Problem with Maxtor Atlas IV drives

I have / had a RAID-10 "HostRAID" array built from 4 x Maxtor Atlas IV 10k
36GB U320 drives, using the onboard AIC-7901W controller on my Gigabyte
GA-8KNXP Ultra motherboard. The board has now died on me (separate sad
story). It is time for a M/b and CPU upgrade anyway, and as onboard SCSI
seems to have pretty much disappeared I got an Adaptec 2120S RAID
controller.

The plan is to recover the existing HostRAID array, and then subsequently
redeploy the disks as a RAID-5 - since I have paid for a "proper" RAID
controller I might as well use it. Pending arrival of new M/b etc. I am
using an old Asus Pentium 2 board with built in AIC-7890 Ultra2 SCSI
controller, as well as the new 2120S. To be on the safe side when I
connected the disks to the 2120S for the first time I set the write-protect
jumpers on the disks - I wanted to see if the controller could recognise the
existing array with out any risk that it could change it.

The problem I now have is that with 3 out of the 4 disk, when I start up
they emit a "buzz-click" sound continuously approx. once per second and fail
to be recognised by the SCSI controller. The same thing (pretty much)
happens whether they are connected to the 2120S or the onboard U2-SCSI
controller. Both controllers recognise *one* of the disks (SCSI ID3, also
the one nearest the terminated end of the cable - if that makes any
difference). The other disks are IDs 4, 5 and 6. The controller gets as
far as recognising the SCSI ID of the next disk (after ID3) but then gets no
further while the disk(s) click away. I get the same thing (noise-wise)
even if the disks are simply powered up but disconnected from the SCSI
cable. The "Busy" LED is lit almost continuously while the clicking noise
goes on.

I am using U320-rated cables (have tried several). Have tried different
power connectors, but PSU is an Enermax 550W and never had any problem with
these disks or any other components before. I have tried setting the
stagger-spin jumper (in case the load of all 4 disks *was* too much for the
PSU) and also delay-spin, but makes no difference. All that happens is that
with delay-spin set the clicking doesn't start until the controller starts
to scan for SCSI devices. It seems as if the disks are not even getting
past the most basic stage of starting up, regardless of what the SCSI
controller can see on them.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be, and how I can get the
disks to start up? I don't see how setting the write-protect jumper could
physically damage the disk, even if it might have prevented the array being
recognised. The disks have been carefully handled at all times, and it is
too much of a coincidence for 3 to go bad all at the same time. Even if I
can't get back the RAID-10 I want to be able to re-use the disks, which I
can't do if no controller can recognise them.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Andrew


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