Sata Hd Not Showing Up After Post

[crash]

OK I just got my new Seagate 7200.7 and I want to install Windows XP on it and get rid of my SCSI setup. For some reason after I go through the first part of the installation, (through the blue screens) where you press F6 to install extra drivers, format NTFS, and copy setup files to the HD - The system reboots like it's supposed to and I get the message "Invalid system disk, please replace and press enter"

 

I have set my BIOS settings properly, I set first boot device to SCSI, second to CDROM and the under boot order I selected SATA as the first drive. SATA is also enabled in the bios and set to BASE.

 

Before windows loads everything looks fine ( this is when my scsi disks are installed) except nothing somes up on the screen about SATA or SATA drives. (like IDE drives get detected and show up "Primary - blah blah, Secondary - blah blah.) When I boot into windows with SATA enabled the found new hardwar screen comes up but in the end even though I have downloaded the drivers (from both gigabyte and Silicon Image) it says that it can't find the right drivers and I just get the ? mark in device manager.

 

Anybody have any suggestions? I'm wondering what's the point of putting new technology on mobo's if it doesn't even work! All I've seen about SATA, (after I bought it) is that there are tons of problems using ONLY SATA drives.

 

1.) why does my BIOS not recognize my new drive

 

2.) why is there no Silicon Image bios screen for the controller when I boot?

 

3.) why does SATA have to be so difficult? I'm having flashbacks to the days of boot disks and trying to load CDROM drivers before you could install an OS!

 

Please help!

 

ps

 

Silicon Image Sil3112 controller on A7N400 PRO rev.2,

 

Seagate 80GB SATA 7200.7 Barracuda

[Guest FxXP]

S-ATA is not difficult, and it does not appear that the right drivers are being used for the S-ATA (yeah, yeah, they came on the CD). You may have to back to GA's site and get updated drivers for the S-ATA controller. When you press F6 to install SCSI drivers, it is not supposed to reboot. It is supposed to take the drivers from the floppy and install them to the HAL then proceed on with the rest of the pre-install. Another thing you will have to do is unplug all IDE hard drives from the system before installing. Yes, I had to do this. The IDE drives will take presidence over the S-ATA drives (IDE will start with C:, D:, etc. and then S-ATA maybe be E:, F:). Its a quirk in the XP install.

 

Another answer to the question of no SI BIOS after the POST. This is because you have the S-ATA turned off. The SI controller does not function off of the mainboard BIOS. There should be a jumper located next to the SI controller. Move the location of the jumper from eg: 1-2 to 2-3 and power up the computer. You should have your S-ATA afterwards. Then proceed with the above and you should have a working S-ATA RAID or S-ATA HDD for installation.

Edited May 23, 2004 by FxXP

[crash]

OK figured it out. I had to roll back my Gigabyte BIOS version to F2. I'll try and flash to a newer BIOS later but right now I'm tired from spending 8 hours in the hospital with my new baby (Meagan 7lbs, 8oz May 21) and another 6 doing a fresh install of XP and trying to find all my old stuff!

 

Gigabyte boards don't have jumpers for the SATA - there is an option in the bios that lets you enable it, (I did have everything set right)

 

Turns out that the new BIOS (F7) doesn't initiate the SATA!!