Simple way to add a SATA driver?

[alphaa10]

On an IDE-booted XP Pro system, I never have needed a SATA drive until now. For purposes of storage, only, I plan to add a Seagate SATA 1.x drive. For the drive to be recognized by the system, I must install the SATA driver, as well.

Problem 1--
The XP system's Asrock K7VT6 mainboard (8237 VIA chipset) provides a drivers CD which seems to list only RAID drivers, and I have no need for a RAID setup. I can find no SATA driver for a single HD listed on the CD.

Problem 2--
I understand the SATA driver is frequently installed during OS installation, but would rather not reinstall XP Pro over itself, merely to add a SATA driver.

How can I add a SATA 1.x driver for this mainboard and OS?

 

[Dr_JRE]

Because your windows is already up and running you dont need to worry about this, just be sure you have installed the drivers and utilities included on the motherboard's driver CD.
SATA drivers are only an issue when installing XP. Once the motherboard drivers are installed, SATA disks will simply be plug-and-play. (Yes this includes the RAID. even if you arent using RAID, its still a RAID controller.)

 

[alphaa10]

Because your windows is already up and running you dont need to worry about this, just be sure you have installed the drivers and utilities included on the motherboard's driver CD.
SATA drivers are only an issue when installing XP. Once the motherboard drivers are installed, SATA disks will simply be plug-and-play. (Yes this includes the RAID. even if you arent using RAID, its still a RAID controller.)

Hello, and thanks for helping out.

During the XP installation process, the user is normally prompted to supply any third-party drivers that may be required for devices. In the past, this was the point where I supplied those drivers from a floppy or CD, and the installation proceeded without further interruption for additional files. However, the current installation of Windows XP Professional was made without any plan to install SATA devices later, and the third-party step was by-passed.

Although it is some help to know that installation of a RAID or non-RAID SATA drive is not an issue with the mainboard, it has not been plug-and-play so far. The device does not appear in Windows XP device manager. In addition, while the full Asrock-supplied driver set for the mainboard does install a SCSI RAID utility which allows me to search for any Seagate SATA device, the utility does not find the drive, itself, as either a RAID or non-RAID device-- and posts a screen message to that effect.

That result is what led me to recall the SATA device OEM may supply a range of drivers, ranging from Unix and Linux to certain versions of Windows. But Seagate's website declares--

Seagate does not supply drivers for SATA drives because hard drives themselves do not require specific device drivers. Operating systems such as Windows XP/2000 may not automatically recognize the SATA controller in the system. This is especially true if the hardware is newer than the operating system. (Which applies to my case--- XP was issued in 2001, upgraded to Windows SP3, and the system mainboard BIOS shows a 2004 date)

The SATA controller will either be embedded on the motherboard or a SATA add-on card. Windows 7 and Vista will usually recognize a SATA motherboard controller. SATA add-on cards will more than likely prompt for a driver. In either case, if the drive is not recognized by the OS Setup software, then you will need to supply a controller device driver.

The SATA controller driver can usually be found on the CD or website of the system, motherboard or SATA controller card manufacturer. (The Asrock K7VT6 mainboard installation CD, of course)

If the SATA controller is recognized during Setup without special drivers, then you can complete the installation. After the initial setup, check for driver updates from the OS or controller manufacturer.

Common Windows scenario:
When performing a new installation of Windows from CD of Windows XP or 2000, you will be prompted to push the F6 key to "install additional controller drivers".

When performing a new installation from DVD of Windows 7 or Vista a box will prompt “Where do you want to install Windows?” If the SATA hard drive is not showing then click the Load Driver option.

The "additional controller driver" is the SATA controller driver. Whether the SATA controller is embedded on the motherboard or is an add-on card, the driver(s) can be found on the CD or website of the manufacturer. If you need more information on installing SATA controller drivers, please consult the manufacturer's setup or installation manual.

So, essentially, I am back with the Asrock mainboard driver CD, none of whose RAID utilities recognize the device. I contacted Asrock yesterday, but I have found their tech support staffers uneven in their response times and support quality.

The drive is fully plugged into the Asrock mainboard SATA 1.x headers, with proper SATA 1.x connectors (no third-party adapters). The drive powers up, becomes warm, and a steady hum can be heard and felt.

