PC has no Sata port. I've added a PCI card with Sata ports on it. Obviously that card has its own setup disc.

I'm now trying to install a new hard drive, but I can't install the PCI card until I install Windows, but Windows won't install until it sees the hard drive, obviously, which it isn't at the moment!

Chicken/Egg. What do I do??!!

 

Christian,

Sent your query to my mate who used to do a lot of pc work. Here's his response. Hope it works, don't shout at me if it doesn't.

He should be able to install the PCI card via the DOS prompt, which would then allow him to install windows. I would imagine the instructions to do this would be in the box with the card.

Brian

 

it used to be like this for all scsi drives, in the windows setup there is a prompt where you can press a key and it looks for drivers on removeable media

 

if you motherboard had sata then its easy to sort out through its bios

but yours is a situation i havent seem before

why didnt you just get a sata motherboard ?

 

What he said. When windows starts loading drivers for the install there is a prompt at the bottom of the screen to press a key to load additional drivers. The last one you had to do that for was XP, I don't think you have to do it for Vista or Win 7 though as the sata drivers are pre loaded.

 

you will need a floppy drive in your PC......

you will need the drives that should have came with the PCI card on a floppy........

Go to install windows as normal, but right at the begginging it will say something like press F6 for addition drivers.... keep pressing this till it disapears..... when it gets to a certaint point, it will say which drivers do you want to install, and should show the ones on the floppy, select them and continue......

Should then see the hard drive and be able to install......

hope that helps mate.

 

You need to pop into the garage and grab yourself a hammer, once you have done this install the hammer into the main board of the Tower, once you have gone and done the job, take it out into the trash. its really that simple, once all that is done, it will never cause you any more problems,

on a Plus side.

Im sure you can still install the drivers via a disk. just the same as you would from old days on a floopy.

 

when windows starts to install you need to press F6 to install additional drivers first (after you press any key to boot from cd on the blue screen the prompt will appear at the bottom..

 

Remove motherboard from the PC case and put it in the bin.....

Stop wasting your valuable time with this and get a proper motherboard and new processor/memory if required....

Or better still put the entire bulky PC in the bin and buy a cheap laptop....if your not a gamer then a Ł300 lappy from ebay would probably do everything you would ever want it to...!

 

what kind of MB is it?
what kind of spec is the computer?

 

This man is correct!

 

This is my mothers PC, there isn't the budget for new motherboards etc and no need either. If the worst came to the worst, I'd send the Sata HD back and get an IDE one, but I've come this far.

Thanks for your help guys, I'll try what you said above.

 

Well there is a need for it because your wasting your time on something worth a fiver!lol

PC bits are cheap especially second hand stuff on ebay....

Anyway I assume you bought a PCI SATA card, what about using one of these instead:

IDE Ultra ATA 100/133 To SATA Converter Adapter Host
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=270464893013

With this the computer and OS will think it's just a normal IDE drive and function as normal!

 

I copied the drivers onto a floppy disk, then did the F6 thing, which worked OK, then allowing me to progress with the installation. However, when the PC restarts as part of the installation process, it then doesn't see the drivers.

If I could now buy a cheap (preferably 2nd hand) motherboard with Sata on it, but would be compatible with the rest of the parts of the system, I would. I don't know where to start with that though.

 

Download nlite

http://www.nliteos.com/nlite.html

Add drivers you require and burn a new install cd then build pc from that

 

buy the correct drive in first place for motherboard, those pci adaptors are wank and will give you hassle in the long run, ive been in this game for 18 years

ranj