Installing single sata drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter George K
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George K

Built a machine in March 05, using P4-640, 1GB and used two 20GB IDE drives a CD-ROM and a CD-W/RW stripped from my old HP with XP Pro, SP2 as an OS. I want to install a 80GB SATA drive in a non-RAID arrangement but with the option of adding a second SATA and converting to RAID in the future and use the SATA as a boot drive.

The mobo mfg, MSI, states that this can be done by
Disconnecting both IDE drives,
Installing the SATA drive in Sata1.
Loading the XP CD
On BIOS selecting RAID.
On F6 request loading ICH6R 3rd party drivers
Then doing a new install.

Following XP setup I must then load software that formats the single SATA drive as newname0 before loading any other software.

I never received a 3.5" floppy from the mobo mfg., but have downloaded an .exe file from Intel which created this floppy.

My question is has anyone tried this setup before and how did it work and also should the Intel disk work with my setup as long as the chipset is ICH6R. The mobo is a 915P/G chipset.

I have posted on the MSI site with little results and hope that this larger audience will have more answers.

Thanks
 
Built a machine in March 05, using P4-640, 1GB and used two 20GB IDE drives
a CD-ROM and a CD-W/RW stripped from my old HP with XP Pro, SP2 as an OS. I
want to install a 80GB SATA drive in a non-RAID arrangement but with the
option of adding a second SATA and converting to RAID in the future and use
the SATA as a boot drive.

The mobo mfg, MSI, states that this can be done by
Disconnecting both IDE drives,
Installing the SATA drive in Sata1.
Loading the XP CD
On BIOS selecting RAID.
On F6 request loading ICH6R 3rd party drivers
Then doing a new install.

Following XP setup I must then load software that formats the single SATA
drive as newname0 before loading any other software.

I never received a 3.5" floppy from the mobo mfg., but have downloaded an
..exe file from Intel which created this floppy.

My question is has anyone tried this setup before and how did it work and
also should the Intel disk work with my setup as long as the chipset is
ICH6R. The mobo is a 915P/G chipset.

I have posted on the MSI site with little results and hope that this larger
audience will have more answers.

Thanks



Formatting a drive removes everything, so installing XP, then formatting,
seems to be a useless step. If you need to format the drive with some
special software, do that, then install XP. Although I usually shy away from
using anything but the XP cd to do the formatting. I've seen those sorts of
setups go bad.

As far as the rest of it, raid requires more than one drive, so trying to
set it up as raid with a single drive might not work since it might be
expecting to find more drives. It might work, though. Depends on the
motherboard.
 
Had a similar situation. I had two WD 80G EIDE HDs in my computer. I decided
to add a third drive which was a WD SATA 36G Raptor. The kit came with two CD
drivers but I did not have to use either of them. As soon as I connected the
driver to the SATA1 connector, and the legacy power connector, everything
loaded automatically. My BIOS recognized it immediately and labeled it Disk-3
in the Disk Management. The Device Manager as well as the Windows Explorer
welcomed it with open arms. However, my challenge now is: I want to transfer
my OS from the Primary Master PATA drive to the new SATA. Do I transfer or do
a clean install. doing the RAID configuration may be a bit involved. Review
your User Manual as motherboards differ.

DonSor
 
Donsor,

Thanks for the reply. That is the step I want to avoid, installing as a 3rd drive. By disconnecting the two PATA's and connecting the SATA and doing the fresh install the OS should ask for installation of 3rd party drivers (hit F6) since the Windows disk will not recognize the SATA by itself on a fresh install. This will also let me get rid of all the misc. junk built up on the Primary drive.
It is possible to do a mirror or shadow copy of the Primary to the SATA and make it the boot drive. I don't know if I can do this but since I want to start fresh it doesn't matter.

Before doing the clean install the manual suggests entering BIOS and setting the boot sequence CD-ROM then SATA. It also suggests setting the ATA/IDE as Enhanced >SATA to allow for an aray. Then starting the OS installation. The process will ask if 3rd party drivers are to be installed and then which ones. After the installation of the OS, something called Intel Application Acelerator must be installed which will set up the disks for RAID operation. In my case there will be only one so it should operate like your single SATA drive. The implied value of this approach is that at some point in the future if I decide to add a second SATA to create the aray, the data will migrate. It doesn't suggest how to create a RAID and save drive contents without this step.

