Windows wont recognize SATA drive...

[fatlaxg30]

I have an Epox 8KDA3J rev 1.x w/ a seagate 7200.7 drive I have flashed the latest BIOS

I thought I didnt have to use any floppies if I only wanted just the drive and not RAID?

Someone please help, I am sick of using my old 80GB IDE drive
Thanks

 

[BFG10K]

If you're using 32 bit Windows XP without any service packs you need drivers first.

 

[deathwalker]

BFG10K...are you infering that you can install a SATA drive using a XP SP2 installation disk without installing the appropriate drivers provided by the motherboard Mfg.?

 

[BFG10K]

Yes and I think it even works with SP1.

 

[xtknight]

Depends if SP2 bundles your particular driver.

As for just the drive and not RAID, you still need drivers if you're using the RAID controller via JBOD ("just a bunch of disks"/normal operation mode). If you're using the nForce3 controller, I'm not sure if you need floppies or not. I know the nForce4 emulates PATA so it doesn't need drivers, but I'm not sure about the nForce3.

 

[deathwalker]

Does this hold true for VIA drivers for the 8237 bridge?

 

[vikingblade]

Im concerned about the same thing. first time build with a new SATA drive, win xp home sp1. If I need to install drivers for the SATA before win xp, how is this done?? and where do i get correct drivers..floppy disk with motherboard or with drive??

oh yeah...nforce 4 939 epox ultra board

 

[Nocturnal]

Use a floppy disk. You can download the drivers from your mobo manufacture's website. Otherwise you can slipstream the drivers onto a new Windows installation CD.

 

[vikingblade]

ok...so, before i build my new computer, i should go to the new motherboard makers website and download the newest motherboard drivers and save to a floppy.

then after i build the computer, before installing win xp, i should put in the floppy and boot from floppy?? this will install the needed sata drivers? i shouldnt use the drivers provided with the motherboard?

then i should just install win xp, and it will automatically detect the sata drive and install windows??

please correct if im wrong. thanks

 

[Mday]

Originally posted by: vikingblade
ok...so, before i build my new computer, i should go to the new motherboard makers website and download the newest motherboard drivers and save to a floppy.

then after i build the computer, before installing win xp, i should put in the floppy and boot from floppy?? this will install the needed sata drivers? i shouldnt use the drivers provided with the motherboard?

then i should just install win xp, and it will automatically detect the sata drive and install windows??

please correct if im wrong. thanks

you're wrong.

--

you need the floppy because the winxp cd does not contain the LATEST storage drivers for new storage controllers. this was true for all sata and some pata controllers before sp1. For Sp1, it supported some new controllers, but obviously if the controller came out after SP1, it would not be supported or represented on the CD. This has nothing to do with sata, pata or scsi or fibrechannel.

This has nothing to do with RAID. RAID is just an arrangement or configuration of disks.

the windows XP (and 2k) install process has a "press F6 for 3rd party scsi controller" option that will allow you to USE a floppy to supply the install process with the drivers for the new controller. you would just boot from the XP CD, and install as you would normally, but when it prompts you to press F6, do so. and insert the floppy.

you cannot boot from a floppy and install xp, unless you do some fancy crap that wastes your time, especially since the winxp install cd is already bootable. And winxp is not installable from a traditional DOS environment

motherboards come with CDs with the drivers already on them. the manual tells you what you need to do with you install windows on that motherboard. I suggest reading the manual.

 

[BFG10K]

Depends if SP2 bundles your particular driver.

A standard SATA driver should work with any SATA controller of the same type, just like PATA before it. All Windows needs is one standard driver.

 

[ribbon13]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

Depends if SP2 bundles your particular driver.

A standard SATA driver should work with any SATA controller of the same type, just like PATA before it. All Windows needs is one standard driver.

That totally depends on if the SATA controller is AHCI or not.

 

[BFG10K]

To add to the above, my Windows XP CD with no service packs installed just fine on my nForce 4 Ultra motherboard on PATA, a motherboard that came out years after my Windows CD.

 

[BFG10K]

That totally depends on if the SATA controller is AHCI or not.

The main issue here was that SATA didn't even exist when XP came out which is why you need drivers. After SP1 you shouldn't have too many problems unless perhaps its the newer SATA2, which may need SP2 to get the standard drivers for it.

 

[fatlaxg30]

haha thanks guys, my power cable had come unplugged but i appreciate all the answers

 

[teddyv]

To clear something up - I just built a rig with the Epox 9NPA+, a WD 200-gig SATA drive, and XP-SP2 (was actually my first build.) It all went together without the need to load RAID drivers, hit F6, etc. - the comp and XP recognized the drive immediately and set it to Boot. BTW, here is the invaluable guide I used and an overview of how I translated it for my build...

1. Assemble case, mobo, vid card & memory and fire it up to see if it posts. When you get to the post screen hit <DEL> to get to the Bios. Select "Load Fail-Safe Defaults" then save and exit, it will go to PCHealth screen then give you "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER" because of course you have no drives hooked up yet.
2. Turn it off and add your Sata Hard Drive (save any other hard drives for later) and your opticals & floppy. Reboot and go into Bios - look under "Standard CMOS Features" and you should see your SATA drive and your opticals & floppy. While you are in there tweaking your Bios, make sure you enable nVidia Lan if you plan on using the on-board nic (s/a with a cable modem) - that was the only issue I had with the build and it took me a whole afternoon to figure it out.
3. I downloaded and used the latest nVidia nForce4 drivers (6.7 I think?) and the most recent Catalyst package for my ATI x800 card (many recommended just downloading the driver and regular control panel and NOT the Catalyst panel, and that is what I did.) I then used the Epox disk to install the Realtek and AMD drivers. No matter if you use your Epox Disk or nVidia's mobo driver package say "NO" when asked if you want to install the nVidia IDE drivers. The Epox disk had version 5.3x of the nVidia package so I guess there was a good jump there, the Realtek drivers were the same as on the Realtek site.

It has been working flawlessly for over a week now and is unbelievably faster than my old Dell 8100.

 

[vikingblade]

thnx...great info mday and teddyv.

when i get to the point where i press F6 for 3rd party scsi controller.. and insert floppy to provide drivers....WHERE DO I GET THE UPDATED DRIVERS FOR THE SATA? motherboard website? is it an .exe etc...?

any other particular procedures to set up sata... win xp should just detect the sata drive after that?

 

[BFG10K]

The drivers will be at your motherboard manufacturers website, just look for the ones that are small enough to fit on a floppy disk.

 

[teddyv]

If you are not doing raid or scsi then skip the F6 step - XP-SP2 and the 9NPA+ will recognize a SATA without the need to load any drivers.

 

[vikingblade]

yeah...too bad i only have the original win xp home. im so pissed. microsoft should really offer a cd upgrade with the sp2. id be willing to pay a small fee. i cant bring myself to buy a new xp w/sp2 for $93.

 

[teddyv]

You can download an update disk (somewhere) on the MS site tha will bring you up to SP2. It might be worth it to see if you can do the no-F6 Sata install with just XP.