HELP! HDD recognised in bios screen but not during windows 8 install!?

smithy1988 · 5 Jan 2013 at 17:50

Hello as above, any body got any ideas?
HDD and disc drive are recognised via the bios. Load up windows 8 64 bit oem version, enter product key choose installation type and then box comes up to select drive path. Choose C: HDD isnt listed in the box, click OK, then it comes up with a message about drivers and that the drive needs formatting. Click on format and it doesn't let me. HDD is brand new so can't understand why it's saying it needs to be formatted.

Have tried changing some of the settings in the bios to see if there's any different end result. Have also tried connecting drives up using different sata ports incase there was a problem with the mobo sata socket. Have also tried to load the supplied gigabyte driver disk during the windows install incase it needed some drivers from that. Thought that maybe the Seagate barracuda 1TB HDD was dead, but if that was the case surely it shouldn't be displayed in the bios. I thought windows 7/8 automatically installs sata drivers
It's a friends pc, so havnt got full spec to hand, but this is it roughly....
Gigabyte Z8LMT-USB3
Amd bulldozer
Seagate 1tb HDD
DVD RW
8gb 1333mhz ram
500watt psu
Ati 6*** series gpu

Have taken a couple of bios photos which I'll try and upload shortly.
Any ideas? Iv tried to do a process of elimination, but now stuck.

Thanks

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olivier renault · 5 Jan 2013 at 17:59

Tried IDE legacy mode? It's a bit ropey, but that might work. Else I'd look around and seen why AHCI or whatever SATA mode it's on wouldn't work.

smithy1988 · 5 Jan 2013 at 18:11

How do i enable legacy mode?

I know my way round a computer but after trying the above im stuck.

Just wasnt sure if i was missing something easy?

Am i right in thinking that the HDD cant be dead if showing in bios? or is a dead HDD still a possibility?

prj1865 · 5 Jan 2013 at 21:07

I can't see the HDD from those BIOS screens. I'm not sure that the fact you have a Hard Disk boot option means anything. It normally shows the model, size and sectors. (e.g Maxtor, 160GB, 1123323) on a different screen.

HDD SMART should monitor the drive but not sure if it reports outside of Windows.

j6m · 5 Jan 2013 at 21:54

smithy1988 said:
How do i enable legacy mode?

It'll be one of the options under OnChip SATA Type.

smithy1988 · 8 Jan 2013 at 17:19

prj1865 said:
I can't see the HDD from those BIOS screens. I'm not sure that the fact you have a Hard Disk boot option means anything. It normally shows the model, size and sectors. (e.g Maxtor, 160GB, 1123323) on a different screen.

HDD SMART should monitor the drive but not sure if it reports outside of Windows.

I have added another screenshot now showing the drives.

I have noticed that they all seem to be listed as IDE in the master/slave configuration. Shouldnt they be listed as Sata? They are both plugged into the Sata ports

El_Watcher · 8 Jan 2013 at 17:32

smithy1988 said:
HDD is brand new so can't understand why it's saying it needs to be formatted.

If it is brand new then you will need to partition it with 8 Installer before trying to format it.

The drives are shown in the BIOS like that because some motherboards list all drives like that where the controllers can be run in IDE mode or SATA mode.

From pic 1 it looks like the BIOS is set to native IDE. If your drives are SATA, change that to SATA or AHCI if the drive supports it. This should then probably not show it in the main BIOS, but there will be a separate SATA POST screen shown which lists it like this

Also check in the menu option in pic 2 for Hard Disk Boot Priority, to make sure the Seagate drive is first and listed.

EDIT: Oh and you wmight as well enable the HDD SMART capability shown in pic 2.

EDIT 2: Had a quick look at Google, by the way your motherboard part number is 78LMT, not Z8LMT, and someone on another forum had a similar issue, and after changing the SATA ports the drives were connected to, it all worked. Try that.

smithy1988 · 8 Jan 2013 at 18:07

El_Watcher said:
If it is brand new then you will need to partition it with 8 Installer before trying to format it.
Windows doesnt display a HDD to install the OS, so im never in a position to get to the screen to setup a partition, as the drive isnt even recognised to select it to install

The drives are shown in the BIOS like that because some motherboards list all drives like that where the controllers can be run in IDE mode or SATA mode.
Ok great that makes sense and clarifys that

From pic 1 it looks like the BIOS is set to native IDE. If your drives are SATA, change that to SATA or AHCI if the drive supports it. This should then probably not show it in the main BIOS, but there will be a separate SATA POST screen shown which lists it like this

Ok i will try AHCI ( i dont think there was a Sata option) but i have seen AHCI

Also check in the menu option in pic 2 for Hard Disk Boot Priority, to make sure the Seagate drive is first and listed.
Will do

EDIT: Oh and you wmight as well enable the HDD SMART capability shown in pic 2.
Yep no problem can do this.

EDIT 2: Had a quick look at Google, by the way your motherboard part number is 78LMT, not Z8LMT, and someone on another forum had a similar issue, and after changing the SATA ports the drives were connected to, it all worked. Try that.

Did try changing the ports from 0-1 1-2 then even the two away from the main block, 5-6 i think incase there was a mobo failure. Didnt solve anything and i dont think the numbers on the mobo necessarily matched the IDE channel listed on the bios. e.g. i would change the ports they were plugged into but the numbers on the bios screen and board didnt match.
But perhaps once ACHI is enabled changing the sata ports may work.

Thanks and will report back in the next few days once i get chance to have another tinker. (Pc isnt currently at my house)

smithy1988 · 8 Jan 2013 at 18:13

El_Watcher said:
If it is brand new then you will need to partition it with 8 Installer before trying to format it.

The drives are shown in the BIOS like that because some motherboards list all drives like that where the controllers can be run in IDE mode or SATA mode.

From pic 1 it looks like the BIOS is set to native IDE. If your drives are SATA, change that to SATA or AHCI if the drive supports it. This should then probably not show it in the main BIOS, but there will be a separate SATA POST screen shown which lists it like this

Also check in the menu option in pic 2 for Hard Disk Boot Priority, to make sure the Seagate drive is first and listed.

EDIT: Oh and you wmight as well enable the HDD SMART capability shown in pic 2.

EDIT 2: Had a quick look at Google, by the way your motherboard part number is 78LMT, not Z8LMT, and someone on another forum had a similar issue, and after changing the SATA ports the drives were connected to, it all worked. Try that.

Thanks for the reply. Cant reach the windows 8 partitioning screen, it doesnt show the HDD in order to select it to install the OS.
That clarifiys the sata/ide stuff thanks.
Cant remember seeing (sata) but definitely seen ACHI so will definitly try this.
Will add the HDD as first boot priority and HDD smart enable.

I have tried different sata ports, at first before seeing the pc i just thought that perhaps the sata ports hadnt been plugged in properly.
Think i tried 0-1 1-2 and then 5-6 on a seperate block incase there was a mobo failure on that part of the board. But all gave the same result.
But perhaps changing the sata ports may work once ACHI is enabled.

Will try this and report back in next few days. PC isnt currently with me so got to fit in with him in order to have a look at it.

Thanks for advice (fingers crossed)