This is all academic discussion of course, since I have not done it. However using my package tracking software I see that my SATA is enroute and on the truck for delivery, so the fun will start later today. My concern is that on the clean install will my downloaded drivers work.

Good luck and thanks.

Had a similar situation. I had two WD 80G EIDE HDs in my computer. I decided
to add a third drive which was a WD SATA 36G Raptor. The kit came with two CD
drivers but I did not have to use either of them. As soon as I connected the
driver to the SATA1 connector, and the legacy power connector, everything
loaded automatically. My BIOS recognized it immediately and labeled it Disk-3
in the Disk Management. The Device Manager as well as the Windows Explorer
welcomed it with open arms. However, my challenge now is: I want to transfer
my OS from the Primary Master PATA drive to the new SATA. Do I transfer or do
a clean install. doing the RAID configuration may be a bit involved. Review
your User Manual as motherboards differ.

DonSor
 
George,

You might want to check Intel's website for updated software for your chipset. I may be wrong, but I think they replaced the Application Accelerator with something else.

The installation should be simple, though. You just press F6 when that option comes up, put in the floppy, let it install drivers, and continue the install. Then you start installing drivers, beginning with the chipset. So if you have that downloaded and ready to go, you should be fine.

As far as setting up now for RAID you might want in the future, it's probably not a big deal unless you think you'll be going to a RAID setup very soon. And it adds a layer of complication that you may not need to be thinking about now. When you're ready to do a RAID setup, you'll may just decide (as you did now) that a clean install will be the best bet, and then you can just start with a RAID installation instead of trying to cobble it together after the fact. And depending on what type of RAID you're going for, doing it after the fact might not be practical.

For one thing, drives get larger and cheaper as time goes on, while the smaller ones vanish from the market. So when you're ready for RAID, you may also be ready for a larger drive and/or you may find that the size you have now isn't as readily available.

Have fun.


Donsor,

Thanks for the reply. That is the step I want to avoid, installing as a 3rd drive. By disconnecting the two PATA's and connecting the SATA and doing the fresh install the OS should ask for installation of 3rd party drivers (hit F6) since the Windows disk will not recognize the SATA by itself on a fresh install. This will also let me get rid of all the misc. junk built up on the Primary drive.
It is possible to do a mirror or shadow copy of the Primary to the SATA and make it the boot drive. I don't know if I can do this but since I want to start fresh it doesn't matter.

Before doing the clean install the manual suggests entering BIOS and setting the boot sequence CD-ROM then SATA. It also suggests setting the ATA/IDE as Enhanced >SATA to allow for an aray. Then starting the OS installation. The process will ask if 3rd party drivers are to be installed and then which ones. After the installation of the OS, something called Intel Application Acelerator must be installed which will set up the disks for RAID operation. In my case there will be only one so it should operate like your single SATA drive. The implied value of this approach is that at some point in the future if I decide to add a second SATA to create the aray, the data will migrate. It doesn't suggest how to create a RAID and save drive contents without this step.

This is all academic discussion of course, since I have not done it. However using my package tracking software I see that my SATA is enroute and on the truck for delivery, so the fun will start later today. My concern is that on the clean install will my downloaded drivers work.

Good luck and thanks.

Had a similar situation. I had two WD 80G EIDE HDs in my computer. I decided
to add a third drive which was a WD SATA 36G Raptor. The kit came with two CD
drivers but I did not have to use either of them. As soon as I connected the
driver to the SATA1 connector, and the legacy power connector, everything
loaded automatically. My BIOS recognized it immediately and labeled it Disk-3
in the Disk Management. The Device Manager as well as the Windows Explorer
welcomed it with open arms. However, my challenge now is: I want to transfer
my OS from the Primary Master PATA drive to the new SATA. Do I transfer or do
a clean install. doing the RAID configuration may be a bit involved. Review
your User Manual as motherboards differ.

DonSor
 
Thank you D.

