SATA Hdd detection problem

[bdsafa]

Hi, i am using a P4 PC for my surveillance system, i accidentally removed the HDD driver from Device manager (windows XP) and there you go. system hangs when i start it and if i disconnect the hdd cable its working fine. i don't know how to get my pc back to normal. by the way the motherboard is gigabyte S3 technology. any ideas?

 

[Paperdoc]

Do you still have the original DVD disk used to install Win XP on this system? If you do, I suspect the best solution will be to do what is called a "Repair Install". You put the Install Disk in the optical drive and make sure your BIOS is set to boot from that optical drive. Boot from there as if you were going to start an Install operation. BUT very early you will have a menu of choices and you MUST NOT do a normal Install! Choose a Repair Install. That process assesses your machine and compares all the devices it finds to the list of device drivers already installed, and fixes up the mis-matches. When it is done you should be able to remove the optical disk and reboot from the HDD normally. We all hope so, anyway!

 

[bdsafa]

Do you still have the original DVD disk used to install Win XP on this system? If you do, I suspect the best solution will be to do what is called a "Repair Install". You put the Install Disk in the optical drive and make sure your BIOS is set to boot from that optical drive. Boot from there as if you were going to start an Install operation. BUT very early you will have a menu of choices and you MUST NOT do a normal Install! Choose a Repair Install. That process assesses your machine and compares all the devices it finds to the list of device drivers already installed, and fixes up the mis-matches. When it is done you should be able to remove the optical disk and reboot from the HDD normally. We all hope so, anyway!

I know, but the problem is when ever i try to connect the cable to the MB - System hangs in the stratup , so simply i can't even install windows.

 

[Paperdoc]

A missing device driver in windows for HDD's can't possibly account for a complete failure to get through the BIOS POST process. You are saying that the machine "hangs in the startup". If you mean by that that it freezes during the POST message screen during startup before Windows ever shows any signs of life, then the mobo is not reaching the HDD. That is a hardware problem not related to drivers. On the other hand, if it freezes after Windows shows a splash screen and starts trying to load, that most certainly can be caused by a missing HDD driver.

My suggestion of doing a Repair Install was exactly for the latter case. If you boot from the original XP Install Disk in an optical drive, you are NOT trying to boot using the hard drive and it will work that way, just as if you were starting to install Win XP to a blank new hard disk. Then, instead of doing the normal Install, you do a Repair Install. This also runs entirely from the optical drive and the mini-operating system it installs in RAM, so it can access the existing hard drive to read its contents and update as necessary.

So, if your machine can get all the way through the BIOS POST process and only hangs once it starts using the HDD to load Windows, then the Repair Install from the optical drive can work.

 

[bdsafa]

A missing device driver in windows for HDD's can't possibly account for a complete failure to get through the BIOS POST process. You are saying that the machine "hangs in the startup". If you mean by that that it freezes during the POST message screen during startup before Windows ever shows any signs of life, then the mobo is not reaching the HDD. That is a hardware problem not related to drivers. On the other hand, if it freezes after Windows shows a splash screen and starts trying to load, that most certainly can be caused by a missing HDD driver.

...

unfortunately , its the first one you mentioned ...

 

[Paperdoc]

Oh, OK, then let's focus on solving a hardware issue and leave the driver question aside for the moment. I have to leave for a series of meetings, so I can't offer further ideas until tomorrow. Just as a starting point, check all cable connections (data and power) between PSU, mobo and HDD in case there are loose connections. Next step, download a full free set of disk diagnsotic utilities from WD or Seagate - use a friend's computer if necessary. Get the version that allows you to burn a bootable CD that you can boot and run from independent of the HDD and not using Windows at all. Use it to test the HDD and try to identify its problems. Discuss results with the HDD manufacturer's Tech Support guys if necessary, and post results here for other to chime in on. See you later!

 

[bdsafa]

Oh, OK, then let's focus on solving a hardware issue and leave the driver question aside for the moment. I have to leave for a series of meetings, so I can't offer further ideas until tomorrow. Just as a starting point, check all cable connections (data and power) between PSU, mobo and HDD in case there are loose connections. Next step, download a full free set of disk diagnsotic utilities from WD or Seagate - use a friend's computer if necessary. Get the version that allows you to burn a bootable CD that you can boot and run from independent of the HDD and not using Windows at all. Use it to test the HDD and try to identify its problems. Discuss results with the HDD manufacturer's Tech Support guys if necessary, and post results here for other to chime in on. See you later!

