Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

bios and windows wont detect sata harddrive... help?

Options
  • 25-01-2008 11:36pm
    #1
    RoyalMarine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,824 ✭✭✭


    right quick problem! hopefully can get it solved here.

    build a new comp for a friend.
    all parts arrived and all in perfect nick.

    put the rig together. all works fine. put in my win xp cd and went to install.
    windows installer didnt detect any harddrive.

    re-booted and bios doesnt detect it either.

    its s-ata connection.

    now, what i think it might be is.....

    is it ok to use the 4 pin power connection instead of the other sata power connection? thats the small thin long one.

    would that cause a problem? the harddrive is running. i can hear and feel it spinning nicely.

    the dvd drive is connected by ide and that works fine.

    sata doesnt require jumpers do they? unless its to limit the drive...

    its a 40gb western digital cavalier.

    im stumped and sitting in work until 7am with it looking at me..... what to do!
    any help at all?


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,016 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    Could be bad SATA cable, do you have another lying around you could test? Also go into the bios and make sure its configured to accept sata (SATA can actually be disabled in here), and no SATA doesnt require jumpers unless like you say you want a drive running lower and using a molex to power HD over sata power should work fine, but could you not try using a SATA power one?

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

    My Irish Callcards site



  • Options
    #3
    RoyalMarine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,824 ✭✭✭RoyalMarine


    didnt bring the sata power cable with me :(
    dont have another sata cable. but its brand new so i dont it being bad.

    checked through the bios and couldnt find any option to disable sata on the board.


  • Options
    #4
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,016 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    Would it be possible to connect using sata power rather than molex? Also it could happen (but would be rare indeed) the SATA cable has a factory defect causing it not to work, I'm guessing the hard disk is getting power though if you can feel it moving or hear it, but not being detected by the BIOs would suggest a cable issiue or something like that

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

    My Irish Callcards site



  • Options
    #5
    RoyalMarine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,824 ✭✭✭RoyalMarine


    i would use the sata power cable but its at home. :(

    perhaps its a faulty cable. there's a few hundred computer's around here. ill go pinch one if i can find one.


  • Options
    #6
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,016 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    RoyalMarineComm wrote: »
    i would use the sata power cable but its at home. :(

    perhaps its a faulty cable. there's a few hundred computer's around here. ill go pinch one if i can find one.
    Go for it man :) Post back if any success, tbh if the drive is turning on and you can hear it spinning up I'd say its getting the power alrite, try sata cable change anyways!

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

    My Irish Callcards site



  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    RoyalMarine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,824 ✭✭✭RoyalMarine


    right! stripped another cable from the computer across the way.

    used another sata cable and also a sata power cable.

    no joy. exact same.
    also found the option in the bios to enable/disable sata controller.
    it was already set to enable.

    do i want to set the sata controller mode to IDE or RAID


  • Options
    #8
    Hal1
    Registered Users Posts: 8,720 ✭✭✭Hal1


    Have you got the data cable connected correctly? and the other thing make sure there's no jumper's on the drive. Ahh ok, just read your post ^, but IDE mode for SATA unless setting up a raid (multiple disk's).


  • Options
    #9
    RoyalMarine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,824 ✭✭✭RoyalMarine


    positive the cables are connected properly.
    and no jumpers on it.

    i tried another sata drive and same thing. so its not the cables or the hard drive itself.


  • Options
    #10
    Hal1
    Registered Users Posts: 8,720 ✭✭✭Hal1


    What motherboard you got?, I wanna find a pic of it. :)


  • Options
    #11
    Anti
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭Anti


    have you tried different sata ports ? And since there are loads of others pc's around throw it in one of them and see if the bios see's it. If so it a fooked sata controller on the mobo.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,016 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    RoyalMarineComm wrote: »
    right! stripped another cable from the computer across the way.

    used another sata cable and also a sata power cable.

    no joy. exact same.
    also found the option in the bios to enable/disable sata controller.
    it was already set to enable.

    do i want to set the sata controller mode to IDE or RAID
    Set it to IDE mode rather than RAID unless you wish to set up an array which is highly doubhtful, this is a weird problem, try the "Load Optomised Defaults" setting in the BIOs, if not there could be an issiue with the SATA controller on the mobo

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

    My Irish Callcards site



  • Options
    #13
    Hal1
    Registered Users Posts: 8,720 ✭✭✭Hal1


    RoyalMarineComm wrote: »
    put the rig together. all works fine. put in my win xp cd and went to install.
    windows installer didnt detect any harddrive.

