Installing XP on SATA drive

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Hi all

Am all set to install XP Pro on my new SATA drive, just need a last bit of reassurance, if you will.

At the moment, I currently have an IDE G: drive which contains my current version of XP, and my new SATA C: drive which is currently doing nothing.

I want to install my new XP Pro (legal copy, BM ) on the SATA to benefit from the speed enhancements, and keep the IDE G as back-up for personal files.

Now on the surface, the SATA drive is running fine. However, when I go into BIOS, it doesn't seem to acknowledge that it is there. I get my Primary and Secondary IDE masters and slaves show up, but no SATA channel. First question: does this mean I still need to install the SATA drivers that came with the motherboard CD, despite the fact my system can detect and use the SATA drive? I upgraded the BIOS on my motherboard (ECS KT600-A) just this weekend.

Now provided all is good to go ahead with the installation of XP, here is what I intended to do with the intallation:

1) Place XP CD in CD drive
2) Power down, remove old G: drive
3) start-up, boot from CD
4) Hopefully, this should prompt me to install XP on the only drive there, i.e. the SATA
5) Once all done, change boot order so old IDE is removed from list entirely
6) Re-install G: drive

My only real concern is that if the SATA does not show up in BIOS, can I put an OS on it?

Can anyone show me the light on this, so to speak?

Thanks very much

 

heehee!

I'm not sure I understand. Is it running fine or is it not running fine? If Windows currently sees it, why would it not be seen with a new install? If Windows is not currently seeing it, then why would it be seen with a new install?

Some motherboards do not allow simultaneous use of SATA and IDE. I have no idea whether your ECS will or not.

 

Ah, thanks mate. I did read that about creating a boot disk and putting the VIA RAID SATA drivers in the boot sector. I may do that just as a matter of course anyway, couldn't do any harm I suppose

 

So far as I know, it's tip top, my only concern was that it is not showing up in the BIOS, there are no options for SATA, just IDE. It jsut struck me as odd that the drive is working fine in Windows but is not showing in BIOS.

 

double check you've not plugged it into any RAID SATA connectors by mistake as some times they have 2 sets of SATA connectors and they use different chips and require drivers and enabling in the bios.

what mobo is it ?

grim

 

Check the BIOS settings - there are often several entries for SATA drives:

1) Check that RAID is *not* on.
2) Check that SATA is 'enabled'. This can often mean whether SATA is available to boot, rather than whether the controller is on!
3) Check that SATA is set to IDE emulation (the precise wording seems to vary, and not all motherboards can do this)

On the last point - if the motherboard *does* have IDE emulation then you usualy don't need to use a driver disk during XP install.

Lastly - in my experience a single SATA drive is rarely faster than a good PATA drive - the limitation is in the drive, not the connection.

Harry.

 

alternitely plug it in and turn the RAID on and set it us as a JBOD drive ....oh wait i'm just complicating things. hope you have the manual there LoL

grim

 

The motherboard is an ECS KT600-A. I just this weekend flashed the BIOS with a download directly from the ECS website. I have two SATA controllers on the board (board is as per attached diagram)

By the way, this may seem a stupid question, but when I open My Computer in Windows, the SATA drive has all it's text/file names in blue, does that actually mean anything?

 

Cheers Harry, will print this page for future reference

 

Yeah, you're right, just remembered, I ticked that option.......

 

you've got 2 SATA connectors but they're the same chip, if you had 2 they would usually put them apart on the mobo. they would also be labelled as RAID.

grim

 

Hi all

Thanks very much for your help, got it all sorted last night.

I unplugged my old IDE drive and booted from the XP CD. At first, it couldn't recognise a drive, so I hit F6 and installed 3rd party SATA drivers, and bingo, up it pops. My BIOS recognises it as SCSI but so long as it works I can forgive that.

So, now the unenviable task of re-installing all my programmes and drivers.But it now boots up in a flash, programmes load in the blink of an eye, and best of all I can now digitise my entire CD collection and finally make use of the iPod my good lady got me for my birthday.

I did a look around before all this with possible catches with my make of motherboard, and there did seem to be an awful lot of people saying they either couldn't get a SATA drive to work at all, or couldn't get the OS on it, hence why I questioned it. Truth be told, I followed the frankly very clear instructions in the motherboard book and also on intalling XP and it worked fine.


So thank you all, once again.