Uknown disk while installing windows xp

[Novice_PC_User]

I am trying to install windows xp pro on a pc already running windows xp media center edition. I am trying to do a clean instal (format hd etc) and when I boot from the CD and get to the screen about where to install it, there are no drive letters listed and I get an "Uknown Disk" message followed by message "There is no disk in this drive". I don't have any partions setup - just a plain old C: drive. What is the issue? I would format it, but not sure what all that would do to a potential reinstall of the OS

 

[riser]

You're trying to install Windows XP or Windows XP with SP1 onto a computer using a SATA drive. You'll want to use a Windows XP with SP2 CD, or you'll have to load the SATA drivers for your hard drive. That would be using the F6 command at the start of the Windows XP setup (blue screen, at the bottom you'll see the F6 option).

 

[Novice_PC_User]

Thanks Riser - sounds like I am making progress now. However, being a novice here - how do I specify (or determine) what the SATA drivers are for my hard drive? I pressed F6 like you suggested, and I basically accepted the defaults. When I did finally get to the screen where I am asked what drive I want to install XP onto, I get a message saying something about the install does not have the necessary permissions to write to that disk. Is that because I didn't specify explicitly a driver for my hard drive via the F6 path on my install?

 

[Novice_PC_User]

Actually - after further review and installing the SATA drivers via the F6 option, the drives that actually showed up for XP to install on were external USB drives that I had hooked up to my PC - and I probably inadvertently picked one of those to install the OS on. Duh. However, if I remember correctly now, my HDD was not one of the drives listed. I hope that clarification point helps