New SATA drive not detected, any ideas?

[Raphael Argus]

Hello all, installing a 250GB Maxtor drive into a Asus P4S86 motherboard. This is the only hard disk in the system, and I have tested the hard disk on my own PC and it worked fine, this if for a friend. The drive is not being detected at all. I absolutely have no idea what to do. Even the MaxBlast software that came with the drive does not detect the drive. I went to the ASUS website and I don't see any type of SATA drivers listed and I'm completed confused. Can anyone take some time and help troubleshoot this with me?

Thanks to anyone willing to help.

 

[Raphael Argus]

I forgot to add I'm doing a complete new install of XP pro and have the disk slipstreamed with SP2. I don't understand why this is not being detected. I see no options in the BIOS pertaining to SATA like I have in other systems but it has a primary and secondary SATA controller on the board.

 

[Apokalipse]

an XP SP2 disk should automatically detect SATA drives, but you could try installing your own SATA drivers.
when the XP disk is loading, press F6 where it says "press F6 to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver"
then find your motherboard's CD, and install the SATA drivers off that.

then it should hopefully work

 

[Raphael Argus]

Is it possible that a MOBO would contain SATA hookups but the BIOS be so old it didn't support it? I guess if they put them on the board it should be supported, but I see nothing in the BIOS pertaining to SATA at all which is throwing me off.

It's a friends PC, so I'll have to try to download some drivers to a floppy. He doesn't have his MOBO CD. Of course.....

 

[Apokalipse]

they wouldn't put SATA ports on a board unless the BIOS did support them. what is holding you back at the moment is the software's ability to use them

 

[Raphael Argus]

I'm guessing I'm missing something in setting up the BIOS. I don't see any clear directions on the ASUS site for this unless I'm missing it.

I see an option for "onboard ATA device" which is disabled. I enable it and nothing changes.

Under boot devices I see an option for "other boot device" which allows me to select SCSI/onboard ATA boot. I enable that, nothing.

I also see options for "onboard 1394" devices. I didn't know if SATA fell into that category, I enable that, as well as the two above, and nothing. I'm missing something in this BIOS....

 

[Apokalipse]

maybe check that SATA is enabled in BIOS

 

[Raphael Argus]

That's the thing, I don't see anything in any of the BIOS that says anything about SATA. I downloaded the manual but it isn't of any help here at all. The SATA ports are disabled, I'm confident that's why it's not being detected. Man, I'm not a tech but somehow I'm the only one in my family that knows anything about computers and I always end up doing this stuff. LOL

In the BIOS on my machine there's a simple option to turn on SATA onboard support. I can't figure this out on my friends machine...

 

[Raphael Argus]

His BIOS is ancient, but I had a bad flash once and I get the shakes just thinking about doing another one...

 

[Apokalipse]

it might be under "integrated peripherals" or something