SATA HD not registering

**vizi** · August 10, 2006, 08:49 PM

I just put a computer together and I am attempting to install windows. The motherboard is SATA capable so I bought a SATA hard drive. However the computer is not registering the SATA drive and under my CMOS features it only lists IDE drives and I cannot find a way to locate the SATA HD in the BIOS.

Any ideas? Thanks?

**Gaius Baltar** · August 10, 2006, 08:51 PM

EDIT:

You need to format the drive first before the MB will recognize it.

**vizi** · August 10, 2006, 08:59 PM

Yes....

**Lee1026** · August 10, 2006, 09:00 PM

Also, windows will need special drivers.

**Frost, colonel** · August 11, 2006, 11:00 AM

Do you need to 'flash the bios'?

**OTZ** · August 12, 2006, 08:06 AM

Windows should recognise SATA HDDs right off the bat. I think the special drivers (ie hitting F6 while Windows loads set up files) are only for SATA drives that over ~130GB.

**Aristocrat** · August 12, 2006, 08:26 AM

The hard drives should be detected in the bios...
If they aren't try different SATA cables and SATA ports.

**Asmodius** · August 12, 2006, 08:53 AM

Windows is retarded an no, it won't recognize SATA harddrives. You need to press F6 and use a floppy disk with working SATA drivers. The one I got with mine didn't work so I had to borrow a friends that did. Good luck.

**Aristocrat** · August 12, 2006, 09:00 AM

I said BIOS I wasn't talking about an operating system at all.

**krazykarl** · August 12, 2006, 12:40 PM

It totally depends on the way SATA is implemented to determine weather or not you need to insert the disk. Most versions of SATA in the wild are not native implementations, they are the result of additional controllers, and thus require additional drivers. Newer SATA controllers operate in native mode, and windows will see them fine with no additional drivers. If you really feel masochistic, you can try and slipstream the additional SATA drivers into a windows XP install disk. If you cannot see the drives in the BIOS, you have a problem with your drive (try useing the funkey new power connector if you are using a regular MOLEX, do not plug in power to both the SATA power and Molex at the same time, bad things will happen.)