TechDud wrote:I assume that both connector-ends are indeed polarized. That is to say, they only fit on one way, with pin1 matching the marked end.
tattooed_pariah wrote:"All the pins are straight, this ribbon cable only has two connectors, one on either end. If I boot off the Support CD it will format a floppy for the F6 RAID drivers."
That seems to imply that the floppy is at least powered; so much for me thinking that one end may be backwards. One thing about those cables; there are a few lines that are reversed close to one end. That is the end that should go to the floppy drive. What does ScanDisk make of the finished disk? Does it find bad sectors? Can you update it with files from D\M\N5?
You said that you have the latest BIOS update installed, if i remember correctly.
Beware as improperly applied BIOS updates can "brick" your board!
It could be that the drivers on the SupportCD are not compatible with the latest MediaShield RAID BIOS (should be included in the Motherboard's BIOS).
"I'd like to think it's good"
If the power supply has more than 2000 total hours on it shine a flashlight in to the case of the P/S to see if you can see any capacitors bulged on the top, especially closest to the mobo cables. The mobo though, if older than the P/S, would be more likely to have these.
For examples of what you are looking for, see: http://www.badcaps.net/pages.php?vid=5
I'm not saying that this is your issue, i only mention it as a possibility. If you had an audio amplifier with a malfunctioning power supply, you wouldn't expect it to sound well. Likewise, a computer powersupply can cause instabilities that can be difficult to predict.
It is all a process of elimination, including Sherlock Holmes' "deductive reasoning".
That is, using known good hardware to diagnose &/or debug unknown hardware.
Get that "Moriarty" Focker! You are a Pariah here, only in name.
well slap me for another bit of non-clarity...
The cable is notched, so yes, it only goes in one way.
there is a twist on one end, and while I did in fact have it on the end that plugged into the drive and not the motherboard, the idea that which end it goes on makes a difference makes no sense to me whatsoever.. but I've been known be be wrong about many things before..
What I meant by the support cd creating a floppy disk is now that it has done so in the past, but that it is designed with a Nero boot function that will prompt you for what drivers you want to install, and if you have a working floppy drive, it will format a disk for you. So far I have yet to have a working floppy drive..
The last time I updated the BIOS on the board was probably sometime in early 2009, if it was even that recent.. the worry of bricking the board is exactly why I never bothered to try and update them further, I figured, it works fine now, I don't want to break it..
I don't see any physical signs of damage in the PSU, but I can say relatively confidently that it ran 24/7 from November 2008 - May 2009, and then again from January 2010 - March 2010, then again from December 2010 - present.. When I am home I leave my system running at all times. so maybe that's an issue, but like I said, I've never had any indication of power problems at all in that entire time. No magic smoke has escaped, there is no physical damage, and nothing has ever given an indicator that it isn't getting enough power..
The only hardware that I've never used before are these FDD's.. I haven't used one of them in at least 5 years and I threw away all of my known good ones at least 4 years ago.. I did pick up a new cable from work today, but it's been a long couple of days so maybe i'll take a look and try it tomorrow night.
As I re-read this, some of it seems kinda snarky, and I'm not trying to sound like an ass, just tired and got a good buzz going 
I'm really thinking that my best bet will be to save up a hundred bucks, and hit pricewatch for a copy of 7 Ultimate, which as far as I understand, should be able to recognize RAID from the get go without a floppy..
I'm not even going to consider Vista, and I don't like what I'm hearing about 8, so for me 7 is a logical step from the stability I've come to know and love of XP Pro...
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