Setup could not find hard disk

[TorturedChaos]

Ok one of our registered are work got all screwed up, - and after much screwing with it, and almost fixing all the errors the hdd went south, and so here I am trying to put a new hdd in it.

Grabbed a WD 320gig SATA hdd (WD3200KSRTL). Popped that in there, connected it up. POST sees it. But when I get to actually installing windows I get "setup could not find hard disk".

Do some searching find out I need to load the SATA drivers either via a floppy drive (which it doesn't have) or slipstreaming. Find this nice guide here for slipstreaming. Add drivers for network and SATA from here. Boot it up: "setup could not find hard disk".

Ok back go google. Do some digging, and acording to the manual for that mobo, it only supports SATA 1. So I find the the jumper settings for the WD3200KSRTL hdd and put my jumper on pins 5 & 6, which should limit it to 150 Gbps, effectively making it SATA 1. Load up again: "setup could not find hard disk".

So attached is the hardware profile created by PartionMagic on the UBCD. That should have all the info on the system.

Ok so I'm hoping there is someone on here with an answer, as I have about had it with this machine

 

[raybay]

Every hard drive manufacturer site has SATA setup drivers that will work, from download, and don't require a floppy according to my quick scan..

 

[gbhall]

I can't make a lot of sense of the hardware profile which seems to be running on a linux shell. I suggest you need to check the bios where you may find there is more than one channel to boot from. You need to make sure the SATA channel comes after the windows install CD/DVD but before the other channels (I suspect you may have scsi or IDE first. Indeed, the Partition magic report might be about the DVD/CD you are running it from, and not the drive you just installed, which would not actually have a partition on it at all if it was brand new.

 

[TorturedChaos]

Every hard drive manufacturer site has SATA setup drivers that will work, from download, and don't require a floppy according to my quick scan..

So I would want to add the driver for the WD hdd not the SATA controller on the Mobo to the Windows XP Install disc I made?

 

[TorturedChaos]

I can't make a lot of sense of the hardware profile which seems to be running on a linux shell. I suggest you need to check the bios where you may find there is more than one channel to boot from. You need to make sure the SATA channel comes after the windows install CD/DVD but before the other channels (I suspect you may have scsi or IDE first. Indeed, the Partition magic report might be about the DVD/CD you are running it from, and not the drive you just installed, which would not actually have a partition on it at all if it was brand new.

Ok I didn't think the boot order would affect if windows can see the hdd, but here is the option I can boot to:

Floppy
LS120
HDD - 0 (this is what its currently on)
SCSI
CD-ROM
HDD-1
HDD-2
HDD-3
ZIP100
USB-FDD
USB-ZIP
USB-CDROM
USB-HDD
Lan
Disabled.

So my boot order right now looks like:
1st - CD-ROM
2nd - HDD-0
3rd - USB-HDD
Boot Other Device.

so what would I have to set it to get SATA?

 

[gbhall]

this link is an example, from which it is fairly clear that the mobo designers are in a right pickle trying to support three or more completely different types of HDD at once. Since you have found your mobo manual, that must be the best guide. Your best bet is to set the sata channels to pata mode, at least for the purpose of installing windows for the first time.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/250028-14-sata-hard-drive-detected-bios-setup

Even if the setups described in the link dont relate directly to you, there may be clues in there that will help you.

 

[TorturedChaos]

this link is an example, from which it is fairly clear that the mobo designers are in a right pickle trying to support three or more completely different types of HDD at once. Since you have found your mobo manual, that must be the best guide. Your best bet is to set the sata channels to pata mode, at least for the purpose of installing windows for the first time.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/250028-14-sata-hard-drive-detected-bios-setup

Even if the setups described in the link dont relate directly to you, there may be clues in there that will help you.

I have seen several guides/post like that, and tried to play with the BIOS settings, but I can't seem to find any settings that match up with what they describe.


But I'm still wondering why I didn't get any results by slipstreaming the "SiS 964 Chipset SATA Drivers" drive from the MSI website into the Win XP install...any ideas there?

The post screen is listing the HDD in the first SATA slot and sees it w/o a problem. One of the first things I tired was running the WD Data Lifeguard Tools off the UBCD since the windows error states: "This may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostic or setup program". So the system see's my drive w/o a problem.

 

[TorturedChaos]

Ok well I actually manage to find a working floppy drive & floppy disc in one of our storage units .

So I copied the files out of the win xp SIS_964_SATA_MB driver I downloaded to the root of a blank floppy.