As I have said before, at my age my life is just 6GB short of filling up a 20GB hard drive. But hell, why take the chance and run out of GB before that last day. The choices on a 40GB SATA were too few, so I spent the extra $4 and got an 80GB. When I was a young man I had a 10MB and every thing was on those big plastic foldy things that creased when you stuck them into the little door. I remember how proud I was when I got my first 250MB drive. As I grew older I moved to a 2.5GB then a 6.7GB, both of which are still running in an old HP. The 20GB was it. No need to go bigger, since it took 6 years to go from almost a full 6.7GB to having only 6GB left on the drive. It came from the old HP. Now in the twilight of years I am afraid that I will leave behind 50 or 60GB of unused space. Perish the thought of having a 500GB hard drive, who fills up that kind of space, The Library of Congress?

The truck is in the driveway, The Adventure Begins.
George,

You might want to check Intel's website for updated software for your chipset. I may be wrong, but I think they replaced the Application Accelerator with something else.

The installation should be simple, though. You just press F6 when that option comes up, put in the floppy, let it install drivers, and continue the install. Then you start installing drivers, beginning with the chipset. So if you have that downloaded and ready to go, you should be fine.

As far as setting up now for RAID you might want in the future, it's probably not a big deal unless you think you'll be going to a RAID setup very soon. And it adds a layer of complication that you may not need to be thinking about now. When you're ready to do a RAID setup, you'll may just decide (as you did now) that a clean install will be the best bet, and then you can just start with a RAID installation instead of trying to cobble it together after the fact. And depending on what type of RAID you're going for, doing it after the fact might not be practical.

For one thing, drives get larger and cheaper as time goes on, while the smaller ones vanish from the market. So when you're ready for RAID, you may also be ready for a larger drive and/or you may find that the size you have now isn't as readily available.

Have fun.


Donsor,

Thanks for the reply. That is the step I want to avoid, installing as a 3rd drive. By disconnecting the two PATA's and connecting the SATA and doing the fresh install the OS should ask for installation of 3rd party drivers (hit F6) since the Windows disk will not recognize the SATA by itself on a fresh install. This will also let me get rid of all the misc. junk built up on the Primary drive.
It is possible to do a mirror or shadow copy of the Primary to the SATA and make it the boot drive. I don't know if I can do this but since I want to start fresh it doesn't matter.

Before doing the clean install the manual suggests entering BIOS and setting the boot sequence CD-ROM then SATA. It also suggests setting the ATA/IDE as Enhanced >SATA to allow for an aray. Then starting the OS installation. The process will ask if 3rd party drivers are to be installed and then which ones. After the installation of the OS, something called Intel Application Acelerator must be installed which will set up the disks for RAID operation. In my case there will be only one so it should operate like your single SATA drive. The implied value of this approach is that at some point in the future if I decide to add a second SATA to create the aray, the data will migrate. It doesn't suggest how to create a RAID and save drive contents without this step.

This is all academic discussion of course, since I have not done it. However using my package tracking software I see that my SATA is enroute and on the truck for delivery, so the fun will start later today. My concern is that on the clean install will my downloaded drivers work.

Good luck and thanks.

Had a similar situation. I had two WD 80G EIDE HDs in my computer. I decided
to add a third drive which was a WD SATA 36G Raptor. The kit came with two CD
drivers but I did not have to use either of them. As soon as I connected the
driver to the SATA1 connector, and the legacy power connector, everything
loaded automatically. My BIOS recognized it immediately and labeled it Disk-3
in the Disk Management. The Device Manager as well as the Windows Explorer
welcomed it with open arms. However, my challenge now is: I want to transfer
my OS from the Primary Master PATA drive to the new SATA. Do I transfer or do
a clean install. doing the RAID configuration may be a bit involved. Review
your User Manual as motherboards differ.

DonSor
 
Heh. My first computer had no hard drive, and the first one I had was 120mb and I thought I'd never fill it. Now the computer with the most storage has over a TB and that's not the only computer in the house. And let's not count the 460gb of space on 2 network drives.

Keep trying, you'll fill all that space.

:-)
Thank you D.