 

[Dr_JRE]

Does the disk show up in BIOS? does it show in disk management? if its in disk management, make sure the disk is initialized, has a formatted partition and is currently assigned a drive letter.
The supplier states that you are to boot the PC from the drivers disk and create a driver setup disk for OS installation This disk will also work for installing the drivers after OS install:
Device Manager -> Actions menu -> Add legacy Hardware -> Next -> Install hardware that I select from a list -> Storage Controllers -> Have Disk -> Select the INF file on the driver disk created by the motherboard driver's CD.

 

[alphaa10]

Does the disk show up in BIOS? does it show in disk management? if its in disk management, make sure the disk is initialized, has a formatted partition and is currently assigned a drive letter.
The supplier states that you are to boot the PC from the drivers disk and create a driver setup disk for OS installation This disk will also work for installing the drivers after OS install:
Device Manager -> Actions menu -> Add legacy Hardware -> Next -> Install hardware that I select from a list -> Storage Controllers -> Have Disk -> Select the INF file on the driver disk created by the motherboard driver's CD.

Thanks for the quick response. In answer to your questions, (1) the SATA drive is not recognized by the system BIOS RAID status panel (RAID is switched ON), (2) the SATA drive is not displayed by Device Manager, even after a scan for changes (3) your reference to OEM instructions for creating a floppy to contain SATA drivers for use during reinstallation of the OS matches my own reading, and I have made the floppy.

So, I am set to reinstall XP Professional over itself, incorporating the floppy drivers in the F6 segment of the installation process. I also have imaged my entire system, since unprotected systems beg for trouble. Wish me luck, and I'll let you know how it turned out.

 

[Dr_JRE]

If the BIOS cant see it, software has absolutely nothing to do with the drive not being recognized.

 

[Dr_JRE]

"Thanks for the quick response. In answer to your questions, (1) the SATA drive is not recognized by the system BIOS RAID status panel (RAID is switched ON), (2) the SATA drive is not displayed by Device Manager, even after a scan for changes (3) your reference to OEM instructions for creating a floppy to contain SATA drivers for use during re-installation of the OS matches my own reading, and I have made the floppy.

So, I am set to reinstall XP Professional over itself, incorporating the floppy drivers in the F6 segment of the installation process. I also have imaged my entire system, since unprotected systems beg for trouble. Wish me luck, and I'll let you know how it turned out. "

If the BIOS cant see it, software has absolutely nothing to do with the drive not being recognized. A re-install will do nothing until you find out why its not being seen and fix it.
Please don't re-install windows on top of itself without formatting. If you are going to re-install, properly back up your data and format the drive before performing a clean install or both you and your computer are going to have a bad time.

 

[Saga Lout]

You may need to change the BIOS option for IDE to AHCI which in turn may temporarily play havoc with XP loading and running. If it does, restart the computer and change the option back. The brief time in between may have been enough to kickstart the SATA connections. Either way, it won't show in My Computer until you format it and assign a drive letter to it in Disk Management

 

[alphaa10]

You may need to change the BIOS option for IDE to AHCI which in turn may temporarily play havoc with XP loading and running. If it does, restart the computer and change the option back. The brief time in between may have been enough to kickstart the SATA connections. Either way, it won't show in My Computer until you format it and assign a drive letter to it in Disk Management

AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) is available on only newer machines. As you might not have read (yet) "the system mainboard BIOS shows a 2004 date".

In any case, the system BIOS must "see" (recognize) the device before Disk Management can be used to format the drive and assign a letter.

As Dr. JRE points out, there is hazard in simply reinstalling an OS like XP over itself. Already aware a clean format and installation is the best practices favorite, I was reluctant to do a reinstallation-- which is what brought me here with the question, how can I introduce a SATA driver after the operating system already has been installed?

Having read through as much literature as possible, it is clear the SATA drivers can be loaded (mated with) the operating system during only installation (F6 key to introduce third-party drivers). SATA drivers cannot be loaded after installation of an OS on this machine-- at least, in a manner which recognizes a SATA device. On this system, Device Manager shows the driver set from VIA has been installed, but no SATA device has appeared anywhere.

