elsiegee40 Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 It's Friday afternoon, it's been a long week and I'm struggling. I have a Compaq SR1369UK which has 2xSATA drives in it. I have an XP Pro Install disk and the product key (tick) I've located the Driver Downloads (tick) What I want to do is reformat and re-install XP-Pro Before I muck this up completely, in the back of my mind is the nagging doubt that I have to do something to sort out drivers for SATA somewhere between reformatting the drives and installing XP. Help please... idiot's guide appreciated. Needless to say, this machine is needed back in service for Monday and I'd rather not spend all weekend on it if I can! Thanks for your help wise ones.
jsnetman Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 Sometimes you have to press f6 when windows setup is starting and load the sata drives from floppy or if your lucky USB memory. 1
elsiegee40 Posted March 19, 2010 Author Posted March 19, 2010 Sometimes you have to press f6 when windows setup is starting and load the sata drives from floppy or if your lucky USB memory. No floppy on this PC - it would have to be USB or CD
penfold Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 Sometimes the drive doesn't show - Check on the bios to change the HDD to native mode? Or something like that - long day too:o
cookie_monster Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 Thsi can be a pain I had a similar issue with some netbooks recently. Two options spring to mind 1. USB floppy drive (i've used this before) 2. Nlite nLite - Deployment Tool for the bootable Unattended Windows installation 1
Michael Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 I agree as above use nLite to slipstream SATA drivers. Definitely the most reliable way without having to worry about booting off a floppy. 1
elsiegee40 Posted March 19, 2010 Author Posted March 19, 2010 I think I need to go a step back here... am I wrong to assume I've got some sort of RAID here? How can I tell? I haven't actually tried installing anything yet, so I assume that shoving in the CD for Xp Pro would start the process, but wouldn't get very far? feeling very out of my depth all of a sudden
Michael Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 Best thing would be to try booting off the XP CD and wait for it to load. If it can't find a hard drive you'll receive an error. I'd then proceed to create a slipstream CD. If it can see the hard drive, just continue to format and install as normal 1
cookie_monster Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 I think I need to go a step back here... am I wrong to assume I've got some sort of RAID here? How can I tell? I haven't actually tried installing anything yet, so I assume that shoving in the CD for Xp Pro would start the process, but wouldn't get very far? You could just try installing it will fail telling you that it can't find the HD if there's a problem. 1
elsiegee40 Posted March 19, 2010 Author Posted March 19, 2010 OK I'll go for attempting to install - I shall be back if I need to know what you mean by slipstream.. I'm so flipping tired
srochford Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 Is it currently working at all? If so, go into computer management and look at the disc setup - that will tell you if it's a RAID array. You can make the slipstreamed install but it takes time; if you just want to get the machine installed quickly then go into the BIOS and find the SATA settings - you want to make sure it doesn't say AHCI; the option is probably something like "standard" If you can set it like that, then you won't need any drivers. It will be fractionally slower but it's unlikely it will affect most users. 1
elsiegee40 Posted March 19, 2010 Author Posted March 19, 2010 It was working in Safe Mode... have done as suggested and it has seen both drives. I'm just re-formatting and installing now. I don't care whether or not I have RAID at the end of this, it doesn't (I hope) need it. It's a boring client PC sat on the HT's desk normally.
elsiegee40 Posted March 19, 2010 Author Posted March 19, 2010 7pm XP pro installed (tick) Ethernet Controller has big yellow question mark next to it and I can't find the driver. Have contacted HP support... any ideas?
Michael Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 What model is the machine? HP actually have a pretty good driver database. Occasionally the same models can have slightly varying hardware such as networking, but usually one or two drivers at most. 1
laserblazer Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 Is the LAN working? I've just done a similar exercise with an old Viglen Dossier NS+ . I can't find the Viglen LAN driver but it works fine with the XP Universal one.
jsnetman Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 You should not be installing any operating system if you do not know how to find and install a driver. Sorry for being so blunt.
elsiegee40 Posted March 19, 2010 Author Posted March 19, 2010 (edited) What model is the machine? HP actually have a pretty good driver database. Occasionally the same models can have slightly varying hardware such as networking, but usually one or two drivers at most. That brings me to here: Select software and drivers Compaq Presario SR1639UK Desktop PC - HP technical support (United Kingdom - English) Under original drivers, theres "Fall 2005 Original Realtek LAN Drivers", but that doesn't solve the problem (Machine is Presario SR1639UK) Can't see anything else obvious that fits the bill Is the LAN working? I've just done a similar exercise with an old Viglen Dossier NS+ . I can't find the Viglen LAN driver but it works fine with the XP Universal one. No LAN at all... XP universal one doesn't work Edited March 19, 2010 by elsiegee40
elsiegee40 Posted March 19, 2010 Author Posted March 19, 2010 You should not be installing any operating system if you do not know how to find and install a driver. Sorry for being so blunt. 1. I do know how to install a driver 2. I just can' find the b**** thing 3. Having the HT's PC pack up on me at 3pm on a friday at the end of a week of hardware problems has just completely floored me. My brain barely in gear and I'm supposed to be sorting my family this weekend, not this wretched machine Sorry for being blunt, but everyone's entitled to have a bad day
witch Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 (edited) You should not be installing any operating system if you do not know how to find and install a driver. Sorry for being so blunt. I could be equally blunt back but I will just point out that most of us, at some point, have had driver issues - it is unfair to equate the inability to find a driver with incompetence, and to suggest that the person concerned does not know HOW to install a driver just because they can't find the blooming thing, and also to say that they should not be installing an OS because of a driver issue is not really very helpful. Edited March 19, 2010 by witch 1
jsnetman Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 He or she it does not matter, if you are a techie of any description asking on a forum where to find a driver surely shows lack of experience. I would expect that kind of post on a gaming website where usually you have non technical people asking how to do things on their PC. I guess I'm in for a bashing here
witch Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 (edited) I don't believe that you have never had a problem sorting out something that is usually easy but occasionally a complete impossibility? If you haven't - wow - that must be nice edugeek is a place where people can come to get help, not to get ridiculed Edited March 19, 2010 by witch 1
jsnetman Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 (edited) I tried to help the original post by saying that it may need drivers after an F6 prompt, then the post goes on to ask about drivers for a network card. I have year 10 students who can do that. Edited March 19, 2010 by jsnetman
witch Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 (edited) You can find EVERY driver for EVERYTHNG in ANY machine? You have NEVER come across a machine with a driver that isn't on the manufacturer's list? The OP has stated the driver that is there does not work, neither does the universal driver, so is asking for any ideas. The OP is NOT saying that they cannot, or does not know how to install a driver - although you seem to be reading it like that. The machine is stated - can YOU come up with anything helpful rather than not? If you want to feel superior, surely the best way would be to find the driver needed? No? Edited March 19, 2010 by witch
jsnetman Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 In all my years in education I have made it a point especially on forums not to be gender specific, witch you obviously don't. Yes I have struggled with drivers at some point, but I aint never heard of a universal NIC driver.
garethEds Posted March 19, 2010 Posted March 19, 2010 Cannot be arsed on a Friday night to read the whole post - but sometimes you can force the SATA drive to act like an ATA drive. I did this today with a Dell machine. Windows XP wouldn't recognise the drive so into the BIOS I trundled and forced the ATA setting. Not sure every machine does this but I know Dell's do. Gareth
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