As I have said before, at my age my life is just 6GB short of filling up a 20GB hard drive. But hell, why take the chance and run out of GB before that last day. The choices on a 40GB SATA were too few, so I spent the extra $4 and got an 80GB. When I was a young man I had a 10MB and every thing was on those big plastic foldy things that creased when you stuck them into the little door. I remember how proud I was when I got my first 250MB drive. As I grew older I moved to a 2.5GB then a 6.7GB, both of which are still running in an old HP. The 20GB was it. No need to go bigger, since it took 6 years to go from almost a full 6.7GB to having only 6GB left on the drive. It came from the old HP. Now in the twilight of years I am afraid that I will leave behind 50 or 60GB of unused space. Perish the thought of having a 500GB hard drive, who fills up that kind of space, The Library of Congress?

The truck is in the driveway, The Adventure Begins.
George,

You might want to check Intel's website for updated software for your chipset. I may be wrong, but I think they replaced the Application Accelerator with something else.

The installation should be simple, though. You just press F6 when that option comes up, put in the floppy, let it install drivers, and continue the install. Then you start installing drivers, beginning with the chipset. So if you have that downloaded and ready to go, you should be fine.

As far as setting up now for RAID you might want in the future, it's probably not a big deal unless you think you'll be going to a RAID setup very soon. And it adds a layer of complication that you may not need to be thinking about now. When you're ready to do a RAID setup, you'll may just decide (as you did now) that a clean install will be the best bet, and then you can just start with a RAID installation instead of trying to cobble it together after the fact. And depending on what type of RAID you're going for, doing it after the fact might not be practical.

For one thing, drives get larger and cheaper as time goes on, while the smaller ones vanish from the market. So when you're ready for RAID, you may also be ready for a larger drive and/or you may find that the size you have now isn't as readily available.

Have fun.


Donsor,

Thanks for the reply. That is the step I want to avoid, installing as a 3rd drive. By disconnecting the two PATA's and connecting the SATA and doing the fresh install the OS should ask for installation of 3rd party drivers (hit F6) since the Windows disk will not recognize the SATA by itself on a fresh install. This will also let me get rid of all the misc. junk built up on the Primary drive.
It is possible to do a mirror or shadow copy of the Primary to the SATA and make it the boot drive. I don't know if I can do this but since I want to start fresh it doesn't matter.

Before doing the clean install the manual suggests entering BIOS and setting the boot sequence CD-ROM then SATA. It also suggests setting the ATA/IDE as Enhanced >SATA to allow for an aray. Then starting the OS installation. The process will ask if 3rd party drivers are to be installed and then which ones. After the installation of the OS, something called Intel Application Acelerator must be installed which will set up the disks for RAID operation. In my case there will be only one so it should operate like your single SATA drive. The implied value of this approach is that at some point in the future if I decide to add a second SATA to create the aray, the data will migrate. It doesn't suggest how to create a RAID and save drive contents without this step.

This is all academic discussion of course, since I have not done it. However using my package tracking software I see that my SATA is enroute and on the truck for delivery, so the fun will start later today. My concern is that on the clean install will my downloaded drivers work.

Good luck and thanks.

Had a similar situation. I had two WD 80G EIDE HDs in my computer. I decided
to add a third drive which was a WD SATA 36G Raptor. The kit came with two CD
drivers but I did not have to use either of them. As soon as I connected the
driver to the SATA1 connector, and the legacy power connector, everything
loaded automatically. My BIOS recognized it immediately and labeled it Disk-3
in the Disk Management. The Device Manager as well as the Windows Explorer
welcomed it with open arms. However, my challenge now is: I want to transfer
my OS from the Primary Master PATA drive to the new SATA. Do I transfer or do
a clean install. doing the RAID configuration may be a bit involved. Review
your User Manual as motherboards differ.

DonSor
 
D.

Thanks for the reply. Took a while to mount the drive rewire all the drives add a DVD Writer and start loading Windows. After that between giving out candy and answering all the prompts (yes English, yes Workgroup) then installing Office and migrating my Outlook files And Newsreader files, this response is using the SATA drive.

