Can anybody confirm that when you use a card like this that you're unable to use the motherboard's IDE controller ports anymore? Like it's either-or? My CD-ROM is hooked up to the MB's secondary IDE port as usual, and when I have a SSD hooked up to the Promise controller via SATA it seems like the CD-ROM doesn't work anymore and I can't boot from it or use it. I actually can't boot into Windows off the SSD plugged into the Promise card - it looks like the CD rom is trying to boot and it says something like "disk i/o error replace the disk", and when I take the CD out it'll boot into windows.

Normally the motherboard's IDE should still work with such a card, unless it is somehow conflicting with the motherboard's IDE (unlikely, but...). As for the card not detecting IDE peripherals... Either the card is faulty or there is something else wreaking havoc in the system. I never had that Promise card, that's about what I can do. The card's manual is not very informative when it comes to configuring the card.

Personally I have an Adaptec AHA-2940U2W (it's a whole different card) in one of my systems (a Shuttle HOT-555A motherboard), and it never prevented me to use the IDE ports on the motherboard, I don't see why that Promise card would block the mobo's IDE.

EDIT 2: Take this part (the mobo's IDE vs the card's IDE with a grain of salt. I'm uncertain whether or not it does get disabled the Promise BIOS or not.

After the above hopefully gets settled, I would ideally like to run all these: […]
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After the above hopefully gets settled, I would ideally like to run all these:

3.5" Floppy (seems to work fine as-is since it's not using the IDE connection on the MB but the floppy cable)

CD-ROM (CD/DVD burner) via IDE
2GB CF Card with IDE adapter for DOS 7.1 (I haven't researched how I can get a dual boot menu for this - I'm currently manually switching out the drives - open to any tutorials people like)
120GB SATA SSD (Primary Win98SE drive)
120GB SATA SSD (has all my games on it, and is a 2nd Win98 Setup for when I mess-up the primary - I've been switching them around manually)

This should be doable since I can run 2x SATA and 2x IDE on the Promise card, correct?

Yes this should be doable, for that you could put the CD drive and the CF Card on the Promise's IDE controller.

I've attached below the card's utility, straight out from Promise's website, just in case...

Seeing as how you're having all these goofy issues, I would realllllly recommend trying an install on a bog standard IDE drive using the motherboard's onboard controller, if applicable.

Vynix wrote on 2020-02-16, 12:46:

Normally the motherboard's IDE should still work with such a card, unless it is somehow conflicting with the motherboard's IDE (unlikely, but...).

No, it can't, since its BIOS will overwrite the IDE hard disk routines from the mainboard's BIOS and take over control. You can have IDE and SCSI working at the same time, but not two IDE controllers if both have their own BIOS.

One solution would be to simply connect the CD-ROM to the sound card.

derSammler wrote on 2020-02-16, 16:03:

Vynix wrote on 2020-02-16, 12:46:

Normally the motherboard's IDE should still work with such a card, unless it is somehow conflicting with the motherboard's IDE (unlikely, but...).

No, it can't, since its BIOS will overwrite the IDE hard disk routines from the mainboard's BIOS and take over control. You can have IDE and SCSI working at the same time, but not two IDE controllers if both have their own BIOS.

One solution would be to simply connect the CD-ROM to the sound card.

Oh shoot! I completly forgot about that, well nevermind then, I stand corrected.

Vynix wrote on 2020-02-16, 12:46:

Yes this should be doable, for that you could put the CD drive and the CF Card on the Promise's IDE controller.

I've attached below the card's utility, straight out from Promise's website, just in case...

Thanks for the link. That's the same version I'm using - it's not needed until it boots into Windows though (then it'll prompt you that it found new hardware, then I select those exact drivers). I downloaded the BIOS file from Promise too, but it's already on 1.0.0.33. Maybe I'll flash it again just in case something is corrupt.

maxtherabbit wrote on 2020-02-16, 15:41:

Seeing as how you're having all these goofy issues, I would realllllly recommend trying an install on a bog standard IDE drive using the motherboard's onboard controller, if applicable.

I just pulled the standard/mechanical HDD from the non-Dell. It's only 10GB but I can try it on one of the Dell's - it'll let me fit all the OS files easily at least (then I can still use onf of those SSD's as a secondary drive ONLY for the games – and since that'll have absolutely NOTHING to do with the OS that should be fine, right?)

derSammler wrote on 2020-02-16, 16:03:

No, it can't, since its BIOS will overwrite the IDE hard disk routines from the mainboard's BIOS and take over control. You can have IDE and SCSI working at the same time, but not two IDE controllers if both have their own BIOS.

