Problematic HD install

First post, but I am relatively familiar with the malware section of this site. Anyways I'm working on a computer for a friend trying to install a new Western Digital WD1200Js (Serial ATA) into an IDE interfaced computer. First, what do I need to make this compatible? Second, when I try to boot up onto a spare blank IDE drive that he has to install XP it wont read the system disk or boot from the system disk. I am thinking the problem may be more than the hard-drive that crashed and maybe the motherboard. Any and all help would be most gratefully appreciated. Thanks for your time.

Peace and God bless
--Jesuital

 

Firstly, if your motherboard does not support the Sata drive interface, your basically not going to be able to utilize the Sata drives capabilities.
You may be able to obtain an IDE to Sata adaptor, however this will see your drive 'data access speeds' no faster than what the IDE channel will allow!

Secondly, and im not entirely sure what you mean here, but you wont be able to boot from a blank drive as it has no OS on it! You must boot from the install disc and add the OS to it.
If you are adding the spare (blank) drive as an addition to the drive that already exists in the machine, make sure you have the jumper settings configured to slave on the blank drive (providing the original drive is jumpered to master). To do this, most times you just remove the jumper entirely!

If the original drive is set to 'cable select', you may leave the drive your adding on 'cable select' also.


Regards

 

To boot to the system disk (I'm assuming you mean the WinXP install CD), you must have the boot order in the BIOS set for CD drive first, and hard drive set for 2nd or 3rd. While in the BIOS, make sure all the drives (HD and CD) are recognized correctly; if they're not, double check your cable connections (data and power cables) and check the device jumpers for master/slave/cable select. Make sure the HD is set for master- DO NOT use cable select. As for the SATA drive; if the motherboard doesn't have a serial ATA interface, you'll have to get a PCI Serial ATA controller. They're under $40 or $50 (I think), and you'll need what's called the 'F6 floppy/driver disk' from your motherboard's manufacturer or the PCI card manufacturer so that you can install Windows to the SATA drive; otherwise, WinXP won't 'see' the SATA drive and will report 'no hard disk'...... hope this info helps!!!! Good luck and keep us posted.

hopperdave2000

:major Welcome to MajorGeeks! :major

 

Hopperdave has answered most of your questions, so thats the start.
If the computer (IDE) does not recognise the hard disk,
1/ Will it boot to a 'beep' at all.?
2/Can you get into the bios- press f2/ or/ delete, usually on start up - and does the hard drive show up in the Bios.?
3/ If it shows in the bios, is the harddrive that you are trying set as master/ slave /
4/Does the cpu fan spin ?
5/Is the ram clipped in properly ( remove and replace, ensuring clips are locked.
5/Have you initiated the hard drive,? - FORMATTED IT PREVIOUSLY ?
Let us know and we might be more help, even.

 

You also want to make sure that SATA is setup in the bios as IDE mode and not RAID. Might help. This also might be relevent but when using IDE AND SATA, the 2nd IDE port usually gets disabed.

 

Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to get back. So all the connections are tightened, and both IDE drives are being recognized by the computer, even the one that has been corrupted. The IDE drive that has not been corrupted I want to take and install WinXP on, however, there is a "BOOT DISK FAILURE." I've even adjusted the BIOS as far as the boot sequence goes, it just wont read the disk. Or even bring up the screen to where I could format it. On the contrary, I have purchased the necessary materials for the SATA conversion, can I just get the computer to recognize that drive then install WinXP on that drive fresh without any of the other IDE drives connected? If so, how would I go about doing this, also where do I configure the RAID settings in the BIOS. Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks for your time guys.

Peace and God bless
--Jesuital

 

I see that you can get into bios -
You must be getting a beep, because it posts.
If you only connect the IDE drive, and insert your XP Disc, you should be able to setup on the IDE drive.

 

If you wish to use the sata controller, leave it out of pc, before setting up Windows.
In fact do not connect anything except your keyboard and mouse - you should then boot o.k

 

Once Windows is installed, shut down, remove power lead, and insert card, if Windows recognises it, it might just install its own drivers, or, ask if you have disk, -if you have a driver cd for the sata controller card, put the cd in the drive, and install drivers.
If all goes well, then shut down, and connect the sata drive-
Restart.

 

To set up sata drive go- Right click My Computer, click manage, then disk management, and you should see the new drive.
Then click on the right , on the new drive, and Windows should ask if you want this to be initiated, and/or/formatted.

 

I am not a lover of Raid, and I set mine as dynamic disks, and Windows assigns it a drive letter.
You can drag and drop to it, like a floppy drive, and create a sendto shortcut for saving data, from C; drive.

