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Win Xp & SATA

seanbranagh
Grafter
Posts: 1,236
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Win Xp & SATA

I am building a computer for a friend and I have ran into my first encounter with SATA. I was hoping that Windows would find the drive but unfortunately not. I know I can install the drivers from a floppy disk at the early stages of Windows setup, but can I do it from the second CD drive using the disk that came with the motherboard? I neglected to install a floppy drive as the only time I have used one in the past 5 years is to flash bios.
7 REPLIES 7
Peter_Vaughan
Grafter
Posts: 14,469
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Win Xp & SATA

In a word... No.
The install process only supports floppy disk driver loading during installation.
The only possible option is to create a new XP install CD with the necessary drivers already included - it is possible. Try googling for slipstream or 'install XP on SATA without floppy'
e.g. ths.
[append]
Sounds like this is what you are after.
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Win Xp & SATA

Unless you are using SATA Raid there is usually no need to load special drivers during the XP install process.
Check your motherboard bios to see if there are SATA setup options.
One thing to watch is that if you try to install XP onto a SATA drive when there is also a PATA hard drive in the system it will partly ignore where you tell it to install and put some of the files onto the PATA drive with the remainder on the SATA drive and it won't work.
seanbranagh
Grafter
Posts: 1,236
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Re: Win Xp & SATA

The board does have onboard hardware SATA raid. I thougt using a floppy disk to load drivers was only pre service pack in XP but possibly I was wrong. I find it a bit ironic that to use newer hard disk technology you possibly have to revert back to the rather prehistoric floppy disk. Good thing I have a collection of old floppy drives and cables. I keep them in the same box as the vhs and cassette tapes. LoL.
Forgot to mention, I done a bit of slipstreaming with XP a couple of years ago and I think it will be easier just to install a floppy drive!
samuria
Grafter
Posts: 1,581
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎13-04-2007

Re: Win Xp & SATA

I have installed loads of pc's with sata with no need for a drivers disk. I use XP Pro sp2 so I dont know why your cant see it if you are not using raid
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Win Xp & SATA

Is raid enabled in the bios by default - some motherboards do this - I don't know why
seanbranagh
Grafter
Posts: 1,236
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Re: Win Xp & SATA

No, RAID is not enabled by default. It can only be enabled when 2 or more drives are installed.
I checked the motherboard CD and found the SATA drivers which I then copied to a floppy and installed them at the start of windows setup. That all worked perfectly.
I just thought this was taken care of in the XP service packs as I was using XP Pro SP2. Obviously this particular SATA controller was not included. The motherboard was a cheap and nasty one. Didn't check the exact model but it had Via chipset which in my experience is cheap and nasty.
retep
Grafter
Posts: 182
Registered: ‎14-04-2007

Re: Win Xp & SATA

Just a note that with a Sata boot drive you need both the motherboard support and a later Windows XP version.
Mesh 'bless them', supplied a 250Gb Sata drive on a new PC. When the hard disk failed and I replaced it, the recovery disk was so ancient  that it only supported a maximum of a 128Mb Pata disk!
Annoying to say the least, though they did supply a later Win XP disk but only after a lot of fuss. Their original responce was and I paraphrase 'Its your problem not ours'  so watch out.