    Ok I read that again, you have more than one HDD? I would look closely at the BIOS settings again...


  • Options
    #14
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,016 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    Hal1 wrote: »
    Ok I read that again, you have more than one HDD? I would look closely at the BIOS settings again...
    Sounds like he only has the one m8, he tried a different drive with the same mobo and no joy

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

    My Irish Callcards site



  • Options
    #15
    RoyalMarine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,824 ✭✭✭RoyalMarine


    matx msi n1996 ms- 7255 ver1.1

    its not the best board, but its fairly decent.


    hal, ive got a spare drive here from another computer and its not being detected in the comp im building.

    anti, ill try that now and see how it goes.

    yoyo, i left it on ide mode. and reset the bios several times to no joy.


  • Options
    #16
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,016 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    RoyalMarineComm wrote: »
    matx msi n1996 ms- 7255 ver1.1

    its not the best board, but its fairly decent.


    hal, ive got a spare drive here from another computer and its not being detected in the comp im building.

    anti, ill try that now and see how it goes.

    yoyo, i left it on ide mode. and reset the bios several times to no joy.
    Me thinks SATA controller on board is broked, I did have a issiue booting a sata drive off my old gigabyte mobo but loading optomised defaults in bios and disabling raid fixed that, I think you'll need to return that board, :(

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

    My Irish Callcards site



  • Options
    #17
    Hal1
    Registered Users Posts: 8,720 ✭✭✭Hal1


    yoyo wrote: »
    Sounds like he only has the one m8, he tried a different drive with the same mobo and no joy

    Nick

    Thats what happen's when you work in tech, you can over think problems especially when your tried :o (see that) ;)


  • Options
    #18
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,016 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    Hal1 wrote: »
    Thats what happen's when you work in tech, you can over think problems especially when your tried :o (see that) ;)
    Lol, Definately man... :)

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

    My Irish Callcards site



  • Options
    #19
    RoyalMarine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,824 ✭✭✭RoyalMarine


    right.... its definatly the board so.

    the other comp picked up the sata drive no probs.

    hmmmmm... i wanna keep the board... i might swap the sata drive with an ide drive. that might work.


  • Options
    #20
    RoyalMarine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,824 ✭✭✭RoyalMarine


    actually now that i think of it, would there be a jumper on the board that disables sata?


  • Options
    #21
    yoyo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,016 Mod ✭✭✭✭yoyo


    RoyalMarineComm wrote: »
    right.... its definatly the board so.

    the other comp picked up the sata drive no probs.

    hmmmmm... i wanna keep the board... i might swap the sata drive with an ide drive. that might work.
    If your CD ROM drive works well then a IDE Drive should no problems, I reccomend you use a seperate IDE cable in another IDE connector on the motherboard if you have one, sharing a hard drive with a optical drive on one cable isnt a good idea, as performance can get limited for both devices...
    actually now that i think of it, would there be a jumper on the board that disables sata?
    I highly doubt it, not saying there isnt but I've never come accross one, just the setting in the bios...

    Nick

    My Beer Glass collection site 🍺

    My Irish Callcards site



  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #22
    Anti
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭Anti


    RoyalMarineComm wrote: »
    actually now that i think of it, would there be a jumper on the board that disables sata?


    No. The bored is dead. Either bin it or RMA it. Dont keep using it as you dont knwo what else could be fubar with it !


Advertisement