With only the option to reinstall Windows XP Professional over itself as a means to introduce a SATA driver to recognize the SATA device, I must determine whether that method is valid, beforehand. For example, I can do a clean installation of XP Professional on another, preformatted IDE drive, incorporating the VIA SATA drivers with F6 (when prompted), then check whether the older, BIOS-based system finally recognizes the new SATA device. If it does not, the BIOS, itself, becomes the issue. If I wish to update the BIOS, I must contact Asrock and flash the BIOS.

As I may have mentioned, Asrock is a well-designed Taiwanese mainboard, yet technical response one week after my completion of a tech support query form has been only an automated response, promising later contact.

 

[Dr_JRE]

You dont seem to be understanding what I am saying. Windows can not and will not see the hard drive untill the BIOS sees it. this is a hardware / firmware issue and has NOTHING TO DO WITH SOFTWARE OR THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM. Yes, take Saga Lout's advice and check the current controller setting. if its, AHCI, try changing to IDE, or if IDE, try changing to AHCI mode. (Yes, AHCI existed in computers back in 2004 so it's something you'll want to check for.) Again this is a hardware issue and has nothing to do with drivers. we cant get the drive working in windows untill the Basic Input / Output System recognizes it.
Try changing the cable to the one on the good hard drive that you know is good. try plugging into a different port on the motherboard to rule out the current one in use is not the problem. try using a different power plug.
Remember this is a hardware problem not software. We need to approach troubleshooting from that perspective.

And to answer your original question again, once the hardware issues are solved, the drivers are located on the motherboard's drivers CD. If you do not know which .INF file to select, use SATA Driver disk you stated you already created. The drivers you need are in those .INF files. Use the Add New Hardware Wizard and select "have disk" to manually install them if the system does not auto-detect and install them on it's own.

 

[alphaa10]

You dont seem to be understanding what I am saying. Windows can not and will not see the hard drive untill the BIOS sees it. this is a hardware / firmware issue and has NOTHING TO DO WITH SOFTWARE OR THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM. Yes, take Saga Lout's advice and check the current controller setting. if its, AHCI, try changing to IDE, or if IDE, try changing to AHCI mode. (Yes, AHCI existed in computers back in 2004 so it's something you'll want to check for.) Again this is a hardware issue and has nothing to do with drivers. we cant get the drive working in windows untill the Basic Input / Output System recognizes it.

Thanks, again, JRE, but I understood your point completely from the first reading. Earlier, I got apparently conflicting comments from a source connected with Asrock. That misunderstanding has been resolved.

AHCI may be part of the BIOS of this Asrock 2004-vintage mainboard, but it does not appear under any BIOS panel. Do you suppose that resetting BIOS default values would reveal any "missing" reference to AHCI? (According to one reference, merely flashing a BIOS will not always clear the old values. The BIOS should be reset to default values, first.)

The cable and connector exchange you suggest is a very likely next step. My first approach, though, will be simply to plug in the SATA HD on a new(er) computer system, and validate the HD (with a new cable set, as well). This Asrock mainboard is so old, it has only two SATA 1.x connectors.

From reading several posts from Tom's Hardware forum, I now realize the combination of XP and SATA has been a problem for years, and I am prepared to be patient. I'll post results on the trial of the SATA drive with another system (probably a Vista), and make sure the HD is OK. After that, I'll run through the connector and cable drill, and see what develops.

 

[Saga Lout]

Bit of a long shot but my fading memory tells me of some problem early XP/SATA had was down to a limit of 137Gb. So when you connect it to another PC, you could try making and format a Partition of 137Gb and leave the rest - give the 137Gb a drive letter - higher up the alphabet than your opticals and see if that works when BIOS finally accepts it.

 

[alphaa10]

I appreciate that idea, Saga-- it is exactly what I need to confirm the BIOS needs to be flashed, if possible.

For good measure, I already have experimented along somewhat similar lines in modifying HD parameters. Throttling down the data rate to 1.5gbps for SATA 1.x (whereas the drive, itself, may be capable of more) eliminates at least one hypothetical concern. On this HD, one jumper will ensure the rate cannot exceed SATA 1.x. (Unfortunately, jumpering down the data rate made no difference.)

Meanwhile, I have established the Seagate drive appears to be OK-- I placed it on a post-XP machine which is very new, and it was recognized immediately. Now, to create a sub-138gb test volume on the new machine, replace the HD on the XP system, and see what develops.

