Installing XP from within XP?

[Bobby]

I have been trying to install Windows XP Pro (SP2) on a new (SATA) hard
drive and I've had problems with the setup program recognising my drive
(does XP have a problem with SATA drives?).

I (now) appreciate that XP sees a SATA drive as a SCSI/RAID device (don't
ask me - again, does XP have a problem with SATA?) but the setup program
tells me that I have no hard drives installed when I try to do a clean
install. I have tried to put the motherboard driver onto floppy but XP
can't/won't read it.

But my SATA drive is recognised OK when XP loads (using my original HD). It
comes up as drive "H" and works fine.

So, is it possible to install XP from within XP? Can I boot from my original
HD and then somehow install XP from that position (since my SATA drive is
recognised when XP is loaded)?

Cheers.

Bobby

 

[Paul Murphy]

I have been trying to install Windows XP Pro (SP2) on a new (SATA) hard
drive and I've had problems with the setup program recognising my drive
(does XP have a problem with SATA drives?).

I (now) appreciate that XP sees a SATA drive as a SCSI/RAID device (don't
ask me - again, does XP have a problem with SATA?) but the setup program
tells me that I have no hard drives installed when I try to do a clean
install. I have tried to put the motherboard driver onto floppy but XP
can't/won't read it.

But my SATA drive is recognised OK when XP loads (using my original HD).
It comes up as drive "H" and works fine.

So, is it possible to install XP from within XP? Can I boot from my
original HD and then somehow install XP from that position (since my SATA
drive is recognised when XP is loaded)?

Cheers.

Bobby

You wont be able to get the new SATA HDD as C: unless you install Windows XP
onto it directly - otherwise it will end up as a secondary drive. It sounds
like the drivers you're using during setup are the wrong ones. Are you
attempting to have them detected after pressing F6 during the initial part
of XP setup (when the blue screen message says to press F6 to install RAID
controllers - or something like that)? What are the contents on the floppy
that you created (the file names) and what is the motherboard make/model and
SATA controller details on it?

Paul

 

[xfile]

Hi,

For your reference,

You shouldn't need any driver for using SATA HD to install Windows XP, and
only RAID driver is needed if you are going to configure and use RAID
functions.

Does your BIOS recognize your SATA drive? If not, it may not be the problem
of XP.

Make sure to configure IDE device to Enhanced mode with PATA + SATA both
enabled while the setting for SATA as RAID is set to No.

Hope this helps.

 

[xfile]

Hi,

Sorry, meant to reply the OP/

You wont be able to get the new SATA HDD as C: unless you install Windows
XP onto it directly - otherwise it will end up as a secondary drive. It
sounds like the drivers you're using during setup are the wrong ones. Are
you attempting to have them detected after pressing F6 during the initial
part of XP setup (when the blue screen message says to press F6 to install
RAID controllers - or something like that)? What are the contents on the
floppy that you created (the file names) and what is the motherboard
make/model and SATA controller details on it?

Paul

 

[BP]

When you first load the XP CD and hit ENTER "to install" there will appear
at the bottom of the screen a message that asks you to press F6 to "load
SCSI devices". You will then be prompted to insert the floppy with the SATA
drivers.
Now when I built my new machine, the bios was initially set up so that my
function keys were inactive until I hit an "F Lock" key to activate them. I
had to go through the loop of trying to hit F6 with nothing happening a
couple of times before I figured that one out.

 

[Peter R. Fletcher]

That aint necessarily so! For at least some MBs (the ASUS A7N8X series
is an example), you need to use F6 to install the SATA drivers if you
want to install XP on a SATA drive even if you aren't using RAID. I
think that the rule is something like if you have an active RAID SATA
controller on the MB the drivers have to be installed so that you
don't try to address a RAID setup as non-RAID, or vice versa.

Hi,

For your reference,

You shouldn't need any driver for using SATA HD to install Windows XP, and
only RAID driver is needed if you are going to configure and use RAID
functions.

Does your BIOS recognize your SATA drive? If not, it may not be the problem
of XP.

Make sure to configure IDE device to Enhanced mode with PATA + SATA both
enabled while the setting for SATA as RAID is set to No.

Hope this helps.

Please respond to the Newsgroup, so that others may benefit from the exchange.
Peter R. Fletcher

 

[Bobby]

Thanks I tried that.

And this time the driver loaded from the floppy disk - but Windows *still
reported that there was no HD installed!

I'm at a complete loss with this drive.

Bobby

 

[Paul Murphy]

What were the files on the floppy disk (all the file names) and where did
you get them from? Additionally, are there any options for the SATA
controller in the machines BIOS? I suspect the problem is either with the
drivers or BIOS settings, what's the motherboard and SATA controller used?

Paul

 

[xfile]

Hi,

You're right.

It should be addressed more correctly as to the setting of SATA as RAID
should be turned off or set to No (which is the default in many cases) and
then no driver will be needed.

Thanks again.

 

[Bobby]

Thanks for helping Paul.

What were the files on the floppy disk (all the file names) and where did
you get them from?

The floppy was created from the motherboard CD (it had a utility to create a
floppy with the drivers).

Additionally, are there any options for the SATA controller in the
machines BIOS?

Yes. I have enabled the "SATA Bootrom" and the Promise controller. I've
tried both RAID and IDE mode for this controller (I don't understand how a
SATA controller - if that's what the Promise controller is - can operate in
IDE mode since I thought SATA was totally different from IDE?).

I suspect the problem is either with the drivers or BIOS settings, what's
the motherboard and SATA controller used?

Mobo: Asus K8 SE Deluxe. SATA controller (I think) is Promise
Flex-something.

Cheers.

 

[John Smith]

Can'y find an English user manual at the ASUS site but I note that the MB has
two
SATA controllers, a Promise 20378 and a VT8237 bothe supporting RAID.
Check your manual to see if both of them can be set for a boot device or that
you have then BIOS set properly to ID the SAT drive for booting.

John

 

[Paul Murphy]

http://www.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/sock754/k8v_se_dx/e1491_k8v_se_deluxe.pdf

Paul

 

[Bobby]

My Asus K8V SE motherboard does require SATA drivers - even though it's
recognised by the BIOS.

It's listed when my PC boots but unless I press F6 to load custom driver
then Windows XP Pro does not find it. When I load the driver (from
diskette), Windows fiinds it.

But I still have lots of problems. See my "SATA saga" post.

Bobby

 

[xfile]

Hi,

I read your post and you're right that I should have stated it even more
precisely as I did for another reply.

For what I've learned, driver is needed for the "controller" and not for
Windows nor for the drive.

Hope this clears what I meant.