Problems with sata HD

eltrex06

Junior Member
Nov 14, 2004
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ok i jsut got a 80gb maxtor 9+ sata HD. Now this is a new computer so i was trying to install windows and i came across the problem that the computer couldnt find a Hard disk drive. I tried everythign under the sun to see if it was a mechinal problem (Power, cable, Sata/standard power cable, both sata 1&2 MB ports) and nothing changes it.

i tried going to f6 to load drivers for the sata... and that seemed to work fine but in the end the comp still couldnt find my hd. I have no clue what to do.. could anyone help me.


Also reading other threads i found somehting that might have helped me. In the advanced bios screen there is an area called bootable add-in device. Under there, there are 2 options: Pci slot device and onchip sata raid. Would this be of any help or am i just hoping to much.

thanks for any help you guys can offter
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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Welcome to the Forums :) You're using a SATA controller that's built onto your motherboard, right? Assuming that's correct, what motherboard is it?
 

eltrex06

Junior Member
Nov 14, 2004
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its the abit AV8 MB (see link below).... and yes i do believe the controler is build on because i dont have a seperate card or anything for it.

>Click for MB<
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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I will start downloading the manual for that board to help me get ideas. I see that this board has just two SATA fittings and they're run by the VIA southbridge. There may be some settings needed in the motherboard's BIOS and the SATA controller's separate mini-BIOS to get them to do what you want. The manual ought to help with that and it's about halfway downloaded (yay 56k dial-up :(). Back in a few...
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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It's here, and I see what you mentioned for selecting the Onchip SATA Boot ROM in the Hard Disk Boot Priority. That looks to be one of the necessary settings to make.

Also, if you look on page 3-18 of the manual, they're in Integrated Peripherals > OnChip IDE Device and they've got SATA RAID ROM, and you'd want that enabled too, but it looks like it's enabled by default. You can check on that, though.

What I'm not seeing in this manual, unfortunately, is any info about the completely separate BIOS that belongs to the VIA SATA controller itself. :( When the system is getting going, do you see a text screen where the VIA controller is recognizing the hard drive and it has a prompt to press a key (or pair of keys) to get into it? The key it's looking for might be the Tab key, if it's like the equivalent Asus boards. Anyway, that's the door into the VIA SATA controller's BIOS, where you may need to tell the controller "here, use this single drive and pretend it's a RAID1 array." (edit: or maybe RAID Span For Capacity, I see that as an option on a similar Asus board's manual)

Once the controller itself knows what to do with the drive (treat it as a one-disk pseudo-array), then if you do the F6 driver floppy stuff, the controller should have something to show to Windows Setup and you can proceed normally from there.

I hope you can wing it where needed, since Abit forgot to put this info in the manual for some reason :eek: Good luck and roll with the punches :D
 

eltrex06

Junior Member
Nov 14, 2004
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I enabled both onchip SATA Raid. Then I followed your instructions and hit the tab key and got into the SATA RAID BIOS, but it's not allowing me to move or select new items, it's a screen but i can't access anything
 

nazardelrosario

Junior Member
Oct 22, 2004
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Yes I had the same problem when I built my computer, it would not detect my sata hard drive at all. But for some reason when I installed a floppy disk drive it installed fine. I have no clue as how and why it worked either, I think I just got lucky. But the weird thing was windows did install when I attached a floppy disk drive. The funny story is the windows installation did not detect my harddrive but it was being detected in bios. So I thought hey maybe I need to install my sata harddrives through a floppy disk. But then something even funnier, I realized I didnt have a sata floppy disk. I proceeded to install, and it worked... weird...
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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Originally posted by: eltrex06
I enabled both onchip SATA Raid. Then I followed your instructions and hit the tab key and got into the SATA RAID BIOS, but it's not allowing me to move or select new items, it's a screen but i can't access anything
Does the SATA controller seem to recognize the drive? I'm borrowing a picture from an Asus manual here: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/m...A_RAID_SEES_DRIVES.gif They X'ed out the names of the particular drives there, but you'd want it to be showing your Maxtor. If it isn't, then there's an issue somewhere.

 

eltrex06

Junior Member
Nov 14, 2004
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yes in the sata bios it says master maxtor bla bla bla my harddrive is there. but at the top where it says create array and everything like that is that dark grey color(the grey that create/delete spare is in that picture). it wont allow me to use teh arrow keys to scroll through it. Not to mention i cant use anyhting else except exit. f1 wont work and enter wont work as well


also i was looking at the post record and there seems to be a couple controllers installed (in my despriateness i installed several controlers.. seeing if possible one of the controls was faulty and didnt want to work) is this going to make a problem?
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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I think that's ok with the several controllers listed.

Possible solutions at this point:
  • Get a cheap PCI-slot SATA non-RAID controller and use that
  • or get a PATA drive, it's not like SATA is inherently better anyway
  • or get a second matching SATA drive and set them up as a RAID1 array, since the VIA controller wants to play that way
  • or one more... get an nForce3- or nForce4-based board where this doesn't happen, not if you use the "native" SATA plugs anyway
You know, computers are just a passing fad... :D *gets out trusty HP 48S calculator*
 

eltrex06

Junior Member
Nov 14, 2004
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i could do one... but once i plug it into the controller card would i have to do any more stuff or would it auto recogonize

but heres an option that could maybe work?!? i have a very small like 12 gig HD could i set that up and everyhting then follow the book and install the second HD (my sata one) from the drivers screen on windows... saw something aobut that in my MB manuel. Would that work any better? (appendix E in my book is install via serial ata raid driver)
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
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If you did the PCI SATA card then you'd go to that Hard Disk Boot Priority item and set it to boot from "add-in card." Then you ought to be able to do the F6 thing during Windows Setup and carry on.

The 12GB drive, you could use it as a boot drive and then probably install the VIA SATA driver and access your Maxtor SATA drive. I believe you'd have to go into Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Administrative Tools > Computer Management and then go down the Computer Management console to Disk Management, right-click the bar representing the SATA drive's capacity, and make partitions and format them.

I forgot to mention it, but I think you'd be disappointed with how lethargic your system would feel with an old 12GB hard drive as the system drive :(

Another idea is to get an email in with Abit's technical support. Maybe there's a trick to the VIA SATA controller that I haven't heard of yet :confused: If you find a way, I'd like to learn it too :)
 

eltrex06

Junior Member
Nov 14, 2004
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i think im going to try the e-mail first before i butcher my computer :) i appreashate the help and when i finally find out how to fix it ill post it here for ya
 

eltrex06

Junior Member
Nov 14, 2004
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bacicly my brother installed a diffrent driver.. a non raid one (dont ask me how or what he did) but he installed that controller and bingo it worked like a charm