Need Help With Sata Drive Install

  • Thread starter Thread starter JB
  • Start date Start date
J

JB

I want to install a new WD OEM Sata II drive on a box currently booting
from an IDE drive and avoid having to reinstall Windows XP.


I have no experience with Sata drives. and an unable to determine if the
software offerred at the WD site will accomplish what I want to do so I am
posting my own recipe to see if it makes sense to this NG.

I propose to:

Hook up the Sata drive, boot to XP on the IDE drive, then use it's disk
manager to partition and format the SATA drive. At some point in this
process I might be asked to load sata drivers from the XP CD. If that does
not happen, I will have XP try to detect the new drive and stick the drivers
in. If that does not work, I would reboot to the IDE and press F6 during
post to try to get a chance to load the Sata drivers.


If that goes as described, I will use True Image to make an image of the C:
partition on the IDE drive and then copy the image to the new drive.
After that I would reboot to the new Sata drive.

Does anyone see a reason that will not work?

Thank you.

Mike
 
You do not need a SATA drive connected to load the SATA drivers required
for your particular mobo.
Look for them on the mobo website....download and install.
Then hook the SATA drive up and use Acronis to clone your IDE drive to the
SATA drive...Shut down and remove the IDE drive..enter BIOS to make sure the
SATA is listed in boot order and you should be all set.

peter
 
I want to install a new WD OEM Sata II drive on a box currently booting
from an IDE drive and avoid having to reinstall Windows XP.


I have no experience with Sata drives. and an unable to determine if the
software offerred at the WD site will accomplish what I want to do so I am
posting my own recipe to see if it makes sense to this NG.

I propose to:

Hook up the Sata drive, boot to XP on the IDE drive, then use it's disk
manager to partition and format the SATA drive.
Click to expand...

If your intention is to clone the IDE drive, then it's pointless to
partition and format the SATA drive. However, if Disk Management
recognizes the SATA drive, then the appropriate drivers are already
present in your Windows XP installation.
At some point in this
process I might be asked to load sata drivers from the XP CD. If that does
not happen, I will have XP try to detect the new drive and stick the drivers
in.
Click to expand...

SATA drivers will be needed only if your motherboard SATA interface
can be and is configured as AHCI or is a non-chipset SATA interface.
If this is the case, the needed drivers won't be on the XP CD.
If that does not work, I would reboot to the IDE and press F6 during
post to try to get a chance to load the Sata drivers.
Click to expand...

You only do this when installing Windows XP. Once it's installed, it
makes no sense to do it, since it will do nothing to the already
installed Windows XP.
 
I want to install a new WD OEM Sata II drive on a box currently booting
from an IDE drive and avoid having to reinstall Windows XP.

I have no experience with Sata drives. and an unable to determine if the
software offerred at the WD site will accomplish what I want to do so I am
posting my own recipe to see if it makes sense to this NG.

I propose to:

Hook up the Sata drive, boot to XP on the IDE drive, then use it's disk
manager to partition and format the SATA drive. At some point in this
process I might be asked to load sata drivers from the XP CD. If that does
not happen, I will have XP try to detect the new drive and stick the drivers
in. If that does not work, I would reboot to the IDE and press F6 during
post to try to get a chance to load the Sata drivers.

If that goes as described, I will use True Image to make an image of the C:
partition on the IDE drive and then copy the image to the new drive.
After that I would reboot to the new Sata drive.

Does anyone see a reason that will not work?

Thank you.

Mike
Click to expand...

By this time you'll have tried/succeeded or tried/failed. My guess is
success! The biggest problem with new hardware installations is......
lack of confidence & expectations of total disaster!! Be confident,
trusting in the manufacturer's boasts. They really are quite good at
their job considering how long they have been at
it. :-) .............and in the highly unlikely event of a sudden
brilliant flash of light accompanied by an ear-shattering roar, the
room gloomy with evil-smelling black smoke..................after all,
it's only a box full of wires (which, by this time, are totally
useless) & other junk that you weren't really interested in anyway!
Just go and wash the soot from your slightly pitted eyebrow-less &
tear-stained face. Change your undies & endeavour to convince your
partner/parents/landlord/unbelievably fast-responsive firefighters
that you are not in any immediate danger of self-immolation and head
for the nearest bar!
There, over a "large one" you can regale all & sundry of your death-
defying daring (although slightly messy & costly) venture into the
until-now unknown regions of PC DIY!! Feeling great already, Mike? I
KNEW you would be. :-)
Have fun & good luck.
 
JB said:
I want to install a new WD OEM Sata II drive on a box currently booting
from an IDE drive and avoid having to reinstall Windows XP.


I have no experience with Sata drives. and an unable to determine if the
software offerred at the WD site will accomplish what I want to do so I am
posting my own recipe to see if it makes sense to this NG.

I propose to:

Hook up the Sata drive, boot to XP on the IDE drive, then use it's disk
manager to partition and format the SATA drive. At some point in this
process I might be asked to load sata drivers from the XP CD. If that
does not happen, I will have XP try to detect the new drive and stick the
drivers in. If that does not work, I would reboot to the IDE and press F6
during post to try to get a chance to load the Sata drivers.


If that goes as described, I will use True Image to make an image of the
C: partition on the IDE drive and then copy the image to the new drive.
After that I would reboot to the new Sata drive.

Does anyone see a reason that will not work?

Thank you.

Mike
Click to expand...

To add to what the other responders have offered, you may also have to
reactivate. I did.

David
 
Andy said:
If your intention is to clone the IDE drive, then it's pointless to
partition and format the SATA drive. However, if Disk Management
recognizes the SATA drive, then the appropriate drivers are already
present in your Windows XP installation.


SATA drivers will be needed only if your motherboard SATA interface
can be and is configured as AHCI or is a non-chipset SATA interface.
If this is the case, the needed drivers won't be on the XP CD.


You only do this when installing Windows XP. Once it's installed, it
makes no sense to do it, since it will do nothing to the already
installed Windows XP.
Click to expand...

The task was completed with no problems and thank you all for the inputs.

I did waste some time experimenting and reloaded the mobo driver disk but
it did not install sata drivers as near as I could tell. The drivers
materialized so they must have come from XP.

I used the Acronis clone tool and it gave me a problem in the manual mode
but worked ok in automatic. After the process was over, the boot order in
bios had been changed and the system was ready to go.

Thanks again. I amazed at how well behaved and good performing this
economy-box turned out.

Mike
 
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