One solution would be to simply connect the CD-ROM to the sound card.

Is this normal to have an IDE header on a sound card? I just checked my four (2x Turtle Beach Montego II's, ESS ES1869F, Audigy 2 ZS) and none have it (they just have the shorter less-pins Wavetable header). I always did wonder why my ESS drivers/software asked me about a CD-ROM so I guess some models have that feature.

So thank you all for the above - but I still can't figure out why the Promise card can't see anything plugged into the IDE header – especially the CD-ROM which I need to load Windows from.

This morning I tried a couple more things: I changed the jumper on the CD drive from Master to Cable Select. Unplugged the SATA SSD (just in case the Promise can only use either or - SATA or IDE), still got 'no device is found' AND a 'Resource Conflict - PCI' error:

So I moved the Promise card to another PCI slot and reset the MB's BIOS settings again just in case; and the PCI error went away. Then tried another known-working CD/DVD drive in case there was some incompatibility between that brand and the Promise card, and it still doesn't see the CD drive - tried a new ribbon cable as well - still doesn't recognize.

getting PCI IDE or SATA controllers to work properly in motherboards that have onboard controllers is always an exercise in frustration. I'd remove the card completely for testing purposes

BTW I love the CRT so much

maxtherabbit wrote on 2020-02-16, 18:08:

getting PCI IDE or SATA controllers to work properly in motherboards that have onboard controllers is always an exercise in frustration. I'd remove the card completely for testing purposes

BTW I love the CRT so much

at least if you use Cheapo Solutions.

i use 3Ware 9500 with 4 ports on PCI 32bit (its PCI64Controller) it works wonderful with OnBoard IDE together.
I also have BX440 Chipset.
Only disadvantage is its RAID only.
But you can register and run single disks on it too. And you should not enable the 128Mb Cache for writing!

maxtherabbit wrote on 2020-02-16, 18:08:

getting PCI IDE or SATA controllers to work properly in motherboards that have onboard controllers is always an exercise in frustration. I'd remove the card completely for testing purposes

BTW I love the CRT so much

Hey, I'm just being thorough in trying absolutely everything to get this computer running....like in triplicate. I'm formatting a 10gb mechanical drive now to get away from anything SATA or SSD... still don't understand why this wouldn't work though if it sees one SATA drive...

P.S. I'll trade you a CRT for a working decked-out retro gaming PC 🤣 - I will seriously switch to LCD to have a working 100% bug-free computer!

matze79 wrote on 2020-02-16, 18:14:

maxtherabbit wrote on 2020-02-16, 18:08:

getting PCI IDE or SATA controllers to work properly in motherboards that have onboard controllers is always an exercise in frustration. I'd remove the card completely for testing purposes

BTW I love the CRT so much

at least if you use Cheapo Solutions.

I thought the Promise controllers are the highest-end/best ones to get (especially since this one is the one which has Win98 compatability)? I was even told to buy this specific model. I take it that's not true and that could be one of the reasons why I'm having issues?

Dochartaigh wrote on 2020-02-16, 18:18:

I thought the Promise controllers are the highest-end/best ones to get (especially since this one is the one which has Win98 compatability)? I was even told to buy this specific model. I take it that's not true and that could be one of the reasons why I'm having issues?

Does the bios of this controller detect ATA CD-ROM drives?
Do you have a SATA CD rom or DVD just to test if it is detected?

UPDATE:
The bios seems to be weird. Can you enter the controller's bios with just the CD-ROM on the ATA cable? Any chance to manually select something?

CoffeeOne wrote on 2020-02-16, 18:36:

Does the bios of this controller detect ATA CD-ROM drives? Do you have a SATA CD rom or DVD just to test if it is detected? […]
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Does the bios of this controller detect ATA CD-ROM drives?
Do you have a SATA CD rom or DVD just to test if it is detected?

UPDATE:
The bios seems to be weird. Can you enter the controller's bios with just the CD-ROM on the ATA cable? Any chance to manually select something?

If you take a look at the manual it mentions in several places about CD-ROM's....so I assume it's meant to work with one... like it even says it comes with a CD-ROM of drivers so you have to be able to use one with the controller or how would you get the drivers?