So I tap F6 as i'm booting, get the "Please insert the disk labeled Manufacturer-supplied hardware support disk into Drive A and press Enter" message. Put in the floppy, press enter - and get kicked right back to that same message.

So do I have to prepare the floppy drive specially for this or what am I missing?

 

[mailpup]

There are often two versions of SATA/RAID drivers found at the motherboard maker's websites: one for the floppy and one that you can install once you get the OS installed. Sometimes the motherboard manual specifies a procedure you follow to install SATA drivers on the floppy and sometimes it is as simple as copying the files to the floppy. Either way you should use the driver intended for use with the floppy.

Also, make sure you don't have any folders installed on the floppy. You should only have the SATA/RAID driver files straight onto the floppy. No files should be under any folders. If you use the drivers intended for the floppy, the list of drivers to select and install should appear at the appropriate time.

 

[TorturedChaos]

There are often two versions of SATA/RAID drivers found at the motherboard maker's websites: one for the floppy and one that you can install once you get the OS installed. Sometimes the motherboard manual specifies a procedure you follow to install SATA drivers on the floppy and sometimes it is as simple as copying the files to the floppy. Either way you should use the driver intended for use with the floppy.

Also, make sure you don't have any folders installed on the floppy. You should only have the SATA/RAID driver files straight onto the floppy. No files should be under any folders. If you use the drivers intended for the floppy, the list of drivers to select and install should appear at the appropriate time.

Ok well I downloaded SiS 964 Chipset SATA Drivers from the MSI site, extracted it and just took the files (property.dll, sisraid.cat ,SISRaid.INF, sisraid.pdb, sisraid.sys) from the Winxp folder and dropped them directly into the root of the floppy disc.

I don't see a specific floppy disc version, and I don't have the cd that should have come with the Mobo. During some searching I saw a lot of references to a makedisc.exe file that should be on that cd that I don't have. And after scanning through the Mobo manual I d/l off the MSI site I don't see any mention at all of installing drivers for SATA hdd at all.

 

[mailpup]

I looked at the link you provided and as far as I can tell, you are correct. I will say that manual leaves a lot to be desired. It only described hardware setup and nothing regarding SATA or BIOS setup (I looked up both manual versions).

So to recap, when you press F6, wait a bit and when prompted press "S" and then when prompted again, insert the floppy disk, correct? At that point you hit enter as instructed and instead of giving you a choice of drivers to install, it kicks you back to insert floppy, as if you never did in the first place?

 

[TorturedChaos]

I looked at the link you provided and as far as I can tell, you are correct. I will say that manual leaves a lot to be desired. It only described hardware setup and nothing regarding SATA or BIOS setup (I looked up both manual versions).

So to recap, when you press F6, wait a bit and when prompted press "S" and then when prompted again, insert the floppy disk, correct? At that point you hit enter as instructed and instead of giving you a choice of drivers to install, it kicks you back to insert floppy, as if you never did in the first place?

Correct.

But I believe it is seeing the floppy disc, because with no floppy in it gives an error of something to the effect of "No Drive A found"

 

[mailpup]

Just checking but are you sure the floppy drive is working or the data cable isn't installed upside down? It kind of sounds like a hardware issue. The thing is even if the driver was for the wrong motherboard (which I'm not say it is), it should still display because Windows wouldn't know the difference at that point.

 

[gbhall]

try this one https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic23190.html It addresses the problem that you have using the floppy drive.

 

[TorturedChaos]

Just checking but are you sure the floppy drive is working or the data cable isn't installed upside down? It kind of sounds like a hardware issue. The thing is even if the driver was for the wrong motherboard (which I'm not say it is), it should still display because Windows wouldn't know the difference at that point.

Well I tired the data cable both ways plugged into the floppy drive and it made no difference.

try this one https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic23190.html It addresses the problem that you have using the floppy drive.

Well I tried that, hitting F5 - selected the type of computer as i486, but then it just continues with the setup and I end up at the "Setup could not find hard disk" screen again. So no go there .

Thanks for the input so far guys. Anyone have any other suggestions? Or any idea why windows is ignoring the slipstreamed drive, and ignores my floppy disc?

 

[Archean]

Before jumping in with anything, can you please let us know why do you want to install windows xp? Reason for asking this because your profile says you have Win7 as well.

There is an easier solution than using drivers, i.e. look into your BIOS and see whether it supports 'IDE' emulation for SATA drives. If so just enable it.

