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812
April 21st, 2023 17:00
Precision 5820 Fixed Workstation Drive Carrier Status Lights Not Functioning
I purchased a used Precision 5820 workstation with an Intel Xeon processor that didn't have an operating system. I installed two SSDs and one HDD into three of the four drive carriers located on the front of the computer, and installed Windows 11 Pro on one of the SSDs. I also installed, what I believe to be, all applicable drivers for this computer using the 'Drivers and Downloads' page on the Dell Support website. After the aforementioned setup, I noticed that the status lights on the drive carriers were not lit. After doing some research to try to solve the problem myself, I learned that the issue might be that I don't have a RAID driver installed. If this is in fact the case, I am not sure which driver I would need. I would greatly appreciate any help with this matter from the Dell Community. Thank you.
MrPeraltoid
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April 23rd, 2023 11:00
I would like to correct part of my previous statement in which I mentioned that there would be software to handle the drive carrier lights. I was incorrect in this statement, and I have come across new information that answers my original question. Upon a closer inspection of the drive carriers, there does not seem to be any light source for the indicators in the enclosure to which the carriers are inserted. After looking in the owner's manual for the Precision 5820 I have concluded that there is a specific 'back plane' to which the drives are inserted that has a light source. Upon further research, I have also concluded that this back plane is on Precision rack workstations and not on the desktop versions (I have a desktop). Looking on Dell's main site at some of their rack-mount workstations, 7920 for example, there are images with the drive carrier lights illuminated whereas on the pages for the Precision 5820 and 7920 desktops there are no images with the any of the drive carrier indicators lit. These images validate my suspicion that these carrier indicators are only functional on some models. The small drive status light under the power button functions just fine, and always has, thankfully. I simply did not fully understand the functionality of my machine. I do intend to utilize the RAID function on my Precision now that I know I have the driver to do so. Thank you to Chino de Oro and Mazzinia for your help!
Chino de Oro
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7.6K Posts
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April 21st, 2023 17:00
If your machine is working properly and all drives are recognized, I wouldn't worry too much about the status light. Incorrect driver installed can cause BSOD and boot error.
To verify if all proper storage drivers are installed, check under storage controller in Device Manager.
mazzinia_
4 Operator
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April 22nd, 2023 06:00
It's by design. If you activate Raid in the bios , then windows would install adding that feature. Otherwise the carriers are passive and as design, the small light under the power button does its job.
Unless you actually want to use raid, and reinstall (because I suspect you may have to), as Chino said, don't worry and such. It's working as designed.
On a side note, IF bay 0/1 are converted to nvme / u.2 usage, those 2 carriers status would operate independently
MrPeraltoid
3 Posts
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April 23rd, 2023 09:00
Chino de Oro,
Upon checking the storage controllers category in the device manager, I discovered that there are two drivers installed. One is called the 'Microsoft Storage Spaces Controller', and the other is called the 'Intel Chipset SATA RAID Controller'. So, as it turns out, the RAID driver was already installed. There must be some other software that handles the drive carrier lights that is not available to the public. That said, there does not seem to be much that I can do about these lights. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.
mail9010
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13 Posts
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May 23rd, 2023 10:00
I made PCBs to make Carrier Status Lights work, replacing the original SATA cable.
I referenced the size of NVMe back panel to make it. It compatible with dell 6pins HDD power plug, and works well with SATA HDDs.
I got the busy(ACT) signal from pin5 from the SATA power plug, it works on the vast majority of HDDs. My HDDs are ST1000DM003.
That's what i referenced: