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Tom's Hardware > Forum > Motherboards & Memory > Gigabyte > Finding drivers for Gigabyte/Win2k8

Finding drivers for Gigabyte/Win2k8

Forum Motherboards & Memory : Gigabyte Finding drivers for Gigabyte/Win2k8

I am trying to install Windows 2008 (64 bit) on a fresh box I built with a Gigabyte GA-e7aum-ds2h motherboard. As the installer could not find any hard drives (even though the drive shows up in the BIOS), I tried to build my own installer image using vLite with the drivers I downloaded off Gigabyte's site. Even that didn't work. I am at my wit's end. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Reply to Pittsburgh

Vista 64 has a bug that can cause a new, previously unformatted SATA hard drive to go unrecognized for installation. If you have an XP installation CD, format the hard drive with it. Then Vista 64 will recognize the SATA HD and load the installation files.

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badge wrote :

Is it enough to put the drive in another computer and format it there, or does it require a full OS install?

Reply to Pittsburgh

Sure, just format the drive then Vista 64 should recognize it and proceed to install from that point.

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badge wrote :

Sure, just format the drive then Vista 64 should recognize it and proceed to install from that point.

Just tried that. Win2K8 still fails to see the drive at install time. What surprises me is that the BIOS sees the drive. Is this a driver issue? That is, that the SATA chipset driver is missing?

Reply to Pittsburgh

Are you booting the system to Vista 64 install disk?

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How to install Vista.

Method 2: Perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by starting the computer from the Windows Vista DVD
Note The computer must be configured to start from the DVD drive. For information about how to configure the computer to start from the DVD drive, see the documentation that is included with the computer. Or, contact the computer manufacturer.

To perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by starting the computer from the Windows Vista DVD, follow these steps:
Start the computer.
Insert the Windows Vista DVD into the DVD drive and then close the drive tray.
Restart the computer.
When you receive the "Press any key to boot from CD" message, press a key.
Follow the instructions to install Windows Vista.
If Windows Vista is now running on your computer, you have completed the installation successfully.

If the installation does not finish or you receive an error message, and you are comfortable trying to troubleshoot the problem, go to the "Troubleshooting" section. If you are not comfortable trying to troubleshoot the issue, go to the “Next Steps” section.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918884

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badge wrote :

Are you booting the system to Vista 64 install disk?

Not sure I understand the question. Here is what I am doing (and have done): I created a new Win 2008 (NOTE: It is Win 2008 and not Vista -- not sure that it matters) install DVD with the drivers I could find off Gigabyte's site. I have tried to install off that DVD several times. Based on your suggestion, I took out the hard drive and inserted it in my other box (Vista 32 bit), and did a quick format there. Then I tried the same procedure again, and it still fails to see my drive.

Reply to Pittsburgh

Quote :

I created a new Win 2008 (NOTE: It is Win 2008 and not Vista -- not sure that it matters) install DVD with the drivers I could find off Gigabyte's site.

Windows has Vista, but no OS named Windows 2008. Why would you create an OS install disk with Gigabyte drivers? Just load the OS off the OS disk.

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Message edited by badge on 05-17-2009 at 12:04:38 PM

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How are you creating a Windows install disk? Slipstream?

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Are you trying to load Windows 7 64 RC? have you properly download the OS from MS website?

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

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badge wrote :

Windows has Vista, but no OS named Windows 2008.

Sorry, I was a little unclear: I was trying to install Windows Server 2008.

badge wrote :

Why would you create an OS install disk with Gigabyte drivers? Just load the OS off the OS disk.

Well, it seems that it doesn't, right? That is the whole problem. I can't seem to get Windows (Server 2008 or Vista) to see the drive at install time.

Yes, I was trying to do slipstream -- but that seems not to have worked, or the drivers I put on there were not the correct ones. That is why I am asking for drivers:-)

Reply to Pittsburgh

badge wrote :

Are you trying to load Windows 7 64 RC? have you properly download the OS from MS website?

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

I tried Win7 also with the same results.

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Reply to Pittsburgh

I'm not so sure a slipstreamed disk can be created with Server 2008. Could be the OS does not support your MB's southbridge. Not sure about any of this. Not familiar with Server 2008. Maybe there is a prompt to load SATA drivers when you boot to the OS disk.

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Pittsburgh wrote :

I tried Win7 also with the same results.

Has the MB ever loaded any OS you have tried, or is it new.

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badge wrote :

Has the MB ever loaded any OS you have tried, or is it new.

Brand new. Are you thinking about hardware failure?

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Reply to Pittsburgh

I have the problem of VISTA 64 not recognizing the hard drive. So have others. The fix was simply to format the SATA HD with XP and then VISTA 64 recognized the drive and loaded the installation. I have never installed Windows 2008.

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Pittsburgh wrote :

Brand new. Are you thinking about hardware failure?

WEll if the new MB won't load Windows 7 RC or Windows 2008, will it load XP?

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Try this: BIOS -> Integrated Peripherals -> Onchip SATA Mode - set to "IDE" (Windows will not recognize disk if it is set to "AHCI" ).

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Reply to 55795642

A few of things. List your complete system specs so someone may be able to help you. Also, Vlite is a slipstreaming software for VISTA and only certain versions of VISTA. In edition, take a look at your MB's product page undersupported OSs. Windows 2008 is not listed there.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Product [...] E7AUM-DS2H

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55795642 wrote :

Try this: BIOS -> Integrated Peripherals -> Onchip SATA Mode - set to "IDE" (Windows will not recognize disk if it is set to "AHCI" ).

Tried that. That didn't work either.

Reply to Pittsburgh

Well, have your tried different SATA ports? Different SATA cables?

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badge wrote :

Well, have your tried different SATA ports? Different SATA cables?

Yes, both. Still the same.

Interestingly enough, it seems that you can actually slipstream on Windows Server 2008. I couldn't find the list of supported OS'es on the web-site, but I take your word for it (though it seems pretty strange to me that it would be unsupported).

I am starting to think that I may have a hardware failure.

Reply to Pittsburgh

If you haven't done so already, try going to BIOS and "Load Failsafe Defaults".

I would also consider installing the drive in another PC and doing a full (not "quick" ) format being sure to select NTFS file system.

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Reply to 55795642

55795642 wrote :

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried that, and with those BIOS options, all I get is:

Verifying DMI Pool Data .........

BOOTMGR is missing
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart.

Reply to Pittsburgh

To repair the BOOTMGR using the XP install disk. In BIOS set the first boot device to DVD, insert the XP CD and save and exit. When prompted to boot to 'Press any key to boot to CD' do so. From the first repair console that appears enter and type: FIXBOOT and enter. That will repair the boot sector for an XP installation. I know you have Windows 2008, but if you have an XP CD, give it a shot and see if XP will load. Will rule out MB failure.

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Message edited by badge on 05-18-2009 at 12:34:08 AM

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Instructions for BOOTMGR repair with a VISTA OS disk.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927391

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badge wrote :

I tried starting up in Fail-Safe Defaults, inserted an XP OS disk, and did as you recommended. Fixboot c: worked, but for some reason Win2k8 will not detect the drive when installing. I am now trying to install XP totally. I noticed that when I stepped through the XP installation, the disk had on segment of unpartitioned space, and two partitioned. No clue who made those partitions. Because of this, I want to see what happens after I finish doing a full format using the XP installer.

Reply to Pittsburgh

Ok, so finally some good news. After letting the XP installer format the disk 100%, the installer for Win2k8 sees the disk and I am now installing. The setup is in IDE mode now with Fail-Safe Defaults. Is there any way I can change that to AHCI later on?

Thanks for all your help so far

Reply to Pittsburgh

That's great! I mentioned you could probably format the new SATA drive with an XP disk, then VISTA would recognize the newly formatted disk and load up. Oh yeah, in my very first post! LOL!

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badge wrote :

That's great! I mentioned you could probably format the new SATA drive with an XP disk, then VISTA would recognize the newly formatted disk and load up. Oh yeah, in my very first post! LOL!

Badge, I humbly bow in your presence

As you can imagine, I am not a hardware guy -- I live and breathe for software! Do you happen to know if I can switch the BIOS settings to AHCI now that I have Windows Server 2008 installed?

You have been an incredible help, Badge. I am gratefull!

Reply to Pittsburgh

I have never switched to ACHI in BIOS. Many months ago I installed a trial of Windows Home Server, is that the OS you are installing currently? This one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116395

Common problems switching to AHCI under Windows.

A discussion about that ACHI thing.

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badge wrote :

I have never switched to ACHI in BIOS. Many months ago I installed a trial of Windows Home Server, is that the OS you are installing currently? This one?

No, that's Home Server. I installed Windows Server 2008.

badge wrote :

Common problems switching to AHCI under Windows.
A discussion about that ACHI thing.

Thanks for the links. I now have everything working and life is swell. That took about a day of work

Thanks for all your help!

Reply to Pittsburgh

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