New Build Windows Install Won't Recognize HDD

[cobbljock]

I built my uncle a desktop for Christmas. I have an Asus Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3V motherboard with Intel Celeron G530 processor. His primary hard drive is a Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB drive. I successfully built the computer, but when I tried to install Windows Vista, it said it can't find the hard drive. I checked the BIOS, and the drive is recognized in the BIOS menu, so I don't think the drive is bad (though it might be, I don't know if seeing it in the BIOS menu means the drive is good). When I put in the motherboard driver disc in the DVD-ROM drive, the Windows Installer can't find the driver it needs through a scan, and I don't know which drive I need to select to do it manually. Can anybody give me any advice on this? I leave on 12/31 to go back to where I live, so I'd like to get his OS installed before then. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[PP Mguire]

Are you plugged into the white ports or the blue ports? Try changing which port the drive is plugged into. You might need to go into the bios and change a few settings.

 

[cobbljock]

Are you plugged into the white ports or the blue ports? Try changing which port the drive is plugged into. You might need to go into the bios and change a few settings.

Which settings are you referring to, specifically? Like IDE to AHCI? I'm not super familiar with all the BIOS options, I just know enough to do simple things, like choose my boot drive, identify drives, etc. And by White or Blue ports you do mean the white or blue SATA ports, right?

 

[PP Mguire]

Yes, and yes. Try switching back and forth between the 2 until it shows up. I would start with AHCI on the blue ports.

 

[cobbljock]

Yes, and yes. Try switching back and forth between the 2 until it shows up. I would start with AHCI on the blue ports.

Thanks. I tried using AHCI while plugged into the blue ports, but no luck. Also, I don't have any white SATA ports on my particular motherboard. If I can see it on the BIOS screen, it definitely means the HDD isn't bad, right? I got the drive on Amazon, so it's no trouble to exchange it, but it doesn't seem to me that the drive is bad.

 

[PP Mguire]

If you provided the right model number then your board does indeed have 2 right angle ports that are white.

If the drive shows up in the bios then it is functional and should show up in the list for the OS. Since it isn't showing up it means the OS doesn't have drivers for the controller the drive is plugged into.