Flashing is something I would rather avoid, if at all possible-- but it may not be. BTW, here is a link to the OEM site for the mainboard, an Asrock K7VT6 with a VIA KT600 chipset. http://www.asrock.com/MB/overview.us.asp?cat=Download&Model=K7VT6&os=BIOS

As you note, the product link indicates SATA and RAID features. Taiwan tech support for the Asrock mainboard has notified me it planned to respond to a query sent June 25, but so far, nothing.

 

[Saga Lout]

A quick Googling (nothing quite like it on a cold day) reminds me that 137Gb only applied to original XP, pre Service Pack 1 so that suggestion is off the menu as yours isn't even recognised at an earlier stage.

 

[TrevorS]

I appreciate that idea, Saga-- it is exactly what I need to confirm the BIOS needs to be flashed, if possible.

For good measure, I already have experimented along somewhat similar lines in modifying HD parameters. Throttling down the data rate to 1.5gbps for SATA 1.x (whereas the drive, itself, may be capable of more) eliminates at least one hypothetical concern. On this HD, one jumper will ensure the rate cannot exceed SATA 1.x. (Unfortunately, jumpering down the data rate made no difference.)

Meanwhile, I have established the Seagate drive appears to be OK-- I placed it on a post-XP machine which is very new, and it was recognized immediately. Now, to create a sub-138gb test volume on the new machine, replace the HD on the XP system, and see what develops.

Flashing is something I would rather avoid, if at all possible-- but it may not be. BTW, here is a link to the OEM site for the mainboard, an Asrock K7VT6 with a VIA KT600 chipset. http://www.asrock.com/MB/overview.us.asp?cat=Download&Model=K7VT6&os=BIOS

As you note, the product link indicates SATA and RAID features. Taiwan tech support for the Asrock mainboard has notified me it planned to respond to a query sent June 25, but so far, nothing.

I've just read this thread with great interest, having much the same VT8237 problem on my Asrock K7VT6. I'm running WinXP Pro sp2 with three PATA HDDs and a PATA DVD. I wanted to install a Sandisk SSD on one of the two SATA ports (which properly supports a SATA DVD drive, though neither BIOS 1.30 or 1.60 reports it), but unfortunately, neither the BIOS nor WinXP sees a hard drive attached to either SATA port (might if I had two identical drives for RAID, but that's not what I want). After multiple tries of the VIA 300b drivers via their package install utility, the Asrock CDROM install utility, and via Hardware Manager using both automatic and manual selection, I've got nowhere.

Seems to me your results and mine are basically a match and so I'm disappointed the thread came to this abrupt halt. Did you ever find a solution?

I've done a get-me-by workaround by removing the secondary PATA HDD and DVD and installing the SSD via a PATA-to-SATA rear-mount adapter card and installing a SATA DVD drive on SATA-1. Although WinXP handles the SATA DVD drive fine and doesn't require a VT8237 driver be installed to do it, the BIOS doesn't report it and so I can't BOOT from it. Also, the adapter card isn't a great solution since not only does it drop from 1.5 to 1.33 transmission, it also doesn't mount as securely as normal cable connections (could work loose).

So, I'd love to learn if you made any progress on getting your SATA ports to work with non-RAID drives?

I'd also like to know how to boot from a VT8237 SATA CD/DVD drive, somehow with a floppy maybe (though as I said, WinXP doesn't need a special driver for it)?

 

[Dr_JRE]

The manual for this motherboard isn't very clear. This would be something I'd like to play with myself. There are some BIOS options regarding the RAID controller that I would like to turn on/off to see what effect they would have.

From what I'm seeing, Hot Plug and Hot Swap Functions functions should be enabled.

You should also enable the 1.5GB/s limit jumper. (If the SATA drive has one.) VIA made an official announcement on the VT8237. It is incompatible with the 3GB/s standard (SATA-II & III)

If the SSD can not be limited to 1.5GB/s, you may need to purchase a PCI based SATA controller (non-RAID) or replace the motherboard.

 

[Saga Lout]

I'm intrigued by the fact that BIOS doesn't report SATA even though there are two on the board. Are you sure there isn't an option name AHCI as an alternative to IDE?

 

[alphaa10]

I appreciate that idea, Saga-- it is exactly what I need to confirm the BIOS needs to be flashed, if possible.