 

Perhaps one of the others can advise on wether Windows will work on an unformatted sata hard drive, using sata controller, and install XP,as I have not tried that.
A windows 98se bootdiskette (download to floppy) can get you restarted, if the old drive is fat 32. - NFTS, is usually sorted by Windows XP disc -
Have a good brouse around this site, and read up as much as you can.
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

 

Ok, well the two IDE drives I have are fried I am quite sure. My last question is, is if I have a brand-new IDE drive (one which I will buy) can I take my WinXP disc and install it freshly on that drive and go from there? Because since I cant get my OS up with the two IDE drives I have that eliminates the new Serial ATA drive from working through the PCI controller. So I believe my only option now is going with a new IDE drive, if I can indeed install WinXP fresh from my system disc that I have now. Thanks for your time.

Peace and God bless
--Jesuital

 

As long as you have your Windows key, you should be able to set up again on another IDE drive.
I did not say that you could not setup the sata drive, with the sata controller card, just that I had never tried it.
To try it ,you will need to download the sata driver , and unzip to a floppy.
f you got a sata card driver disc , with the controller, try that first.

Otherwise, if you got a the western digital sata controller card, this might help you to install, even better.

http://support.wdc.com/download/inde...n&pid=2&swid=9

It would be worth trying it, anyway - download.
1/ diconnect power supply.
1/ disconnect IDE drive(s)
3/ disconnect any printer or, other devices.
4/ Insert the sata controller.Refit power supply.
5/ Startup the computer, and go into the bios,see if the controller is seen by the Bios, if it is, load failsafe defaults, and put the XP disc in the dvd/cd rom, when it restarta, and asks press f6 , and put the sata driver floppy in - assuming you have a floppy drive.
When it asks for it, just click on whatever driver is highlighted in the A: floppy drive.
If it finishes loading, and does not say it cannot find a hard drive, then you are home, and dry -
If you did all the above, and it cannot find the hard drive, then buy an IDE drive.

 

Sorry , the sata driver for floppy may not be relevent, if the Western Digital controller driver is used - Also check if your hard drive is - sata 1 (first generation - 1.5 mbs) - (second generation (.mbs), and change on that link (left box) to second generation, if 3mbs.

 

Incidently, if your XP is not identical to your friends, and you do not use the friends XP COA, when you try to register, you will have problems, and it will not pass Windows WGA tool for updates.

 

OK, the computer recognizes the SATA HD, but has prompted me with the following options:

1) Create RAID set
2) Delete RAID set
3) Rebuild Raid1 Set
4) Resolve conflicts
5) Low level format
6) Logical Drive Info

I do not know where to go from here. I suppose this is a step in the right direction though. Thanks for your time, and please let me know where to go, as this is the first time for me trying to do this. Thanks again, all help is greatly appreciated. By the way, the XP I have is from my friend, I did make sure to get his disc.

Peace and God bless
--Jesuital

 

low level format, as you do not want raid.

 

Once the low level format is done the XP disc will do the rest.

 

When you have finished installing XP --For others who might have a similar problem , we would appreciate your telling us if the western digital sata driver download did the setup for the controller card, or, the driver disc you had/ or, did not have with the sata controller.
Also acknowledement of a successful/unsuccessful install will be useful information to all.

 

To install WinXP on the SATA drive, you'll need what's called the 'F6 floppy disk'. This should have come with the SATA controller card, or the files to create the floppy are on the CD that came with the card. The manual should explain how to create the F6 disk. When you boot to the WinXP CD, you'll see "Press any key to boot from CD...." and you'll press a key, then at the first blue setup screen, you'll see "Press F6 to install a SCSI or RAID driver" or something very similar to this. Press F6. You only have about 5 or 10 seconds in which to press F6, so as soon as the first blue setup screen appears, press F6. I usually press it 4 or 5 times just to be sure. At some point WinXP setup will ask you to insert the floppy disk.... from there, it's pretty straight forward as long as you read what's on the screen. If you need more help, let us know, and we'll do what we can. GOOD LUCK!

hd2k

 

Thanks for coming back Hopperdave2000 - that was the link I gave which appears to do both.
http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp?cxml=n&pid=2&swid=9

 

Okie doke, so I finished the low-level format on the SATA drive, then went to proceed with the XP disc and no luck. It's still giving me a "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER," message. Is it possible I could have something set wrong in BIOS or is what I am trying to do just not possible?? The memory test and everything else on startup is fine, I just cant get past this disk boot failure message into anything else. Thanks again guys for bearing with me on this.

Peace and God bless
--Jesuital

 

No reason to think this is not the answer - try it.
You can go into the bios, and see if cable select is selected. WD drives apparently need this option, or they will give this sort of problem.
If you have that option, that could be the answer, as I have mooched around the forums, and someone with the same problem tried all sorts of recommendations, and that simple answer fixed it-go to this last page.
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=196450&page=3&pp=15