BleepingComputer.com: Post low-level format: XP Setup can not detect a hard drive

I have forgotten something during my reinstallation.

Using Active@ KillDisk, a tool I've used several times with respectable results, I zeroed the single HD in my computer's tower. I put my XP install disc (OEM) in to go through the normal installation and setup, but was stopped at the first step when the setup program could not detect a hard drive. When that failed, I attempted to use the discs that came with my motherboard to see if something needed could be set to recognize the HD. The computer didn't make it through the boot sequence: "operating system not found" or something to that effect, was the error I got.

I can't install my hardware support without the HD having an OS.
I can't install the OS because there's no hardware support.

What am I missing? What did I forget? I'm stuck in a loop here, and it's got me flummoxed. Point me in the right direction, please.

The BIOS boot option should be from the optical drive, not the hard drive.

If you try to boot from a hard drive with no O/S, you should get the O/S not found message.

OEM XP expects to find a bare/empty hard drive...if anything is on it, please delete it, using the XP CD to do so. Then create your partition/format/install XP.

What is the exact error message?

SATA or PATA hard drive?

Motherboard or system...and respective manufacturer, please?

If using a SATA drive and there is no native motherboard support...then the SATA driver must be loaded before XP can even "see" the drive.

Louis

hamluis, on Oct 25 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

Yes.

hamluis, on Oct 25 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

The entire HD was deleted. Active@ KillDisk wrote zeroes to the whole drive. I can not detect an HD to partition, format or install.

hamluis, on Oct 25 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

Inside the windows installer:
Setup did not find ant hard disk drives installed in your computer.

Make sure any hard disk drives are powere on and properly connected to your computer, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is correct. This may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostic or setup program.

Setup cannot continue. To quit Setup, press F3.

hamluis, on Oct 25 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

SATA HD. It has an IDE adapter card that the HD plugs into. I don't believe it was originally intended to support SATA. Not out of the box, anyway.

hamluis, on Oct 25 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

Gigabyte Technology's K7 Triton motherboard, installed with an AMD Atholon XP 2.2 GHz processor (the fastest one the board can support, I believe).

hamluis, on Oct 25 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

I tried booting the computer with the disc I was given with the computer. It says "Addonics" and "Host Controller: SATA USB, Firewire, I/O Converter" with the final note of "Addonics Technologies V9.05" on the label.

When trying to boot from this disk, the following occurs:
GeForeceFX BIOS notice > Memory Text > PCI device listing > (quoted below)
Verifying DMI Pool Data .............
Boot from CD :
Error loading opreating system

As a side note, this same error appears when there is nothing present in the CD drive.

OK..I see several situations that require clarification. I may just be confused, but this is what I see:

1. Booting a SATA hard drive from a controller card...is very complicated, IMO...if not impossible.

A controller card needs to have drivers installed in order to be recognized...and drivers cannot be installed until the O/S is set up.

The O/S cannot be set up...until the SATA driver is installed...but the SATA drive cannot be recognized until the O/S is set up, because it connects to the controller card.

The controller card has it's own BIOS, drivers, and software...but it's not bootable because it was made to be installed as an ancillary device on an existing O/S.

2. Addonics...makes any number and various types of storage products. It prepares generic drivers CDs for these various products. The disk you mention has the drivers for all sorts of devices, so we cannot use it to figure out what device you have and what its function should be. Pull that device and read whatever printing is on there that might identify what is and the model/product ID.

The error message that you get when you try to boot with that drivers CD...just tells you that your system does not consider that CD to be bootable.

<<I can't install my hardware support without the HD having an OS. I can't install the OS because there's no hardware support.>>

I personally think you were right on the money when you made this assertion/assessment. But...until we get some info about this device you call an "IDE adapter card", I will reserve my final opinion.

Now I must ask...did this arrangement of parts ever work as a system...without other hard drives?

What is the exact model board that you have? I found a board fitting your general description...that has onboard SATA support (which would make sense).

http://www.nforcershq.com/gigabyte-gigabyt...-7nnxp-nforce2/

Also http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware.../gigabyte7vaxp/

In short...we need specific information identifying your motherboard...and specific information identifying this device you describe...before any one can realistically provide any advice that is truly helpful.

Just my opinion .

Louis

For Someone With The Power: IMO, this probably should be moved to Internal Hardware, rather than XP.

This post has been edited by hamluis: 25 October 2008 - 09:12 PM

hamluis, on Oct 25 2008, 09:10 PM, said:

The back of the card says "Model #: ADSA2." A quick google and visit to the Addonics site gives me these details. The picture matches my hardware exactly, with the two SATA ports on the side. (Google gives me several results for a card that has the SATA ports on the far edge instead of the top, but I'm trusting the manufacturer on this one.)

hamluis, on Oct 25 2008, 09:10 PM, said:

Yes. I gave the motherboard, processor and ram to a local shop, and told them to build me a system with it. The hardware was courtesy a friend who had the stuff lying around. I installed the processor myself (upgrade from 1044 MHz) just recently. The system has been working since I received it from the local shop. The whole box functioned, and well, until it came down with a virus.

hamluis, on Oct 25 2008, 09:10 PM, said:

My box says GA-7N400-L. Which would mean this is the right model to be looking at.

If your system has booted Windows from that drive in the past, I'd suggest download the ADSA2 XP drivers from Addonics, place them on a floppy disk and respond when the XP installation says to press F6 if you wish to use third party SCSI drivers etc, offer the floppy disk and see how it goes. The "Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer" is the normal response when XP cannot access a SATA drive.

This post has been edited by Platypus: 26 October 2008 - 04:22 AM