 

[superty12]

Floppy disk format

Is your floppy disk formatted as one of these? And, Archean, the computer in question is at work.

 

[TorturedChaos]

Ok well mailpup's comment got me thinking about the cable - and that it was stopping the boot even when the floppy was in the drive while booing. I pulled the cable I was using and there was no blank pins to tell me which way to plug it it. I grabbed another floppy drive cable I found, that does have the blocked off pins.

So now it found the disc but its giving me the error "Cannot find txtsetup.oem"

So anyone know how to make a txtsetup.oem file? or have an example of one.

 

[TorturedChaos]

Before jumping in with anything, can you please let us know why do you want to install windows xp? Reason for asking this because your profile says you have Win7 as well.

There is an easier solution than using drivers, i.e. look into your BIOS and see whether it supports 'IDE' emulation for SATA drives. If so just enable it.

My profile list my computers at home. This is for one of our registers at work, and work doesn't own a copy of Win7 - hence why I'm trying to use a copy of xp pro we do own.

 

[Archean]

Well then you may try my first suggestion, i.e. IDE emulation (it may be called something different) instead of AHCI in your motherboard's BIOS.

 

[TorturedChaos]

Is your floppy disk formatted as one of these? And, Archean, the computer in question is at work.

Yes it is. And now it does seem to find it, just need a txtsetup.oem file

 

[TorturedChaos]

Well then you may try my first suggestion, i.e. IDE emulation (it may be called something different) instead of AHCI in your motherboard's BIOS.

Well I can't seem to find IDE emulation. I have found several guides that recommend that to fix this issue, but I seem to have a very slimmed down idot version of the Phoenix BIOS (v6.00PG)

Now as far as I have been told that option should be listed under Integrated Peripherals in the BIOS. Under that I have
SIS OnChip IDE Device
which has

Internal PCI/IDE - BOTH
IDE Primary Master PIO - AUTO
IDE Primary Slave PIO - AUTO
IDE Secondary Master PIO - AUTO
IDE Secondayr Slave PIO - AUTO
Primary Master UltraDMA - AUTO
Primary Slave UltraDMA - AUTO
Secondary Master UltraDMA - AUTO
Secondary Slave UltraDMA - AUTO
IDE DMA transfer access - ENABLED​

Then we have
SIS OnCIp PCI Device
which has

SIS USBe Controller - Enabled
USB 2.0 Supports - Disabled
USB Keyboard Support - Enabled
USB Mouse Support - Enabled
SIS AC97 AUDIO - Auto
SiS Serial ATA Controller - Enabled​

then
Onboard SupoerIO device

Onboard FDC Controller - Enabled
Onboard Serial Port 1 - Enabled
Onboard Serial Port 2 - Enabled
UART Mode Sect - Normal

(These options are greyed out and I can't edit them)
RxD, Txd active - Hi, Low
Ir Transmission Delay - Enabled
UR 2 Duplex Mode - Half
Use IR Pines - Ir-Rx2Tx2​

Onboard Parallel Port - 378/IRQ7
Parallel Port Mode - ECP

(These options are greyed out and I can't edit them)
EPP Mode Select - EPP1.9​

ECP Mode Use DMA - 3
​

Init Display First - AGP
Onboard Lan Device - Enabled
Onboard Lan Boot ROM - Disabled

yah that's everything under Integrated Peripherals. I would have just linked to a manual or something, but I have yet to find one that matches up to this BIOS even tho it claims to be the same version

So is one of those the magic switch to make this nightmare go away? (half those don't mean anything to me btw)

 

[superty12]

txtsetup.oem

txtsetup.oem should be on the Windows XP disc. Locate it, then copy it to the floppy disc. It should then be able to install and allow XP to see the SATA drive.

 

[TorturedChaos]

txtsetup.oem should be on the Windows XP disc. Locate it, then copy it to the floppy disc. It should then be able to install and allow XP to see the SATA drive.

That txtsetup.oem file only contains the drivers that come with the xp cd tho, and well this would all work if win xp cd had the drivers on it already.


But I ended up throwing in the towel and getting an IDE hdd for it and that worked beautifully.
I had picked the SATA hdd in the first place because that was what I was replacing and it was cheaper. But I just could not get it to read it this time around

 

[ruready2]

Perhaps you have tried this already as I didn't read through all the replies to see. This error will occur if you do not have the raid drivers installed.