Error Message: Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your system

Setup did not find ... on a HP Nc6320

Hello,

Same problem using the Windows 2000 CD on a brand new laptop HP Nc6320 : "setup did not find any hard disk drives installed ..." Our usual "no-brand" Ghost CD does work but the computer crashes when starting Windows 2000 mini-setup.

Solution : reboot pressing F10.

In the BIOS, goto "System Configuration", "Device Configurations", and set SATA native mode to disabled. Now you can install, add the SATA-AHCI drivers, and here we go.

Bardaf, Brussels

Note : if you want to come back to "SATA native mode enabled" after this installation, I succeeded to do it so (doesn't mean that it will work with another system and OS):

- after the successful installation, switch off.
- insert a floppy with the SATA drivers
- insert the Windows 2000 CD
- boot from CD and select install Windows 2000
- when the system checks the disk and says like "found a Windows 2000 installation, do you want to repair it ?", press R to accept
- wait until this repair is finished. Now you boot in native SATA mode.
- (if you had IE6 installed, you need to reinstall it, because the Windows 2000 repair reverts to IE5)

Awesome! Got one problem though. When I go and change it back to RAID AUTODETECT / AHCI, I save and reboot, then this message comes up (it's not an error message it comes up all the time back when my PC was normal) and it just stays there. So I changed it back to combination and the computer itself works fine, but the sound card, video card, dvd-drives, ethernet cable, and a host of other things don't work anymore.
Help would be AWESOMELY aprecciated.

Joe

Configuration: Precision 380 - have taken the factory SATA, and put in a StorCase frame and carrier the system cannot boot the drive. In the factory configuration and set up the SATA disk works fine. It's when I install the SATA drive into frame and carrier and use the cabling from the frame to SATA-0 is when I cannot boot the drive.. I have left the factory installed jumpers alone on the frame; it's still a Master Drive. I have taken your advise in the System Set up screen (F2) - Diskette Drive is properly set to Internal and I have made sure that Drive 0: SATA-0 is set to "ON" ( I have turned off the SATA-2-3 & -4). Gone to SATA Operations: Changed the SATA setting to "COMBINATION"which now the system sees or identifies the SATA drive for that Thanks! " (In modified config system does not see the drive in the Auto DETECT/AHCI) ; I have ensured that the boot sequence was set to CD rom before HD and made sure the CD XP reinstall is ready. I hit enter and I am thinking I am reinstalling XP; I see the licensing agreement, but that is as far as I get. The option to delete a partition or perform a full reinstall it will not let me do. I know I have added several variables that it could be, but maybe someone has come accross this situation i.e. maybe the frame pinout, carrier or the associated cabling.

Hi Young-gun13,

Don't worry about changing the computer back to RAID Autodetect, that was something Dell recommended, but they couldn't give a reason as to why it was a good idea. If your computer works without changing it back I wouldn't fool with it. If you've re-installed your OS you will most likely have to reinstall the drivers for your soundcard, video card, etc. That's pretty normal. If you still have your factory disks you can use those, or you can go to driverguide.com and get nearly any driver you need (you'll have to register but it's free and they don't bombard you with annoying spam emails).

Hope that helps.

Tyler -

Sorry my friend. I'm not familiar enough with the Precision 380 or the StoreCase frame. Hopefully someone else can help you on this one.

Good Luck!

Tyler -

Finally somehow I got the BIOS to read the SATA disk. But, upon reboot I am getting a "Read Disk Error" I am thinking I have a timing problem either with the motherboard or the StorCase frame. I need to figure out if I can adjust the timing speed on the motherboard or in the StorCase.

Awesome! I went on Dell and got the drivers I needed and my computer works great now! Thanks, Tyler, you rock!

I'm still gonna get a mac though... :stickout:

young-gun13;

Once I switched to "Combination" the bios found the Removable HD (factory drive inserted into a StorCase"frame and carrier). But when I tried to boot the system it would come back with a read error. I took the HD out of the Storcase frame/carrier and hooked it back almost to factory and it worked like a champ. So, I called Dell and there was no joy. So, I called StorCase and found that my Line Speed of my HD of 3.0Gbps (my HD is a Western digital) was to fast for my StorCase frame to interpret and would create data errors/Read error. They had a fix for the read error by jumpering pins 5&6 would reduce operation down to 1.5GPS on my drive. I installed the jumper and put the drive back into the carrier & frame and vola, I had success. I am still in "Combination" currently; I am going to see what happens if I go back to Radi Autodetect AHCI. Press On!

So simple, and yet...

...pure genius. Gentlemen, a million thanks. I've been going bloody nuts trying to dual install English and Japanese copies of XP on my wifes new Dell and this problem has been blocking me for hours. I searched high and low all over the Net, searched all through the Dell and MS sites and got nothing but stress. You guys were spot on, first time.

Cheers and thanks again!

Rob in Tokyo

Awesome Rob! Glad we could help. Have fun in Tokyo. I wish I was there!

- Tyler

I am having the same problem although I don't have the same options on SATA Operation. The only options I have are ON or OFF.

In case it matters I have a PowerEdge SC1420 that had Windows Server 2003 on it and I am trying to install Windows XP Pro instead.

anyone? I still can't figure this out

Need Help Installing XP Pro

I have a Dell PowerEdge SC1420 with 3 Maxtor 74GB drives.

Right now the drives have been formatted and setup as RAID 5. When I try to install XP Pro I get a message that "Setup did not find any hard disk drive installed on your computer". Do I need to install 3rd party SATA drivers? If so I can't figure out which ones. I have searched the archives but nothing that I have read so far as worked.

Yes, you'll likely need drivers. When you first beging the XP pre-install, it prompts you to "Press F6 to install 3rd party RAID drivers". You'll need to indeed press F6 and have your SCSI / SATA drivers on a floppy diskette.

To determine what drivers you need, you'll need to find out what controller you have. Your controller should have its own BIOS screen, which should list its model. Your RAID controller's BIOS screen should appear after your server's system BIOS screen.

I'm unsure what the PowerEdge SC1420 comes with by default and I'm sure it is customizable... But http://support.dell.com should list all of the drivers for all of the possible factory-installed options.

Top post, being trying to install WinXP on a Dimension 5150c for the last 90 mins!

This tip worked a treat.

Spotta

u r great

i have fought with 2 seperate sata drives for this dell and have always had problems. i did exactly what u said in the bios and hot damn it worked. windows installed instead of giving the no hd available error. if your still around. have u had any problems dual booting linux on the dell with a sata. thats what im doing next. thanks bro.

You're a Genuis at 2.22 am

Thank you! It worked. I've been messing with this nonsense for a week now, and just found this posting... I registered say I really appreciate the help!! I also have a dell 8400, and knew if I called tech support, they would send me to india, and be of absolutly no help.

HI ALL,

Im in big trouble. I was going to format my hard drive of my notebook (alienware notebook if that matters) when i discovered that my system did not recognize it. This is really weird because i was using it a year now and it was working fine. The message i get is this "Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your system".

Please help me. The hard drive i have is a Hitachi travelstar 7k60.
I have tried updating the drivers of the drive but nothing. I also tried to figure out what to do through the bios but didnt manage to do anything.I am really desperate now.

thankx

I had the same problem and changed the settings in the system now its ok
thankx to everybody

what settings should i change?? my bios is a bit different so i don't quite get it....