File:
marvell_91xx_1.2.0.1200_1.1.0.6(www.station-drivers.com).exe [Self uncompress]
Same problem as reported above. Windows can't find them.


Although this is a Windows 7 problem, I  also run Macintosh OSX 10.6.6 on the same PC [dual boot]. The OSX build uses a different non-RAID hard drive Samsung SATA 1TV 7200rpm. This Macintosh on a PC is called" OSX86" or "Hackintosh". OSX runs perfectly.The OSX build doesn't use RAID or ATA HDDs.

 Need Help:
1. Because I frequently get a "missing driver" error message from various utilities & applications, I would like to get the correct Marvell driver installed. When I do have any WIN 7 problems, all WIN diagnostics always point to missing driver as the cause even if that is unlikely.
2. If not, can I remove/disable/uninstall the Marvell 91xx ATA Device to get the same result?

[Dark Mantis]

Hi  and welcome to the Gigabyte Forum.

The driver you require is available form the Gigabyte Download section.

http://uk.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/download-center.aspx?kw=GA-P55a-UD3&ck=

If you are sure that you have nothing attached to the Marvell controlled ports then you could always disable it.

[vienna01]

I'm sorry, I should have mentioned that I had tried to install those also. No luck.

The console driver from the Gigabyte site is an executable that seems to install. It creates a driversinstall.exe file. It puts that driversinstall.exe PLUS Marvell drivers in a new folder Program Files[x86]/Marvell. Even though driverinstall.exe doesn't display an error, the YELLOW warning STILL shows in DEVICE MANAGER for MARVELL. When I tried to manually install the driver via DEVICE MANAGER, I got a different error that was unhelpful.

The second driver file I downloaded from Gigabyte was a self extracting zip file. It extracted toMiniport & Storport folders same as before. I tried to install them too from DEVICE MANAGER. Windows couldn't find them???.

See my updated initial post for the details.

MAYBE IT IS A WINDOWS 64 vs. 32 bit issue. Programs that say they are for 64 FAIL with error messages that they are 32bit-wrong versions. The Windows Repair/Restore 64bit does that!
THANKS

[Aussie Allan]

  Without saying to much, the Marvell 9128 chip has been a disaster on many platforms including Gigabyte , and although I have not looked myself I have read several posts of people that are more comfortable with code then myself that state that.......... in the Marvell drive folder on Gigabytes site there is in fact no Marvell driver to be found , just a generic drivers that allows the connected drive/s to communicate with the system "through" the Marvell controller

 I myself had two weeks of frustration trying to get those two ports to perform as advertised,... My last attempt was a couple of Momentus XT 500gb Drives and the best I could get was a not toooooooo bad  212Mbp/s and the GUI interface just kept falling over.......... I could never get it to report a serial number back to the log which was mission critical for the Hybrid drives I was toying around with.

 Dark Matis's Advise is solid and sound ... SATAIII was/is the perfect marketing tool for generating revenue for all the R&D that is needed to mature these controllers to the level that intel (ICH10R) enjoy today..........it took them ten years!!!... hope this helps.

 Aussie Allan

[vienna01]

in the Marvell drive folder on Gigabytes site there is in fact no Marvell driver to be found , just a generic drivers that allows the connected drive/s to communicate with the system "through" the Marvell controller  

I thought I solved that by getting the drivers drirectly- but they seem to be the same ones that don't work for me.

Because there is no driver currently installed for the Marvell controller and everything SEEMS to work OK, is it reasonable to assume that disabling the Marvell won't break anything? At least for Windows 7.NOW


Am I correct that I only will need the Marvell controller if I need to connect to a 6Gb/s interface ? 

If so, does that mean the board will not connect to 6Gb/s drives except at 3Gb/s? I don't understand what is meant by ... communicate with the system 'through' the Marvell controller".
If I can not get either of the 2 drivers I downloaded from the Gigabyte site to install, does that mean I won't even be able to take advantage of connecting THROUGH the Marvell controller [whatever that means]?

One reason I bought the P55 was the 6Gb/s support, otherwise I would have bought an H55 board.

Thanks for your feedback

[Dark Mantis]

The Marvell 9128 SATA3 controller was a fiasco in general terms right across the industry. It just never lived up to what it was supposed to do.  It will work fine as a SATA2 controller but just not handle the SATA3 speeds especially of SSDs or RAID0 configurations. Although it is quite possible to set up a RAID0 array on the controller it will continually drop the drives and fall over.

