Setting up new PC, 1st Hurdle - can u help plz

Snowball

Just bought a new PC and I just got everything started but when I boot up it tells me that no device found. If I try to install XP it says it cannot find HD. Mother board cannot see HD also. But if I hit the RIAD (F4) it can see it.

Its a SATA HD (my first time with this tech) and I am not sure if I need to do something with RIAD before I can install XP

Any ideas? or answers

ShiverinEskimo

Do you have access to an XP install CD which is integrated with Service Pack 2?
If you do, boot off this for installation, if not you'll need a floppy drive connected and the sata drivers on a floppy (should have come with your mobo).

Thems the only two options from my experience.

Snowball

its XP SP2

and I have no floppy. Is there anything I need to do in setup before I install XP (i mean while Xp setup is loading) for the SATA drives??

ShiverinEskimo

nope. i did a sys build only 3 weeks ago and it went straight on without probs - i had a floppy drive installed but didn't have to use it - doubt that makes a difference buts its the only difference between our systems i can identify..

A shot in the dark: Check to see about limiting the data rate to 1.5Gb/s - some mobos will only work if the sata negotiation is run with the hdd limited to 1.5Gb/s and not 3 like most new SATA hdds, specifically if the hdd is sata 2.

Snowball

I tried to hit F6 to install 3rd party SCIS or RAID drivers (just incase) and I cant even get in. although I can get into the F2 Automated Recovery

My system just wont recognise my HD. Its a 250 Western Digital SATA drive
I have a Asus A8N-SLI Permium Motherboard

Anyone have any ideas??

ShiverinEskimo

Are you actually installing RAID?

If you only have one sata hdd then your doing neither so should be able to skip that bit.

I checked your mobo and its compatible with 3Gb/s so thats not an issue.

Its worrying though that your mobo won't even pick it up on booting - i assume there's no sign of it in the BIOS?

Try plugging the data cable into a different socket on the mobo and also double check the power going to the hdd - perhaps its not getting a chance to come on...

Snowball

no teh bois doe snot see it but when I go into the RAID setup it sees it.
and I'm not setting up RAID just cause its the only thing that will recognise my HD I am stumped

ShiverinEskimo

Check your mobo manual for jumpers that may be set to have the mobo assume raid is active. Perhaps its looking for an array and hence finds nothing until the install searches for RAID devices. Have to say tho..at this stage i'm guessing.

KdjaCL

Get any size IDE drive install XP on it then add in the new drive, run the utils to installl new drive that came with HD.

Copy over install from IDE to Sata and thats it. Not having a floppy makes this the easiest way. Also keep the IDe for future windows fun. Your mobo should be set to boot from IDE then when switched boot from PCI Raid card or whatever the bios calls it.




kdjac

Cuddlesworth

Is your hard drive hooked up to the psu. Does it have power?

Snowball

KdjaC wrote:

Get any size IDE drive install XP on it then add in the new drive, run the utils to installl new drive that came with HD.

Copy over install from IDE to Sata and thats it. Not having a floppy makes this the easiest way. Also keep the IDe for future windows fun. Your mobo should be set to boot from IDE then when switched boot from PCI Raid card or whatever the bios calls it.

Dont have a space IDE drive. All mine are full of into and there is not enough room to move stuff around to free one. The curse of the 250 drives

krazy_8s wrote:

Is your hard drive hooked up to the psu. Does it have power?

if it does not I'm worried. Cause when I go into RAID setup it sees the drive.
I'll double check but yea, as far as I can tell it does. I mean the power plug is going in

KdjaCL

Snowball wrote:

Dont have a space IDE drive. All mine are full of into and there is not enough room to move stuff around to free one. The curse of the 250 drives

You only need 3gb of space to install windows. Then copy it, it to new HD once installed. Try obtain any kind from the FS hardware. Without a Floppy its difficult to install the raid driver. Pain in the ass tbh.

You could slipstream the raid driver into the XP cd by following this http://www.maximumpc.com/2005/01/how_to_slipstre.html never tried but without the extra IDE drive its worth a shot.


kdjac

ShiverinEskimo

Why did I avoid all this I wonder - I just ploughed on with the install as normal and it install on my SATA drive. I have a floppy drive, but never used it...

DemonOfTheFall

It sounds like he has some kind of option like "IDE RAID Bootrom" or something not enabled. You want to turn off everything got to do with RAID, and just let ur BIOS treat the drive like a normal one. If youre not using RAID disable everything got to do with it in the bios.

To use a SATA drive an XP machine without RAID shouldnt really create any extra hassle, except on the odd motherboard.

KdjaCL

DemonOfTheFall wrote:

To use a SATA drive an XP machine without RAID shouldnt really create any extra hassle, except on the odd motherboard.

You need to plug it into the Sata connectors which are controlled by the inbuilt raid card, turning off the Raid will disable the sata drives.


kdjac

DemonOfTheFall

Yeah, but you're not actually using the drives in a RAID array. I have everything except "RAID Bootrom" disabled in my bios.

ressem

Looking at the manual there's 8 SATA ports on the board. 4 Raid, 4 non Raid.

Best bet is to plug the SATA cable into the bottom-left SATA port (as pictured in http://uk.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=15&l3=148&model=539&modelmenu=1
black one nearest the corner. SATA1 in the manual)

According to the manual wrt the red RAID connectors.
"By default, the RAID function of these connectors are enabled. Disable the Silicon SATA controller item in the BIOS, if you are not configuring a set with these connectors"