Installing 74GB WD raptor on DFI NF3

[Grov]

only have your cd and SATA drive you want windows installed on plugged in

 

make sure bios is set for SATA 1/2 (or 3/4, i always turn all of them on)

 

put XP install cd into drive and boot into bios

 

make sure HDD Boot Priority sees the SATA drive and lists it first

 

save & exit and install XP

 

Done all of that, infact that's exaclty what iam doing every time. It detects the HD, i have it as first boot, but it's the only HD installed anyways, got it in sata 3, enabled in BIOS, same thing over and over.

 

Must be a bad CD?

[RGone]

when windows installer cannot copy files the first thing to look for is a memory problem. It is unstable during the install for some reason. Either overclocked or borderline unstable in the 'security' mode from which the install is being done. Almost exclusively since the coming on the scene of Nforce chipsets> I have found a single stick while installing is a better way to install and will quickly pinpoint bad memory.

 

Hale yes I know most get by with a zillion sticks during install but since I made a policy of just doing installs with a single stick> I don't have to guess and wonder what is wrong.

 

Lastly after that is a cdrom or cd that will not read well forcing the error correction factor of the cdrom to kick in and not keep up with solid data during install. See this maybe 6 out of 100 installs.

 

RGone...

 

PS: I guess what I am saying about using only 1 stick to do installs of winders with is a "fail safe" procedure that normally works all the time with good memory. Fail Safe meaning works better more times than not. After install the other stick can usually be added. When you build systems very much you always look for the 'fail safe" or * more likely to work * ways to do things to remove the variables. I find it no harder to use single stick to install and then add the second stick. Beats floundering around wondering what in hale is wrong.

[skrewler]

I was having this problem with my lanparty ultraD until I flashed the BIOS to the newest rev, didn't like my memory I guess.

[Grov]

Strange, but fixed.

 

Must of been my VX. It was at slack timmings, 2.8V, put it to 3.0V 2-2-2-5 and it was fine, lol.

 

One thing now though, there's an icon in the system tray safely remove hardware? is this normal and how do i get rid of it?

[RGone]

As far as I know there is not a real work around for that icon short of editting the registry because hotswap removability of the sata drives is a 'reality' on the Nvidia chipset and is enabled because you installed the SW/IDE Nvidia drivers which most of us leave out of chipset install.

 

RGone...

[Grov]

Ok, ill leave that out of my next install then, thanks.

 

One last thing. My secondary drive, a 160 GB WD IDE, won't open it says it's not formatted when i open it. I had loads of stuff on it, is there any way i can get it back?