BleepingComputer.com: Problem Installing Western Digital Hard Disk

my auntie bought a new hard disk for her computer, it was a 80GB Western Digital Hard Disk..
i've put it on as a secondary master, and it was detected right away, i even look at it on bios set up make sure, and it was there..
but when i log on to windows i cannot see it on My Computer, and the New Hardware Device Found is having an error installing the SCSI/RAID Host controller, and im thinking if thats the problem why i cant see it on My Computer..
ive downloaded a software from Western Digital website and installed it, i thought this solves the problem because a drive was added on My Computer and it is the Western Digital hard disk, but when i tried to open it, it says that the drive is not formatted, and when i try to format, it says that Windows cannot complete the operation, i cant format it either on DOS..

thanks in advance for any help you can provide..

Edit: Moved topic from XP to the more appropriate forum. ~ Animal

Have you tried moving it to the primary slave slot?

I think, if you are using RAID, you need to add new disk to your RAID array.

Amazing Andrew, on Apr 4 2009, 12:06 PM, said:

thanks for replying
no, i have not tried it yet, you think that will solve the problem?

Well...if you are not using a RAID...the controller does not even come into play.

Unless, of course, if your BIOS is configured for a RAID and the drive "disappears" because the system thinks it's part of a RAID involving 2 drives reflected as total space of only 1 drive.

If you can advise of what should apply here, it would be helpful.

Louis

hamluis, on Apr 4 2009, 12:55 PM, said:

thanks but sorry i cant understand anything of this RAID.. can you explain it on a newbie-like-me-can-understand please..
thanks..

Well...let's go back to the error message you get concerning the RAID controller.

Can you post the exact message you received?

Now...some fundamentals about a RAID: Basics of RAID - http://ezinearticles.com/?Basics-of-RAID&id=11919

Basically, a RAID configuration will involve at least 2 hard drives. In some of these different configurations, the total disk space reflected in Windows for that RAID level...will not reflect the true space on each of the drives.

Many motherboards now come with RAID controllers and possible RAID configurations (for users that want to avail themselves of such).

The motherboard on the system in question may be one of those...it's easier to say if we know who the system manufacturer is and what model the system is (e.g., Dell Presario 325).

The fact that you mentioned New Hardware and the SCSI/RAID controller...is what prompted this query.

On a typical system running Windows XP, there is no need for a SCSI/RAID controller to even be mentioned...unless the system has SATA drives (you can Google better explanations or any of these terms) or unless there is RAID capability provided by the system/motherboard.

If you say that the second hard drive appears in the BIOS as an ordinary Master IDE device...there should have been no query about it being set up in a RAID...at least that's how I've seen it on the motherboards I have had the opportunity to examine.

The reason for this is that a RAID normally (in my experience) employs its own BIOS and any drives in a RAID are reflected there in total.

Louis

I think ths RAID concern is a red herring.

In "My Computer" does the WD have a drive letter? Did you try to go into "Disk Management" to format/partition assign drive letters to begin with?

it says "There was an error installing SCSI/RAID Host controller device, cannot complete the installation"
at first i cannot see it on My Computer, but when i installed the program from Western Digital web site, it was detected on My Computer, yes it has a drive letter on it..but when i try to open, it says that the drive is not formatted and when i try to format it says that cannot complete the installation..i cant even format it on DOS, it says that i have to specify the file system etc..i have to type /FS i dont know..

help pls..

anyone??