83 replies to this topic

[CantankerousV]

Changed the Power supply, now the computer will start with the 200GB Seagate SATA

[appleoddity]

Thats good. Please continue with my instructions as stated previously. Post back with your findings. Right now I feel we have about a 2% chance of actually getting the drive to recognize without a SATA floppy or some type of work around.

[CantankerousV]

Power the system up and enter your BIOS setup screen.

Configure your bios as so:
First, navigate to the EXIT menu and choose "Load Setup Defaults"
Next, navigate to the ADVANCED menu, navigate to the I/O Device Configuration option/menu, and change the option Onboard ATA Boot ROM to DISABLE.
Now, navigate to the EXIT menu, and choose to save your settings and exit. When the computer reboots enter back into the BIOS setup utility.
Under the MAIN menu, please tell me what is listed for Primary Master, through Secondary Slave drives. It appears your BIOS is so limited that it will not support SATA in the BIOS at all. Therefore, your SATA drives absolutely will not show up in this list.

Primary Master, through Secondary Slave all say AUTO now

EDIT:

When I selected the drives they changed from AUTO to...
Primary Master: ST36421A (6.4GB IDE)
Primary Slave: Auto (Nothing is attached here)
Secondary Master: Lite-ON Combo
Secondary Slave: Hewlett-Packard DVD

Edited by CantankerousV, 17 July 2010 - 09:59 PM.

[appleoddity]

No, at this point, all other hard drives should be unhooked. You only want the Seagate 200GB hooked up.

[CantankerousV]

Now, navigate to the BOOT menu and ENABLE the Atapi CD-rom and make it the first device in the list. Save your settings in the EXIT menu and reboot with your original Windows XP installation disc, lets not use the slipstreamed disc for now. Go through the setup process and see if it gives you a drive not found error again. If it does, go back into your BIOS setup, navigate back to the ADVANCED menu, navigate to the I/O devices menu, and ENABLE the ATA Boot Rom again. Save your changes and reboot. Make a note if you get a message about the "bios not be installed" again, and try the windows setup also and see if it will work. If it still gives you a hard drive not found error, then you have no choice but to find a floppy drive for now and create the floppy disc with the right SATA drivers.

I get the "no disk drives" from the installer when just the Seagate SATA is plugged into the computer

Ran the Windows installed disc (Original not slipstream), It only sees the IDE still. When into the BIOS and ENABLED the ATA Boot Rom again, and tried to XP Install disc again.. before I could get the the install, I experienced the "BIOS does not be installed" message again.. I continued by hitting <g> key but the window installer still only sees the IDE.

When I load windows normally I cannot see this SATA drive through Disk Management though either. I could the Fujitsu was in the Unit through Disk Management

Edited by CantankerousV, 17 July 2010 - 10:20 PM.

[appleoddity]

Again, please leave ALL other hard drives unplugged from this computer except the one we have specifically talked about. Please plug in the Fujitsu drive, NO OTHERS. Does the system still give a BIOS does not be installed message?

[CantankerousV]

Okay just the Fujitsu is in the computer. What would you like me to now.

[appleoddity]

Does the system give the BIOS does not be installed message?

[CantankerousV]

If it helps any when the Fujitsu is in the computer, instead of saying "Bios does not be installed" it says Serial_Ch0 - Fujitsu Serial_Ch1 - No device

[appleoddity]

Yes.. That helps. It appears the Seagate 200GB has more significant issues. Possibly the drive is no good. The system is recognizing the Fujitsu. But, this is a drag because that is a laptop hard drive. It appears, without the jumper for the 320GB seagate, you may be stuck using this drive with no proper way to mount it in your computer. Because we are basically hacking this thing together by the sounds of it. Lets move forward with the Fujitsu drive. Are you able to get a floppy drive and floppy disk?

[CantankerousV]

Not this evening.. I live in a very small beach town and it is 1230am here I am totally fine with this being a laptop hard drive I can make something for it to be mounted in the unit. That is no problem at all I have a floppy disk drive in the unit just not plugged in due to the fact I have no disks for it at hand.. I maybe be able to find one though.. I have a large box, of older computer accessories.

Edited by CantankerousV, 17 July 2010 - 10:43 PM.

[appleoddity]

Well, after some researching, it appears the only way to load the SATA drivers without a floppy drive is to use Nlite like you did. There may be other ways but I'm not aware of them. I'm not familiar with NLite either. This should be the method you would use to get those RAID drivers loaded. Previously you mentioned you downloaded those drivers and used Nlite, and you had partial success. However, it should work during windows setup also. Frankly, its quite late here also, and I'm tired. I'm not able to think real straight right now and am pretty burned out hunting around for information on this machine. We will probably have to pick this up tomorrow if you haven't figured it out by then. In the mean time you need to download the RAID drivers from the Asus support site for this model of motherboard and somehow use Nlite to get those drivers loaded in with a custom disc. Thats about as much as I can tell you because I'm not familiar with Nlite, and I do not have the RAID driver package downloaded. Lets follow up tomorrow.

[CantankerousV]

I completely understand. I am in no rush to do this I have other computers that I can use, I am just trying to get this one up and going and it is going to be specifically for games. I only have little IDE HDDs like the 6.4GB one it the unit now running XP (just barely fit with the programs we ran for diagnostic purposes. Ha ha ha.. That is why I am stuck with this SATA problem How would I do it with the floppy, I have the drive hooked in and I have found floppy discs

Edited by CantankerousV, 17 July 2010 - 11:08 PM.

[CantankerousV]

Okay so hooked up the floppy disk drive, and put what I believe to be the correct driver on a floppy disk. I then started the computer up with just the Fujitsu SATA hard drive.. The windows installer inspected the hard ware, and started up. Upon being asked to Press F6 to install third pary SCSI/RAiD drivers, or whatever (it goes so quick I just hurry and push the button), I pressed F6. The install kept doing its thing then a NEW screen we have not encountered throughout all the things we have tried has appeared. This screen says... "Windows Setup Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage devices installed in your system, or you have chosen to manually specify an adapter. Currently Setup will load support for the following mass storage devices(s). <none> * To specifiy additional SCSI adapter, CD-ROM drives, or special disk controllers for use with Windows, including those for which you have a device support disk from a mass storage device manufacturer, Press S. * If you do not have any device support disks from a mass storage device manufacturer, or do not with to specify additional mass storage devices for use with Windows, Press Enter" Then at the very bottom of the screen it says.... "S=Specify Additional Device ENTER=Continue F3=Quit" I selected S and this began to read from the floppy disk.. It then said "The file txtsetup.oem could not be found. Press any key to continue" So i did.... It took me back to the previously mentioned screen telling me to Specify Additional Device... So this time I selected Continue instead... It proceeded to do its little thing and took me to the normal Windows Setup screen.. I selected ENTER to install new.. then I received the same message I am beginning to loathe.... "Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in you computer... ECT... ECT.."

[Digerati]

IIRC, when you were prompted to press S, that is when you should have installed the drivers for the drive from the drive maker - the first prompt after F6, installed the drivers for the controller from the motherboard maker.