Urgent-no, make that DESPERATE help needed!

seretide

seretide

seretide

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Built a new rig, and spent days now trying to install OS,
Got the DS4 mobo, with a fresh 250gb SATA hdd, get to the "select drive to install windows vista on" screen and it cant find the sata drive, i've done what the mobo book says and put the file from the mobo cd onto floppy, and it finds a file, then when i load the driver it still cant find a drive,

Pleeeeaaaase help, i've had rig built for days now THAT I CANT GET TO USE :(
 
There will be an option at some point to load a driver, I think you press F6 during the initial install sequence.
 
You shouldnt need drivers for the windows install, i know i didnt.

Make sure you drive is plugged into SATA0, the top block of ports. Not the lower two :)
 
doesnt seem to be that F6 thing with vista, just takes you to a "select drive" screen, and lets you click a button to load driver, i have done this with no joy.

there is also a tickbox saying "hide files not compatable with hardware", so i'm wondering it defines this by the bios settings, if so-maybe i've set them incorrectly????
 
Not insulting you (I've done things like this before) is the drive definitely connected to the PSU?

Any way you can test the drive in another pc?

Does the drive show up in the bios?

Also I think what Meatloaf said is right - for Vista certainly you don't need special drivers for a SATA drive. Only for raid.. I think!
 
Nightmare! Is there any way you can test the drive in another pc to be sure it's totally ok? Or try another drive in your pc to make sure there's no mb or psu issues?

Just remembered something, recently when I built a shuttle I had problems putting vista on it - not the same problem but slightly similar - it refused to see the cd.

Solution was to install XP, then install Vista (not an upgrade, a format install) I have no idea why this worked but it did seem to. Have you tried an XP install?

It might be worth trying to install XP anyway, just to test.
 
funny you should say that, i tried to install xp pro and it got as far as "boot from cd/dvd" in the dos screen, and nothing happens!?!?!?!, whereas with vista it actually lets me get so far etc

i do have another hdd to try also
 
try the other hdd

on my last mobo NF4 chipset i could install winxp on SATA without driver disc.

on ym new mobo nvidia 650i it wont install windows XP without the disc. it loads the windows and lets me start the installation, but when it reboots after copying across the setup files it would just stop at a dos prompt and not get me any further - until i created a boot FDD from the abit CD and create a disc with SATA NV drivers on it. (pressed F6 during windows setup and selected the drivers and it was 100% fine after that) not tried vista on hte new mobo...
 
basically, with vista, i'm getting as far as 3 screens
1) language, and keyboard language
2) serial no.
3) select drive to install vista on

**no F6 option**

mobo book says i need to open a certain file on mobo cd, place onto floppy, this should be the driver that does the deed, BUT IT DOESNT!!!

i'll try the other hdd and get back!
maybe try find a normal xp disc somewhere to try too?
 
Have you got another pc you could plug the HDD into?
If it's a new sata drive, it needs formating. That is why it's not being picked up in Windows...
Just pop it into any pc and format it :)
 
AlwaysOnTheRun said:
I've bought new sata drives and installed windows straight onto them before. :S
Click to expand...

I have always been able to with IDE, but SATA drives i have always had to format first as they have not been recognised in windows... :(
 
When you do a clean install of XP, vista etc, you format the drive and create one or more partitions to install the OS onto, so it is formatted. I'm sure it should be seen before formatting - after all it is in the bios.
 
Vista asks for drivers during the install process, not at F6 as before. This means it can be from floppy, CD or USB key.

Are you using a Parallel ATA DVD drive? I found on my Asus P5B-E Plus that it was the DVD drive it was having trouble with, not the HDD.

Re the HDD, if it's on SATA0 on the Intel controller, then in IDE mode it needs no drivers, and in AHCI mode it needs the intel driver for Vista 32 or 64 which you can get off the motherboard manufacturers website if they're not on the disc.

Re the DVD drive - ensure it's in IDE mode and it shouldn't require a driver. If it does, then there's something wrong (like mine) which was corrected in a later BIOS update. So make sure you're using the latest BIOS.
 
right, getting slightly confused, but i think i know where i'm going at the mo, it is a case of not having to format it as csmager pointed out, i suppose i could try formatting it in another pc 1st if nothing else works, but it should really work with the drivers from the mobo cd,
i think the dvd drive is ok, it is pata not sata etc,
i'll try a few things now
 
quick check on the bios,
SATA/RAID AHCI MODE, choices are, disabled-raid-ahci=DISABLED SELECTED
Onboard SATA/IDE DEVICE, choices are disabled-enabled=ENABLED SELECTED
Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl MODE, choices- ide-ahci-raid/ide=IDE SELECTED

assuming these are correct, i'll carry on with trials!?!?!?!? :confused:
 
If the Intel ICH8 controller is in IDE mode, it needs no drivers.

The problem is most likely with the secondary IDE controller - which I think is the same JMicron controller I have on the P5B-E.

Assuming Gigabyte are on the ball, the latest JMircron BIOS will be in the latest DS4 BIOS update. Flash the BIOS, and all will be well.
 
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