It also says to hit F6 to enter the Promise BIOS setup program, but that's only listed on the Windows NT/2000/whatever (non-Win98) install directions so I haven't been able to get into that BIOS on my Win98 machine (and I've gone crazy hitting F6 on all different parts of the boot-up process).

There's no jumpers on the card or anything. The only think I'm not using is the 4-pin header for the LED light for HDD activity to light-up on the case. Otherwise just those two SATA plugs and the IDE plug.

I have literally 4 or 5 CD/DVD drives now, but they're all SATA. Have a newer 10x-minimum-burning external slimline-type USB I use on my modern Windows 10 hyperspin PC, but that's it (and maybe I could crack that case open and it would be a SATA drive inside...I don't know...but I need both those SATA headers on the card for the drives I want to run so need to use IDE for the optical drive).

Dochartaigh wrote on 2020-02-16, 19:02:

If you take a look at the manual it mentions in several places about CD-ROM's....so I assume it's meant to work with one... like […]
Show full quote

CoffeeOne wrote on 2020-02-16, 18:36:

Does the bios of this controller detect ATA CD-ROM drives? Do you have a SATA CD rom or DVD just to test if it is detected? […]
Show full quote

Does the bios of this controller detect ATA CD-ROM drives?
Do you have a SATA CD rom or DVD just to test if it is detected?

UPDATE:
The bios seems to be weird. Can you enter the controller's bios with just the CD-ROM on the ATA cable? Any chance to manually select something?

If you take a look at the manual it mentions in several places about CD-ROM's....so I assume it's meant to work with one... like it even says it comes with a CD-ROM of drivers so you have to be able to use one with the controller or how would you get the drivers?

It also says to hit F6 to enter the Promise BIOS setup program, but that's only listed on the Windows NT/2000/whatever (non-Win98) install directions so I haven't been able to get into that BIOS on my Win98 machine (and I've gone crazy hitting F6 on all different parts of the boot-up process).

There's no jumpers on the card or anything. The only think I'm not using is the 4-pin header for the LED light for HDD activity to light-up on the case. Otherwise just those two SATA plugs and the IDE plug.

I have literally 4 or 5 CD/DVD drives now, but they're all SATA. Have a newer 10x-minimum-burning external slimline-type USB I use on my modern Windows 10 hyperspin PC, but that's it (and maybe I could crack that case open and it would be a SATA drive inside...I don't know...but I need both those SATA headers on the card for the drives I want to run so need to use IDE for the optical drive).

Hit F6 has nothing to do with the controller's bios. It's an option in the OS installation of Windows XP or 2000.

I meant you could try a SATA DVD, just to try if it is detected by the BIOS (not for using permanetly)

As in your previous topics, you're getting into a mess by trying to do everything at once. Take it one step at a time, get one configuration working before adding a single extra component...

I'm not convinced by what Der Sammler said about the TX2Plus BIOS rendering the onboard IDE inoperable. I have a TX2Plus on an MSI MS-6168 board (also i440BX chipset) and can use the IDE on the motherboard for my DVD-player at the same time as using SATA on the TX2Plus for my SATA SSD. I just booted it up to double-check and it works fine. If I remember rightly the TX2Plus doesn't support ATAPI-drives (CD/DVD), which is why I need to hook it up this way.

Just to be sure:
- have you set the master/slave jumpers correctly for the drives you are using? A single drive on a channel should always be master.
- have you attached a mini-molex power connector to your CF-IDE adapter?

That 2GB CF card is a sensible start. Apparently it isn't being detected when connected to the TX2Plus. So let's remove the TX2Plus and disconnect all other drives (SSD and optical) first and see what happens when the CF is connected directly to the primary onboard IDE controller. If that works, we can see about getting it to work on the TX2Plus. If not, we know the TX2Plus isn't part of the problem.

dionb wrote on 2020-02-16, 19:16:

If I remember rightly the TX2Plus doesn't support ATAPI-drives (CD/DVD), which is why I need to hook it up this way.

ok, but this the answer to his current problem, then he can stop trying that.
So booting from a CD /DVD drive connected to this Promise SATA150 controller won't work.

You need to get into the Promise card's BIOS to set everything up.

Without configuring stuff in the card's BIOS it will never work.

Ctrl-F is the key combo to get into the card's BIOS. You must do this on the POST screen when it says it is loading the card's BIOS. They usually come up with a message that says the key combo to get into the card's BIOS.

