I just put together my first computer

[DyslexicHobo]

Ok, so I just bought all the parts for my first computer that I'm gonna build myself.

I got:
ASUS A8V Deluxe mobo with K8T800 chipset
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
160 gb Samsung SATA HD
30 GB Western Digital IDE HD (from my old comp)
Radeon X800 Pro (but I'm trying to get it set up with my PCI version of a Radeon 9200, because my X800 hasn't been delivered yet)
512 sticks of Mushkin PC3200 RAM (x2)
A random CD-RW drive from my old dell
A DVD-RW drive, I forget the name of it
Antec Sonata case with a 350 watt TruePower PSU
Integraded audio
Windows XP Pro Service Pack 1

The problem(s) I'm having, is that when I start up the computer, it recognizes the Samsung SATA HD, but when I try to install Windows XP on it, it doesn't detect that drive.

I've done a little research, and found that I needed the SATA drivers in order to install Windows on it. I got the drivers from the motherboard CD, and put them on a floppy disk like the FAQ said on the ASUS site. I press F6 when it starts loading up the Windows installation, and press "S" to specify the device. I insert the floppy disk and press enter to continue. It loads for about 20 seconds, then says "Please insert the disk labeled Manufacterer supplied support disk into Drive A:".

PLEASE HELP! This is my first computer that I've put together myself, so any tips would probably help, even if they do seem to be a given.
Thanks for any input.

 

[NichowA]

Does it ever give you a chance to choose which drivers to load?
Your disk may be bad. Try making another driver disk on a new floppy.

Is it actually READING the disk? (can you hear it and is the LED coming on) It's possible that you do not have the floppy drive connected properly. The side of the cable that has a twist in it goes into the floppy drive itself, and the cable should then go into the motherboard without twisting it. I had a friend connect his floppy cable the opposite way, and it didn't work. Another thing, if the floppy LED comes on as soon as you turn on the computer and never turns off, it's a pretty sure sign that you don't have it conected properly.
You could also have a bad floppy drive. Try another that you have lying around, or, if the one you are using is old, buy a new one (they can be purchased for about $10 shipped from Newegg).

Another thing you can do is install XP on your IDE drive, load SATA drivers from the CD, install XP to the SATA drive, and uninstall it from the IDE drive.

 

[DyslexicHobo]

Well, my floppy drive isn't working right... The LED stays on for the entire time, and it DOESN'T read the disk. >.<

And about having it on the wrong way... It looks to me like both ends of my floppy cable are exactly the same.

I tried two floppy drives, but there is a fair chance that both of them are defective. One has half a broken pin, and the other is more than 8 years old.


And about installing XP on my IDE drive... I'd do that, but I have WinXP Home on that drive, and a WinXP Pro CD. I have a full 30 gigs that I'd need to copy over to CDs, which would take more than 30 hours.

 

[Fern]

"And about having it on the wrong way... It looks to me like both ends of my floppy cable are exactly the same."

All floppy cables I have seen have a "braid" on the end that goes into the floppy. Double your floppy cable again.

 

[wraith3k]

If the floppy drive light stays on that means the ends of the cable need to be reversed, even if both ends look identical.

 

[Bleep]

Both ends are NOT identical. The end that has the twist in the cable goes to the floppy drive and almost all drives are wired so that the red stripe on the cable goes toward the power lead on the floppy.
Bleep

 

[VirtualLarry]

They did make floppy cables, way back when, that didn't have the "twist" in the drive-id wires. I haven't seen them in ages, myself, although I still have a couple, but if the OP's floppy-drive is itself 8 years old, it's possible that the cable is one of those older non-twisted types.

If that's true, then you need to look for jumpers on the floppy drive itself, again, on newer drives they tend to be non-existant or inaccessable by the user without taking the cover off, but on older drives, there are some "drive select" jumpers, usually labeled "DS0", "DS1", "DS2", and generally the signal dedicated to "DS3" is used for other purposes. The "A:" floppy drive should be jumpered to "DS0" for a straight-through floppy cable, and the "B:" should be jumpered to "DS1".

Normally, on modern floppy drives, they are jumpered for "DS1" at the factory, and the drive that gets plugged into the cable before the "twist", is seen as "DS1" ("B:"), and the one plugged into the end after the "twist", is seen as "DS0" ("A:"). Basically, the "twist" reverses the drive-select signals.

However, worst case, using a floppy drive factory-jumpered to "DS1", plugged into a straight-through cable, should still show up as "B:" present in BIOS, and not "A:". Most BIOSes have a "swap floppy A: B:" setting too, to correct that.

OP, are you sure that your BIOS settings are properly configured, for which drive number, and what type of drive is connected?

Although, if the floppy light stays on all the time, either the cable is reversed, or the floppy/cable/floppy-controller is defective, generally in that order. I've got a stack of old floppy drives that only marginally read anything, but they don't have the problem of the LED staying on all the time. That's a definately problem-indicator.

 

[DyslexicHobo]

Oh man I'm really stupid. I see the twist now. I was looking for more than just that small section twisting.

Well the floppy drive is plugged into the twisted end, but the LED still stays on the entire time, and it doesn't spin. :/

 

[Fern]

Most BIOSes have a "swap floppy A: B:" setting too, to correct that.

D@MN! Finally, everytime I'm in the BIOS I look at that option and think WTF?

Thanks, now I know

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: DyslexicHobo
Oh man I'm really stupid. I see the twist now. I was looking for more than just that small section twisting.

Well the floppy drive is plugged into the twisted end, but the LED still stays on the entire time, and it doesn't spin. :/

Do what VLarry says. Look for a jumper on that old pup. Try the middle connector on the cable. Try the bios "swap floppy A:B". Or just borrow somebody elses floppy + cable.

 

[OneClone]

if your problem is your optical drives not being able to read or install windows from the CD. Then either check the jumpers or install from a regualr CDROM.. not a cd wrighter or a DVD rom. A standard cd rom werks best.

i hope this helps.

/CLONE