I tried to connect it to another pc and at least get the data but guess what, that pc also freezes in the srartup screen i don't know what to do ... maybe just get a new HDD?

 

[Tonious]

This sounds like the exact same problem I'm having adding a 2nd HD to my system. It just freezes at startup when I add the 2nd SATA HD. But if I unplug it, it boots jsut fine. I can't get to windows when the 2nd HD is in so I'm not sure what to do. I've tried damn near everything they've suggested on this forum. I know it's got to be something simple! Have you tried searching for a driver for your hd? I've done the same for mine but all the links I find are just bogus junk trying to get me to buy something. Maybe need a driver for the sata interface?

 

[Paperdoc]

bdsafa, it appears your HDD unit has a serious problem. You could try using the manufacturer's diagnostic utilities as I suggested. If your HDD came from Seagate or Maxtor, get their Seatools for DOS; if it came from WD, get their Data Lifegard package. If it's from another maker, look around their website. These may tell you something helpful, or may just confirm that there is no hope left for resurrecting the drive.

Tonius, we need more information to help. Specify exactly what mobo maker and model number you have, maker and model of the HDD unit you are trying to add, what HDD units and optical drives already are installed and connected to what ports? Drivers for SATA ports are not hard to get and you certainly don't pay for them. Windows itself usually sets these up when it is installed, although conceivably a very old Windows might not have them. If Windows does not have them you can always download from the website of your mobo manufacturer the latest drivers for the mobo SATA ports (or, more likely, for all the mobo devices) and install them. But I would be surprised if any installation of a current Windows version does not have SATA port drivers already installed.

Freezing during the BIOS BOOT process is NOT a driver issue. If it freezes before ever showing you any Windows splash screen, the problem is that the BIOS is encountering errors when it tries to access the HDD, long before it ever gets to loading any part of Windows.

One possible source of these symptoms comes when you try to install a modern SATA II disk drive in a mobo with older original SATA controllers. The original system for SATA communicated with the drive at a max 1.5 Gb/s rate, while SATA II is twice that speed. Current SATA II disks are supposed to be able to detect this situation and solve it, dropping back automatically to the slower communication rate. But sometimes that does not work, so drive makers have ways to force them to slow down if necessary. This is only applicable to the specific combination of original SATA controller and more modern SATA II drive units. If that is your situation, post here and we can advise.

 

[Tonious]

bdsafa, it appears your HDD unit has a serious problem. You could try using the manufacturer's diagnostic utilities as I suggested. If your HDD came from Seagate or Maxtor, get their Seatools for DOS; if it came from WD, get their Data Lifegard package. If it's from another maker, look around their website. These may tell you something helpful, or may just confirm that there is no hope left for resurrecting the drive.

Tonius, we need more information to help. Specify exactly what mobo maker and model number you have, maker and model of the HDD unit you are trying to add, what HDD units and optical drives already are installed and connected to what ports? Drivers for SATA ports are not hard to get and you certainly don't pay for them. Windows itself usually sets these up when it is installed, although conceivably a very old Windows might not have them. If Windows does not have them you can always download from the website of your mobo manufacturer the latest drivers for the mobo SATA ports (or, more likely, for all the mobo devices) and install them. But I would be surprised if any installation of a current Windows version does not have SATA port drivers already installed.

Freezing during the BIOS BOOT process is NOT a driver issue. If it freezes before ever showing you any Windows splash screen, the problem is that the BIOS is encountering errors when it tries to access the HDD, long before it ever gets to loading any part of Windows.

One possible source of these symptoms comes when you try to install a modern SATA II disk drive in a mobo with older original SATA controllers. The original system for SATA communicated with the drive at a max 1.5 Gb/s rate, while SATA II is twice that speed. Current SATA II disks are supposed to be able to detect this situation and solve it, dropping back automatically to the slower communication rate. But sometimes that does not work, so drive makers have ways to force them to slow down if necessary. This is only applicable to the specific combination of original SATA controller and more modern SATA II drive units. If that is your situation, post here and we can advise.

Paperdoc- I posted all the info you need on my forum message!

 

[Paperdoc]

Right, Tonious, I neglected to realize you are the one whose thread is called "Having trouble installing 2nd HD". I've posted there.