Here is the quick start guide.
http://firstweb.promise.com/upload/Support/Ma … tart%20v1.2.pdf

cyclone3d wrote on 2020-02-16, 19:38:

You need to get into the Promise card's BIOS to set everything up. […]
Show full quote

You need to get into the Promise card's BIOS to set everything up.

Without configuring stuff in the card's BIOS it will never work.

Ctrl-F is the key combo to get into the card's BIOS. You must do this on the POST screen when it says it is loading the card's BIOS. They usually come up with a message that says the key combo to get into the card's BIOS.

Here is the quick start guide.
http://firstweb.promise.com/upload/Support/Ma … tart%20v1.2.pdf

Word of warning: almost all of that is about setting up RAID arrays. Don't do that here. I'm not so sure Ctrl-F is required, unless there is already a RAID array defined that needs clearing. Normally the card just detects whatever is connected and tells you during POST, then the system boots whatever it is told to (in BIOS you need to select "SCSI" for booting off the TX2Plus)

But again: I strongly recommend getting at least that CF card running on native IDE before messing around with an add-in controller.

dionb wrote on 2020-02-16, 19:51:

cyclone3d wrote on 2020-02-16, 19:38:

You need to get into the Promise card's BIOS to set everything up. […]
Show full quote

You need to get into the Promise card's BIOS to set everything up.

Without configuring stuff in the card's BIOS it will never work.

Ctrl-F is the key combo to get into the card's BIOS. You must do this on the POST screen when it says it is loading the card's BIOS. They usually come up with a message that says the key combo to get into the card's BIOS.

Here is the quick start guide.
http://firstweb.promise.com/upload/Support/Ma … tart%20v1.2.pdf

Word of warning: almost all of that is about setting up RAID arrays. Don't do that here. I'm not so sure Ctrl-F is required, unless there is already a RAID array defined that needs clearing. Normally the card just detects whatever is connected and tells you during POST, then the system boots whatever it is told to (in BIOS you need to select "SCSI" for booting off the TX2Plus)

But again: I strongly recommend getting at least that CF card running on native IDE before messing around with an add-in controller.

Almost 100% sure that you have to go into the RAID BIOS and set up the "array" even if only using a single drive. That's how all RAID cards, including the Promise cards I have used work.

dionb wrote on 2020-02-16, 19:16:

As in your previous topics, you're getting into a mess by trying to do everything at once. Take it one step at a time, get one configuration working before adding a single extra component...

Totally understand and appreciate the advice.

By installing windows a good 20+ times so far - that's been how I've been attempting to get ONE good configuration before adding anything else. The first step of course is to get a hard drive hooked up via whatever method (of which I've tried numerous drives and numerous different methods). Then just to test out a single game (the entire point of these builds) I need video, sound, and a type of removable media to get drivers and game files onto the computer - so that's a MINIMUM of 3x devices with 3x sets of drivers to even start to test things out (and that's the only way to see if things are working properly is to test these games out).

I'll also reiterate that (besides random cards these systems originally came with) we're talking about a super small number of devices I even own. On the video/graphics side I literally only have a GeForce4 and a Voodoo2 SLI setup. I only own a single ISA sound card (ESS ES1869F), and a single PCI sound card (Audigy 2 ZS). That's it. Trying to run them on two super similar Dell computers.

So the problem with following your totally sensible logic is issues don't arrive immediately after installing X, Y, or Z driver or device. Issues don't crop-up ONLY if I do it in a certain order: like if I run the Geforce4 with the ESS sound card, vs. the GeForce4 with the Audigy 2 ZS sound card. It's so very random it's not even funny (and a super wide range of funky problems I outlined in my other topic). Like an install can commonly be going perfect, then on the 2nd or 3rd night when I'm loading up game #43 and some weird issue(s) creeps up BEFORE I even install that game (without changing any hardware or drivers or anything). Could happen on game #3, or game #80 the next Windows install (or BEFORE I even install a single card or a single driver - like right after Windows boots up for the very first time!). There's no rhyme or reason I can pinpoint, thus no way to tell what, where, and when exactly things go wrong. This is why it's so frustrating.

