Can't get my SATA drive recognized for a fresh WinXP SP2 install.

[Punk_FAS]

I'm trying to install this 250GB Maxtor SATA drive, it's a SATA-I device, 1.5 Gb/s.  Anyway, I have a DFI LanPartyUT nF4 Ultra-D motherboard.  Has all the necessary hookups, etc., and is considered a really good nF4 board.

The motherboard is able to recognize the HD without issue, as is the MaxBlast bootable CD software that came with the drive.  I was able to partition and format the drive without issue.

When I try to install WinXP SP2 off of a bootable CD it loads all the drivers, etc., then says "Cannot locate a hard drive" basically, and I have to hit F3 to cancel.  A floppy disk came with my mobo with drivers on it, but it's only for RAID drivers, and I'm only installing a single SATA drive.  Given that bit of info, I still tried to use the F6 command when installing XP and supply the drivers on the floppy but that still won't allow the HD to be recognized.

Oh, and after the failures I took my existing Win2k Pro SP4 (all the available updates) that's on an 80GB IDE HD I have and tried to attach the SATA 250GB drive as a secondary drive and it did not recognize it upon boot up, but I was able to get it partially recognized via the "add new hardware" command in the Control Panel section.  But then after reboot it disappeared again.  I've recently flashed my mobo's BIOS to the newest offering and now it won't recognize the drive at all now.

Hoping someone here might have a clue what's going on and lend me a hand.  Thanks =)

[Shovel.Ds]

Hi Punk, just a couple of thoughts on this....
1) Make sure the sata is turned on in bios.
2) Check jumpers (master/slave) on HD.

[Shovel.Ds]

also make sure that the sata frequency is set to 100Mhz instead of "auto"

here are a couple of faq from DFI concerning sata detection...I know this faq is for overclocking purposes but I would give it a try since it sounds like the same problem you are having.

http://www.dfi.com.tw/Support/mb_faq_us1.jsp?FAQ_ID=3818&PAGE_TYPE=US&SITE=US

http://www.dfi.com.tw/Support/mb_faq_us1.jsp?FAQ_ID=3818&PAGE_TYPE=US&SITE=US

http://www.dfi.com.tw/Support/mb_faq_us1.jsp?FAQ_ID=3164&PAGE_TYPE=US&SITE=US

I hope this helps

[Punk_FAS]

Hi Punk, just a couple of thoughts on this....
1) Make sure the sata is turned on in bios.
2) Check jumpers (master/slave) on HD.

1 - Pretty sure SATA is as activated as I can get it, other than I have RAID disabled, since I'm not running a RAID setup, just a single drive.

2 - The instructions that came with my HD said not to have any jumpers installed on the back of the HD.  It did come with a jumper but said jumpers are not required for SATA drives.

There is a known issue with SATA-II Maxtor HD's (mine is SATA-I) and nF4 motherboards where the HD itself needs a BIOS flash to work properly.  I'm unsure if this is the case with SATA-I drives as well though.  I think I'll probably have to e-mail Maxtor's support dept, hopefully they'll have some helpful advice.

Thanks for the tips Shovel.

[[BTF]Defiant!]

3 - if you have an onboard raid controller bundled with your sata, you may need to load an additional driver during install.  XP briefly asks you about this, after a few seconds the prompt disappears.

The most basic question is if it shows up in the bios.  If it doesn't, it isn't an XP issue.. it is in the jumpers, bios, sata cable (unlikely) or power to the drive (possible -- check if you feel/hear it spin up).

Def

[Punk_FAS]

BIOS sees it, and I'm able to partition/format it, so I assume it has power based on that.  Also, I was able to do some diagnostic tests on it with the included Maxtor MaxBlast software that came with the drive.

I just need to e-mail Maxtor's tech support and hopefully they'll have a clue.  I've had bad luck with Maxtor drives and compatibility.

[applejacks]

well im sure you have been over to dfi-street forums already?

anyhow which ram do you have? im sure you have the correct bios installed for bh ch vs tccd memory chips. i used to run a dfi sli-dr same diff applys to most of the dfi boards and which revison of bios you need to run.

when your trying to install xp on the sata drive is it the only drive in the system at the time besides the cd/dvd rom?

and which sata controller are you hooking up to? try the differnt sata ports. im not sure on the ultra d but i know the first revisions of that board were buggy to hell. most got rma'd back.
but try using the other sata ports that might not be using the nf raid controller. in the first set of boards if raid was used sata 3 and 4 went dead.  just let xp format your hd. it could of partitioned your hd as a d or e drive and might not be able to boot from it

and just make sure you have your first boot device set to the maxtor one . if all else fails.  clear your bios, reset it (pull battery out, unplug power cord, turn on system , let it sit for 10min) try to also set your hd detection for a few seconds.  also i recall these boards having anmesia with some hard drives and not seeing them anymore    

[reaper]

you need to specify the driver during the xp install, you have to hit some button during a certain time.
like you were installing a raid device

[BadBrent]

With my SATA-2 drive, it doesn't even have any jumpers on the back to begin with....that's beside the point though.  Contrary to what the manual says you HAVE to load the SATA/RAID drivers up from the floppy before XP will recognize the hard drive.  You must remember that XP is several years old, and your mobo is not even a year old (maybe it is, I dunno), so XP absolutely will not have drivers for any SATA-2 interface.  When you get to the blue setup screen, hit F5 or whatever it is to load the appropriate drivers, load them, and then it will show up under the partition/format screen.