Bios cannot find hdd - Computer Support & PC Help Forums

**harleyd** · 11-16-2008, 07:11 PM

Evening guys n gals, hoping someone can guide me on this prob.
On boot up the comp.which had been working fine couldnt find the hdd, tried to find it in the bios on auto ,no such luck. Thinking it was the hdd that failed I bought 2 new sata drives and they still cannot be found on bios though the dvd drive is still visible and ok? I connected one of the new hdd to the previous connections and it seemed to install windows XP but on reboot still no joy on the bios. HELP!

**Wolfeymole** · 11-16-2008, 07:26 PM

Hello Harly

Welcome to Free PC Help

Ok we have some enigmas here as a newly installed hard drive cannot simply install Windows.

Did you install the SATA driver for the main initial drive?

Did you set the bios to see the drive?

**Tootech** · 11-16-2008, 08:03 PM

Hi,

If I've got this right, you've lost your old drive - IDE or SATA?, possibly faulty.

You've added 2 new SATA drives, and although you cannot see them in the BIOS, you've managed to install Windows on one.

On reboot your PCwill boot to Windows, yet you can't see the drive in the BIOS

Is that how it is set up ?

**harleyd** · 11-16-2008, 08:10 PM

Hi, Thanks for your response, the previous hdd was a sata and I have no separate disc with the drivers for sata, on the bios I must admit there are only IDE channels available one of which is the dvdr. But has mentioned previously the original hdd is sata which did disapeer from the bios. I presume I should still have the drivers installed, then again this could be a good line to go for hoping I can get them from the internet onto a dvd.

**harleyd** · 11-16-2008, 08:14 PM

Hi, thanks for your response, the original drive was sata, tried installing windows to the new drive hoping to make something happen. All I get on boot up is check connection error has the hdd are not recognised on bios.

**Wolfeymole** · 11-16-2008, 08:16 PM

You need to install a SATA driver when it asks by pressing F6 Harley.

**Tootech** · 11-16-2008, 08:18 PM

Sometimes there's a SATA1 to SATA2 compatibility issue - your board maybe SATA1 only, your new drives SATA2 - often they will not talk unless the drives are slowed to SATA1.

If you can post your motherboard make/model and new hard drive make/model I can check and hopefully rule that out.

**harleyd** · 11-16-2008, 08:23 PM

Pressing F6 on bootup like a good un, but nowt happening, then again i need some drivers if this is the case.

**harleyd** · 11-16-2008, 08:39 PM

Thanks mate, MOBO is a gigabyte KBN pro sli, the new hdd is a Hitachi 320 gb sata2! the original hdd is a hitachi 160 gb which i presume is sata 1

**Tootech** · 11-16-2008, 09:42 PM

Just had a look through the manual for your board and it looks like there are 8 SATA ports, 4 SATA1 and 4 SATA2.

The fast SATA2's are next to the IDE connectors, the slower SATA1's are at the bottom of the board.

Can you check that, confirm or otherwise and post which ports your drive is plugged into.

Your new drive should be plugged in to one of the SATA 2's.

BTW - do you have a floppy drive on your PC, and one on the PC you are using to access the net?

**harleyd** · 11-16-2008, 10:40 PM

Defo only 4 sata on my mobo below battery under IDE and tried all these ports, been on gigabyte site for drivers but I dont have a floppy on either machine! Going to sort a floppy and drivers out in next few days and fingers crossed I can install them. Thanks once more Tootech.

**harleyd** · 11-16-2008, 10:48 PM

Just thought on the system is a 64 bit one if that makes a difference but not running on xp64 never has due to driver issues for printers etc.

**Tootech** · 11-16-2008, 11:06 PM

The manual has this piccy - If you only have four, then I think they are the nForce SATA 2 ports.

64 bit issue a non issue - only practical difference is the memory limit in 32bit system. Don't worry about it.

You should still be able to see the drives in the BIOS.

Hang on until tomorrow, Dalo may have some ideas.....

mobo.JPG

**Dalo Harkin** · 11-17-2008, 08:35 AM

You need to do what Wolfey has advised - within your MOBO manuals and disks there should be 2 floppy drives one labelled 32bit SATA driver and one labelled 64bit SATA driver.
These only need installing on XP and not Vista - and are installed by pressing F6 when the OS is loading - you only get a short time to do this and you are given the prompt at the bottom of the screen.
(if you dont have the floppies in the MOBO box they WILL be on your MOBO disk and you will need to put them on a floppy)

Hope this clarifies

**harleyd** · 11-17-2008, 07:49 PM

Thanks

**harleyd** · 11-18-2008, 05:55 PM

Dalo, Sorry to trouble you again I downloaded the latest driver for sata onto floppy, but when it loads an error txtsetup.oem is not found. Also I tried repair mode and did chkdsk and it mentioned the hdd was ok the original disk what I thought had failed, no new ones connected at the mo.

**harleyd** · 11-18-2008, 06:44 PM

Wolfeymole , Sorry to trouble you again I downloaded the latest driver for sata onto floppy, but when it loads an error txtsetup.oem is not found. Also I tried repair mode and did chkdsk and it mentioned the hdd was ok the original disk what I thought had failed, no new ones connected at the mo.

**Wolfeymole** · 11-18-2008, 06:48 PM

Harley

What is the state of play on this hard disk drive?

Things are slightly confusing here because you said it had died but now you are able to run chkdsk on it.

Please tell us what is going on.

**harleyd** · 11-18-2008, 07:02 PM

Sorry mate, I presumed it had died when the system wouldnt boot, plugged it back in, though still not visible in bios pressed R then did chkdsk, the message says : the volume appears to be in good condition and was not checked.
134206976 kb total disc space
42803440 kb available.
So it sees it in this mode but not on bios?

**Wolfeymole** · 11-18-2008, 07:12 PM

You pressed R?

What does that mean?

If you can access that disk it MUST be seen in the bios Harley.