So (taking a deep breath 🤣 😉 me attempting to use the Promise controller is actually me trying to SIMPLIFY my setup! We all know something isn't working properly, and numerous people are telling me it's because I'm using SSD's (and the SATA to IDE adapters needed to do that), so I thought if I remove those adapters (I've been using 2x StarTech's, that CF card reader you recommended from AliExpress, and the Neon SATA to IDE kolderman swore by in my first topic here) and instead go straight to SATA drives from a Win98SE-compatible SATA controller like the Promise you and many others have recommended, that might just take away one level of complexity here... but unfortunately it seems to have opened up another can of worms...

dionb wrote on 2020-02-16, 19:16:

I'm not convinced by what Der Sammler said about the TX2Plus BIOS rendering the onboard IDE inoperable. I have a TX2Plus on an M […]
Show full quote

I'm not convinced by what Der Sammler said about the TX2Plus BIOS rendering the onboard IDE inoperable. I have a TX2Plus on an MSI MS-6168 board (also i440BX chipset) and can use the IDE on the motherboard for my DVD-player at the same time as using SATA on the TX2Plus for my SATA SSD. I just booted it up to double-check and it works fine. If I remember rightly the TX2Plus doesn't support ATAPI-drives (CD/DVD), which is why I need to hook it up this way.

Just to be sure:
- have you set the master/slave jumpers correctly for the drives you are using? A single drive on a channel should always be master.
- have you attached a mini-molex power connector to your CF-IDE adapter?

That 2GB CF card is a sensible start. Apparently it isn't being detected when connected to the TX2Plus. So let's remove the TX2Plus and disconnect all other drives (SSD and optical) first and see what happens when the CF is connected directly to the primary onboard IDE controller. If that works, we can see about getting it to work on the TX2Plus. If not, we know the TX2Plus isn't part of the problem.

Thanks for the tip about ATAPI CD/DVD drives not working (I'm assuming my plain-jane IDE CD/DVD burner is ATAPI).

When I first installed the Promise card, the primary MB's IDE was unplugged. The secondary MB IDE cable was running to the CD drive, with the drive at the end of the cable, and the drive set to Master (this is how it's been ran for the past ~month or so). I tried it on CS as well. Also tried another drive. Also tried another ribbon cable. None would let me use the CD drive.

For the CF card (which was booting up into DOS 7.10 fine before), after the Promise card was installed I plugged the CF card (with that AliExpress adapter) straight into the MB's primary IDE slot. It was powered with mini-molex. It wouldn't boot and didn't show up in the BIOS as a drive. I also tried plugging the CF directly into the IDE header on the Promise card - both with a SATA SSD plugged in as well, and alone. The CF reader is set to master, and 5v via the jumpers (both defaults). --still wouldn't recognize the CF card (only recognized a SSD hooked up via SATA).

So now the problem is the Promise card seems to turn off the ability for me to use anything plugged into the MB's IDE connectors... including the CD drive I need to load any OS.

cyclone3d wrote on 2020-02-16, 19:38:

You need to get into the Promise card's BIOS to set everything up. […]
Show full quote

You need to get into the Promise card's BIOS to set everything up.

Without configuring stuff in the card's BIOS it will never work.

Ctrl-F is the key combo to get into the card's BIOS. You must do this on the POST screen when it says it is loading the card's BIOS. They usually come up with a message that says the key combo to get into the card's BIOS.

Here is the quick start guide.
http://firstweb.promise.com/upload/Support/Ma … tart%20v1.2.pdf

Thanks. Would you believe in the FULL manual there's not a single mention of that keyboard shortcut? Unbelievable. Is that quick start guide for my model though? That guide is for the "FastTrack S150", where mine is the "SATA150" (mine doesn't say FastTrack anywhere, and a quick search looks like there's multiple versions of the TX2plus?). My full manual says my "SATA150 TX2plus card supports up to two Serial ATA drives and up to two Parallel ATA drives". The FastTrack version says "FastTrak Serial ATA RAID card supports up to two Serial ATA hard drives and up to two Ultra ATA/133 drives"...

When I'm done installing this next Windows version I can test if CRTL+F works. What setting(s) should I be looking for? Hopefully self-evident...

dionb wrote on 2020-02-16, 19:51:

Word of warning: almost all of that is about setting up RAID arrays. Don't do that here. I'm not so sure Ctrl-F is required, unless there is already a RAID array defined that needs clearing. Normally the card just detects whatever is connected and tells you during POST, then the system boots whatever it is told to (in BIOS you need to select "SCSI" for booting off the TX2Plus)

But again: I strongly recommend getting at least that CF card running on native IDE before messing around with an add-in controller.

