Some help with first build.

[Antemblum]

I'm currently running a Soltek SL-K8AN2E-GR with a 120gb Samsung SATA harddrive and I don't think it's detecting it. When I boot up, everything seems to be fine, goes from one screen to the next one with at the top says "SATA II150 579 Bios Version 1.00.0.23" then lower it says "Detecting...."

After about 30 seconds or so, the screen then says "The BIOS does not find proper hardware configuration. Please check your system again." And if I leave it like that, it'll go to install Windows 2000 Pro (Don't have yet) When it asks to press F6, I do that, and then later install the sata drivers but Windows still doesn't detect a harddrive.

 

[Antemblum]

This might be an early bump, but I'm at dire's end and would like some help please.

 

[boomerang]

Well the Soltek site is evidently down at the moment, so I can't download the manual for your board. At Newegg, I can see that the board has two controllers for SATA.

I can't pick out the SATA connectors in the middle of all that purple. You're going to have to crack open that manual and determine which connectors are which. Me, I would go with the nFORCE set instead of the Promise set. It sounds as if you have the drive connected to the Promise controller.

Make sure you have the correct drivers on floppy for the controller you have your HD connected to.

 

[Antemblum]

Yea, I think I have it hooked up to the Promise set, but if I hook it up to the nForce, the boot screen will say "Detecting IDE drives..." for about 5 to 10 minutes then says "Detecting array..." Then I let it stay there, it'll then try to install Windows 2000 Pro, and I would try to press F6 which doesn't work.

 

[boomerang]

The delay in regards to detecting IDE drives is because your CD Drive is not jumpered correctly, or the cable is installed incorrectly or both.

I have found your manual. Make sure you are not connected to IDE 3 as this is to be used with the Promise controller in a RAID array.

Resolve this issue first. Post back when you are set.

 

[boomerang]

I'm going to be out for a number of hours. Your board is very full-featured. The BIOS settings are quite complex. If this is a popular board, I would post in the Motherboards Forum. Perhaps someone has the same board.

When I return I will do some studying in the manual and see if I can help more. I am unsure at this point if you need to enter the BIOS for your RAID controller (whichever you choose) and set up a single drive array, or if there is just a BIOS setting that will enable the SATA for your single drive.

I should say that your SATA drive will not be recognized until everything is configured properly. No sense trying to install Windows until that is accomplished.

 

[Antemblum]

Everything seems to be installed correctly with the CD Drive I think. I have it connected to IDE2 and set it to master.

 

[boomerang]

I'm sorry, I was in a hurry and did not comprehend your posts properly. If you can even get to the F6 prompt, your CD Drive is, of course working.

Try this. Reset your CMOS using the jumper provided. Then Load Optimized Defaults and reboot. See if that makes any change. If not, at boot press F10 to enter the RAID BIOS if you have the drive connected to the nFORCE chipset, or Ctrl-F if you have it connected to the Promise chipset. See if the drive is detected there. You've tried different SATA cables so if the drive is not detected in either of those, it is bad.

There is no such thing as "activating drives". That procedure he describes is just plain bizarre. The Windows install will format the drive for you. Leave jumpers as they are. You do not need jumpers on a SATA drive. Your HD LED may not be coming on because the connector needs to be reversed on the motherboard.