Installing SATA Drivers

[Avi]

I've been having some issues with a laptop that I am restoring, and wondered if anyone here could help me out.

I had to buy a new hard drive for this laptop, and have a copy of XP and Vista. Both of them give me problems when installing them to the hard drive (I'm not doing a dual boot, but when one didn't work I tried the other to help find where the problem was). Apparently, my issue is that I need to install SATA drivers on the hard drive so that the discs can transfer the data.

I have Googled this issue extensively, and have found dozens of different answers that either don't work for me or are beyond my comprehension. If anyone here has any experience with this, or knows how to solve this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.

[TronFAQ]

Quick question: what versions of XP and Vista do you have? I guess they're not XP SP3 and Vista SP1, correct?

I ran into a similar problem when I built my latest PC. I only had the original release of Vista, not Vista with SP1 already included/applied to it on the DVD. Vista would not install on my machine, without SP1. But without Vista already installed, I couldn't install SP1. Catch-22.

In the end, I had to do some BS where I had a USB key with updated drivers on it that I pointed Vista to. Then it "slipstreamed" the update into the install process, and finally allowed me to install Windows properly.

You might be able to change a setting in your BIOS from AHCI mode to IDE mode, in order to avoid the whole mess. But then, the hard disk will not be performing as well as it could (slower, NCQ disabled).

[Avi]

I'd have to go get the CD's again to find out, but I'm pretty sure it's just Vista without SP1, and the other is XP Pro (but I'm not sure about which version either).

I'm not familair with Sata drivers...are they universal, or specific to your motherboard. There's a chance this might not work at all...what I have is a copy of XP that came with a Dell desktop PC. The desktop bit the dust, but I have the install codes and CD still. I want to install it into a HP laptop, but I'm not sure if it will work since the CD says "For Use With Dell Computers Only". I can't tell if it's BS or if there's a legitimate reason why it won't work in a different kind of computer.

For some reason, my USB stick won't uninstall the autolaunch software that is installed on it, so it can't be recognized as a mass storage device during Windows installation. I have a second laptop that has Ubuntu on it, but I'm becoming less and less impressed with it. It's fun to mess with at first, but after a while you realize that it can't run squat.

[TronFAQ]

I'm not familair with Sata drivers...are they universal, or specific to your motherboard.

For SATA, they're pretty much specific to the chipset on your computer's motherboard. With IDE, you could get away with generic Microsoft drivers included in Windows.

Without having the latest version of Windows (XP SP3 or Vista SP1), this is unfortunately where you run into these kinds of problems. Newer motherboard chipsets get released, and older versions of Windows don't have the right SATA drivers included to support them. I needed Vista SP1 to support my motherboard's chipset and get Windows to install properly, but since I didn't have it I had to screw around in order to get it to install.

If you have a Dell OEM copy of Windows . . . yeah, it might not work on any other computer. They put some crap on there that checks the BIOS to see if the machine you're installing to is actually a Dell. If it's not, it refuses to install. Now, there's a chance that's not the case. No way of knowing, without trying.

Basically, I'd say you've got three options. 1) Find SATA drivers for your laptop, and see if you can "slipstream" them into the Windows install process. Which is a pain in the ass. 2) Find an up-to-date copy of XP SP3 or Vista SP1. There's still no guarantee the proper drivers will be included right off the bat, but chances are they will be there in the latest versions. 3) Change the AHCI setting in the laptop's BIOS to IDE instead. This way, the chipset emulates IDE mode and pretends as if your SATA drive is IDE. Then you can use Microsoft's generic IDE drivers to use the hard drive. But this solution is less than optimal. The drive won't operate as fast.

[Avi]

I appreciate all of the suggestions, TronFAQ. When I get home from work this afternoon, I'm going to work on this sucker until I get it going. Someone recently gave me this laptop, barely a year old, with a widescreen and all kinds of cool features...unfortunately, the hard drive was hosed and that began all of my troubles. So far, I only have about twenty bucks invested in this thing, so hopefully I'll be able to get it up and running before I spend anymore dough on it. It'll be the cheapest almost-brand-new laptop you've ever seen.

My boss gave me a copy of his Windows XP, but I don't want to install it on my laptop because I'm not sure about what will happen when two different copies are registered with the same product key. Does Bill Gates come over to your house and spank you?

[Avi]

Here's where I'm at so far:

The new hard drive is a Hitachi. I went to their site to get the SATA drivers, and it said that my only option was to go to the manufacturer of my MOBO's site and download the drivers for that instead. So, I went to the Phoenix site to download the drivers for the motherboard and I'm having a hell of a time understanding what I'm supposed to do.

[TronFAQ]

My boss gave me a copy of his Windows XP, but I don't want to install it on my laptop because I'm not sure about what will happen when two different copies are registered with the same product key. Does Bill Gates come over to your house and spank you?

Uncle Bill doesn't care, as long as the same key isn't being used by two people at the same time. You can use any XP key with any copy of XP, and any Vista key with any copy of Vista. As long as the key hasn't been blacklisted, that is.

I went to their site to get the SATA drivers, and it said that my only option was to go to the manufacturer of my MOBO's site and download the drivers for that instead. So, I went to the Phoenix site to download the drivers for the motherboard and I'm having a hell of a time understanding what I'm supposed to do.

Mmm, I'm pretty sure the Phoenix you're referring to is the company that created the BIOS firmware. What you would want, is to visit the site of the company that made the laptop. To see if they have SATA drivers.

But, honestly, what you really want to do is either slipstream SP3 into your copy of XP, or get an up-to-date XP SP3 CD from someone. (Or Vista SP1.)

http://lifehacker.com/386526/slipstream ... llation-cd" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's a guide on how to turn an old XP installation disc into an up-to-date XP SP3 disc. It's a pain in the ass to do, but it's probably the best way to solve your problem.

At the same time, you could also slipstream SATA drivers from the laptop manufacturer's web site into the XP SP3 disc you create, to be extra sure that it will work.

[Avi]

Actually, both keys would be used at the same time. My boss still uses his PC, and not knowing much about software licensing, he handed me his CD and said "Just use mine". Product key and everything. I think I'll pass.

I have programs to help slipstream drivers into XP and Vista, but the copy of XP that I have (the one that isn't my bosses) is sort of damaged and won't work with the program. I have yet to figure out how to slipstream a Vista disc...it says I need to burn an image of a file onto a disc, but the file is too big to fit on a single disc.

My main option is to put Vista on the PC. I tried using my bosses Windows disc with my other Product Key, but it won't work. I think it's because one is Windows XP Professional and one is XP Home Edition.

It doesn't seem like it should be this complicated, but it's turning into a nightmare. Three Windoes discs, two product keys, two laptops, and one migraine.