As mentioned above the CF card works just fine without the Promise card installed (as does any one of my SSD's with SATA to IDE adapters). Biggest problem is the Promise card seems to turn off the MB's ability to use anything off its IDE ports....and the IDE port on the Promise card itself won't work an ADAPI CD/DVD drive... so kinda a catch 22 at this point.

Dochartaigh wrote on 2020-02-16, 22:30:

dionb wrote on 2020-02-16, 19:16:

As in your previous topics, you're getting into a mess by trying to do everything at once. Take it one step at a time, get one configuration working before adding a single extra component...

[...]

So (taking a deep breath 🤣 😉 me attempting to use the Promise controller is actually me trying to SIMPLIFY my setup! We all know something isn't working properly, and numerous people are telling me it's because I'm using SSD's (and the SATA to IDE adapters needed to do that), so I thought if I remove those adapters (I've been using 2x StarTech's, that CF card reader you recommended from AliExpress, and the Neon SATA to IDE kolderman swore by in my first topic here) and instead go straight to SATA drives from a Win98SE-compatible SATA controller like the Promise you and many others have recommended, that might just take away one level of complexity here... but unfortunately it seems to have opened up another can of worms...

Indeed.

I'm also slightly sceptical about using all those big SSDs - it's the size more than the technology I'm concerned about. But they won't suddenly start playing up when you add a card. That's plain old Windows drivers borking stuff. With the Audigy vs Gf4, have you tried the Audigy in different PCI slots? Some share interrupts with AGP which can cause trouble. SoundBlaster PCI cards really don't like to share anything.

As for the Promise card - as a rule with Windows you need to do a reinstall whenever you change the I/O controller your OS disk is booting from. You can get away with not doing it, quite easily under Win9x, but it can leave all kinds of subtle mess behind which is anything but simple.

[...]

Thanks for the tip about ATAPI CD/DVD drives not working (I'm assuming my plain-jane IDE CD/DVD burner is ATAPI).

Any PATA optical drive is ATAPI, as are most other things that aren't HDDs that can be connected via PATA/IDE. I might be mistaken about SATA150 TX2Plus ATAPI support, but it rings a definite bell.

When I first installed the Promise card, the primary MB's IDE was unplugged. The secondary MB IDE cable was running to the CD drive, with the drive at the end of the cable, and the drive set to Master (this is how it's been ran for the past ~month or so). I tried it on CS as well. Also tried another drive. Also tried another ribbon cable. None would let me use the CD drive.

For the CF card (which was booting up into DOS 7.10 fine before), after the Promise card was installed I plugged the CF card (with that AliExpress adapter) straight into the MB's primary IDE slot. It was powered with mini-molex. It wouldn't boot and didn't show up in the BIOS as a drive. I also tried plugging the CF directly into the IDE header on the Promise card - both with a SATA SSD plugged in as well, and alone. The CF reader is set to master, and 5v via the jumpers (both defaults). --still wouldn't recognize the CF card (only recognized a SSD hooked up via SATA).

So now the problem is the Promise card seems to turn off the ability for me to use anything plugged into the MB's IDE connectors... including the CD drive I need to load any OS.

I'm a bit concerned about that resource conflict error message. What options do you have in the Dell BIOS to set resources? Maybe a few too many are set to Legacy/ISA...

Changing PCI slot might help here too.

[...]

As mentioned above the CF card works just fine without the Promise card installed (as does any one of my SSD's with SATA to IDE adapters). Biggest problem is the Promise card seems to turn off the MB's ability to use anything off its IDE ports....and the IDE port on the Promise card itself won't work an ADAPI CD/DVD drive... so kinda a catch 22 at this point.

I'm beginning to wonder about that card...

By the way, some of the confusion about things in the manual comes from the difference between 'regular' Promise SATA150-TX series and Promise FastTrack SATA150-TX. The latter are (firmware) RAID controllers, the former simple adapters without RAID functionality. I've been talking about the non-RAID, non-FastTrack version, cyclone3d is referring to the FastTrack RAID version. Who you should follow here depends on whether yours is FastTrack or not... as far as I can see yours is the same as mine - SATA150 non-FastTrack.

Hi, FAQ mentions ATAPI support, this is from "2_SATAII150-300_TX_Series_User_v1.5.pdf" downloaded directly from https://www.promise.com/support/downloadcenter :

Can I use ATAPI devices on the SATAII150 or SATA300 Controller card?

Yes. The SATAII150 and SATA300 Serial ATA Controller cards support Serial ATAPI devices.