Again thanks, perhaps in two or three days after loading all the other software I'll be back.
Heh. My first computer had no hard drive, and the first one I had was 120mb and I thought I'd never fill it. Now the computer with the most storage has over a TB and that's not the only computer in the house. And let's not count the 460gb of space on 2 network drives.

Keep trying, you'll fill all that space.

:-)
Thank you D.

As I have said before, at my age my life is just 6GB short of filling up a 20GB hard drive. But hell, why take the chance and run out of GB before that last day. The choices on a 40GB SATA were too few, so I spent the extra $4 and got an 80GB. When I was a young man I had a 10MB and every thing was on those big plastic foldy things that creased when you stuck them into the little door. I remember how proud I was when I got my first 250MB drive. As I grew older I moved to a 2.5GB then a 6.7GB, both of which are still running in an old HP. The 20GB was it. No need to go bigger, since it took 6 years to go from almost a full 6.7GB to having only 6GB left on the drive. It came from the old HP. Now in the twilight of years I am afraid that I will leave behind 50 or 60GB of unused space. Perish the thought of having a 500GB hard drive, who fills up that kind of space, The Library of Congress?

The truck is in the driveway, The Adventure Begins.
George,

You might want to check Intel's website for updated software for your chipset. I may be wrong, but I think they replaced the Application Accelerator with something else.

The installation should be simple, though. You just press F6 when that option comes up, put in the floppy, let it install drivers, and continue the install. Then you start installing drivers, beginning with the chipset. So if you have that downloaded and ready to go, you should be fine.

As far as setting up now for RAID you might want in the future, it's probably not a big deal unless you think you'll be going to a RAID setup very soon. And it adds a layer of complication that you may not need to be thinking about now. When you're ready to do a RAID setup, you'll may just decide (as you did now) that a clean install will be the best bet, and then you can just start with a RAID installation instead of trying to cobble it together after the fact. And depending on what type of RAID you're going for, doing it after the fact might not be practical.

For one thing, drives get larger and cheaper as time goes on, while the smaller ones vanish from the market. So when you're ready for RAID, you may also be ready for a larger drive and/or you may find that the size you have now isn't as readily available.

Have fun.


Donsor,

Thanks for the reply. That is the step I want to avoid, installing as a 3rd drive. By disconnecting the two PATA's and connecting the SATA and doing the fresh install the OS should ask for installation of 3rd party drivers (hit F6) since the Windows disk will not recognize the SATA by itself on a fresh install. This will also let me get rid of all the misc. junk built up on the Primary drive.
It is possible to do a mirror or shadow copy of the Primary to the SATA and make it the boot drive. I don't know if I can do this but since I want to start fresh it doesn't matter.

Before doing the clean install the manual suggests entering BIOS and setting the boot sequence CD-ROM then SATA. It also suggests setting the ATA/IDE as Enhanced >SATA to allow for an aray. Then starting the OS installation. The process will ask if 3rd party drivers are to be installed and then which ones. After the installation of the OS, something called Intel Application Acelerator must be installed which will set up the disks for RAID operation. In my case there will be only one so it should operate like your single SATA drive. The implied value of this approach is that at some point in the future if I decide to add a second SATA to create the aray, the data will migrate. It doesn't suggest how to create a RAID and save drive contents without this step.

This is all academic discussion of course, since I have not done it. However using my package tracking software I see that my SATA is enroute and on the truck for delivery, so the fun will start later today. My concern is that on the clean install will my downloaded drivers work.

Good luck and thanks.

Had a similar situation. I had two WD 80G EIDE HDs in my computer. I decided
to add a third drive which was a WD SATA 36G Raptor. The kit came with two CD
drivers but I did not have to use either of them. As soon as I connected the
driver to the SATA1 connector, and the legacy power connector, everything
loaded automatically. My BIOS recognized it immediately and labeled it Disk-3
in the Disk Management. The Device Manager as well as the Windows Explorer
welcomed it with open arms. However, my challenge now is: I want to transfer
my OS from the Primary Master PATA drive to the new SATA. Do I transfer or do
a clean install. doing the RAID configuration may be a bit involved. Review
your User Manual as motherboards differ.

DonSor
 
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