From what I can find out this is not fixable by a software patch or even firmware. I think we have to accept this restraint as part of the ongoing R & D of this device which has now been proved with the Marvell 9182 (why they had to name it that I don't know, very confusing) controller chip that is incorporated into the newest platforms.

[Aussie Allan]

 for what it's worth,... I adopt the 2 year approach now I'm older and somewhat wiser, as in, New emerging technology is embargoed for two years in my house until it matures.........I've only just gone over to SSD in the last couple of  months and am enjoying reasonable integration at prices probably a quarter of what I would have paid 2 years ago.

 When IDE was replaced with SATA , I like many rushed out and paid the premium for a new Sata drive only to be gutted when I found it performed no better or worse then the drive it replaced.........even pulling it apart showed me, bar the sata connector and a few new tracks on the PCB it was the exact same as the comparison IDE drive sitting next to it.........the manufacture date on the IDE body was infact 9 months newer then My new SATA drive........The boards SATA connectors were designed for greater band-width, the data cable was designed for greater band-width....sadly, the connecting hardware being a new technology...... rarely perform to the stated marketing stats........under ideal conditions in the R&D department, with carefully matched hardware and several paid technicians working 50hr weeks around it..........but not you and I for a year or two.

 DMs advise is Correct as far as I know and sound advise to forget the Marvell 6gig SATA for the time being........The Marvell port will work fine as SATAII or ....Don,t connect anything to them, disable the Marvell controller in BIOS and (Possibly important for you) Disable Marvells update chip option, this is possibly why your system (OS) keeps "Goin a huntin" for the missing drivers bugging you no end.....Hope this helps.

Aussie  Allan

[F5BJR]

*
With the Station Drivers Drivers Version 1.2.00.1002 & 1.1.0.6 WHQL i have also this problem

the last good version is 1051

Pierre

[Aussie Allan]

*
With the Station Drivers Drivers Version 1.2.00.1002 & 1.1.0.6 WHQL i have also this problem

the last good version is 1051

Pierre

  Bookmarked! with thanks.

 Aussie Allan

[vienna01]

Am I correct that I only will need the Marvell controller if I need to connect to a 6Gb/s interface ?

If so, does that mean the board will not connect to 6Gb/s drives except at 3Gb/s? I don't understand what is meant by ... communicate with the system 'through' the Marvell controller".
If I can not get either of the 2 drivers I downloaded from the Gigabyte site to install, does that mean I won't even be able to take advantage of connecting THROUGH the Marvell controller [whatever that means]?

I quoted my own post-I really would like to know what things won't work because of the Marvell problems:

Does that mean the board will not connect to 6Gb/s drives except at 3Gb/s?
If I can't get the Marvell drivers[from Gigabyte site]installed does that mean I can't even get 3Gb/s connections to HDDs using the Marvell SATA ports on the motherboard?
If so-What is the best I can get using the Marvell SATA connectors[ports]? Where can I get drivers that will install even if they don't give me 6Gb/s

[Aussie Allan]

YES!

NO!

 SEE ABOVE!

  All , And I mean All the information you need, to every question you have asked to date, "IS" contained in the posts above this post your reading right now..........May I suggest you take the time and re-read from your original post, right through to these words and take notes to answer all your questions.

 Pierre has supplied you with the very latest, current drivers and there location......

 DM has given you very sound advise and your recommended  best coarse of action with your current hardware list..........

 Aussie Allan (I) have done my best to explain to you that "It is what it is" .........One last time!......forget full speed 6G on those ports! it aint gunna happen for you this time ! (Or for me for that matter) ..... forget about the drivers even........your hard drives will still connect and be recognised by the operating system and give fair to good performance (Even on the Marvell ports)............If your after just better speed, you may want to consider SSD.........if your after read and write speeds surpassing SATA II and even III you might want to look at a PCI-X type Drive. I have a Revodrive x2 and enjoy 600+gb/s write and 800+gb/s read........I gave up beating myself up over 6G a month ago and my dog and I are on talking terms again.........hope this helps.

 Aussie Allan

[vienna01]

As I said: I did not[still do not] understand the effect of "communicating with the system THROUGH the Marvell controller". I'm guessing that means the GSAT3 ports DO work as SATA2 under WIN 7. So if I connect a SSD  to the GSATA3 ports they work up to 3Gb/s. I guess it will be awhile before even SSDs really need 6Gb/s.

FYI. I was not focused on super high throughput. My system is not all that fast. I only wanted to know I COULD get the advertised advantages of SATA3 on my mb.
It was foolish of me to expect that the controller that Gigabyte first shipped more than a year ago might not still work. I believe in the Easter Bunny too.

Thanks for everyones' help.