[Josh Colvert]

Lacie eSata 2 port PCI Express Card with Snow Leopard and the 4Big Quadra – WORKING

Kernel Panics, PCI card doesn’t show up in the System Profiler, Crazy conflicts with digi design drivers, you name it, it happened. For months, no one had the answer, Lacie, digidesign, apple, friends and family.. no clue.

But today, a light at the end of this particularly irritating tunnel. No promises that this any of this will be the same for you, but here’s how the problem was corrected for me.

Step 1: Install the right drivers SiI 3132 1.2.3.0
https://www.siliconimage.com/support/searchresults.aspx?pid=32&cat=3&os=3
I Know that these drivers say (non-RAID) but its ok if you are using a RAID system with RAID hardware like the 4Big.

Step Two: Search for the PCI card in the System Profiler, NOT THERE?

This next part sounds crazy, but this is how I got this configuration to work on two separate machines. Ready?

Step Three: Pull the PCI card out of it’s current slot and replace it in a different slot.

I don’t know why this worked but it did. By the way, the two machines were both MAC Pros, one a Dual Core and one an Eight Core. When using other drivers suggested by Lacie, Neither machine worked properly. The Dual Core Recognized the Card and Mounted the RAID, no problem, but I was then unable to run any digidesign hardware or software. Boooo. Then on the eight core, complete system failure; a persistent kernel panic that I had to fix by booting in safe mode and removing the Sil3132 drivers from the extensions folder (system/Library/Extensions).

As of right now both machines are running fine. I can now run Pro Tools 8 on OSX 10.6.3 and use the 4Big Quadra with my Lacie 2 Port PCI Express Card. Sounds simple but I assure you it was not.