For good measure, I already have experimented along somewhat similar lines in modifying HD parameters. Throttling down the data rate to 1.5gbps for SATA 1.x (whereas the drive, itself, may be capable of more) eliminates at least one hypothetical concern. On this HD, one jumper will ensure the rate cannot exceed SATA 1.x. (Unfortunately, jumpering down the data rate made no difference.)

Meanwhile, I have established the Seagate drive appears to be OK-- I placed it on a post-XP machine which is very new, and it was recognized immediately. Now, to create a sub-138gb test volume on the new machine, replace the HD on the XP system, and see what develops.

Flashing is something I would rather avoid, if at all possible-- but it may not be. BTW, here is a link to the OEM site for the mainboard, an Asrock K7VT6 with a VIA KT600 chipset. http://www.asrock.com/MB/overview.us.asp?cat=Download&Model=K7VT6&os=BIOS

As you note, the product link indicates SATA and RAID features. Taiwan tech support for the Asrock mainboard has notified me it planned to respond to a query sent June 25, but so far, nothing.

I've just read this thread with great interest, having much the same VT8237 problem on my Asrock K7VT6. I'm running WinXP Pro sp2 with three PATA HDDs and a PATA DVD. I wanted to install a Sandisk SSD on one of the two SATA ports (which properly supports a SATA DVD drive, though neither BIOS 1.30 or 1.60 reports it), but unfortunately, neither the BIOS nor WinXP sees a hard drive attached to either SATA port (might if I had two identical drives for RAID, but that's not what I want). After multiple tries of the VIA 300b drivers via their package install utility, the Asrock CDROM install utility, and via Hardware Manager using both automatic and manual selection, I've got nowhere.

Seems to me your results and mine are basically a match and so I'm disappointed the thread came to this abrupt halt. Did you ever find a solution?

I've done a get-me-by workaround by removing the secondary PATA HDD and DVD and installing the SSD via a PATA-to-SATA rear-mount adapter card and installing a SATA DVD drive on SATA-1. Although WinXP handles the SATA DVD drive fine and doesn't require a VT8237 driver be installed to do it, the BIOS doesn't report it and so I can't BOOT from it. Also, the adapter card isn't a great solution since not only does it drop from 1.5 to 1.33 transmission, it also doesn't mount as securely as normal cable connections (could work loose).

So, I'd love to learn if you made any progress on getting your SATA ports to work with non-RAID drives?

I'd also like to know how to boot from a VT8237 SATA CD/DVD drive, somehow with a floppy maybe (though as I said, WinXP doesn't need a special driver for it)?

Apologies for not catching up on my forum mail-- for some reason, notifications were not reaching me. The matter of the Asrock mainboard was settled for me, when the board abruptly failed. A component at the mainboard power connector overheated, melted and I am no longer the owner of the Asrock or the problem associated with it.
However, if your Asrock is still running, this may benefit your situation--
1. Asrock never responded in substance to my query, but simply promised to be in touch about it.
2. On this forum, I found somebody who actually planned to rewrite and flash into his board the ability to read older drives. However, this thread is so removed from my current preoccupations, I cannot recall further details. But his approach suggests the Asrock is natively limited, and if it will not detect the newer SATA HDs, due to a quirk in the Via chipset, that is why most people simply upgrade their mainboard, instead.

 

[alphaa10]

I'm intrigued by the fact that BIOS doesn't report SATA even though there are two on the board. Are you sure there isn't an option name AHCI as an alternative to IDE?

As I recall, there was not a reference anywhere to AHCI, although I understand the suggestion.
The Asrock mainboard with VIA chipset finally had a meltdown-- literally-- so I have been launched into a modern mainboard.

 

[alphaa10]

Bit of a long shot but my fading memory tells me of some problem early XP/SATA had was down to a limit of 137Gb. So when you connect it to another PC, you could try making and format a Partition of 137Gb and leave the rest - give the 137Gb a drive letter - higher up the alphabet than your opticals and see if that works when BIOS finally accepts it.

I toyed with that limiting jumper, but the SATA HD still was undetected. As you will note elsewhere in the thread, the mainboard finally resolved the situation by having a certified melt-down.
The original SATA HD is much happier, now, thriving in a newer environment where everyone speaks SATA.