Please Help Can't Find HD in Bios to Install Vista

[toddjschock]

Ok I am wanting to cry.... I cannot seem to get my new build to install windows vista 64 bit. I can get my motherboard to see my sata blue ray player no problem and it will take me to the install and everything... but it will not find my sata 1tb hd.

Here are my system specs.

Intel i5 2.66 processor
4gb ddr3 ram
saphire radeon 4850
Intel dp55wb Motherboard


I have no idea why it won't work. I figured the hd was destroyed so I got wd caviar 500gb drive from best buy and it wouldn't see that either. I am now assuming maybe the board is defective but it finds my sata blue ray player in ever single port... so it just doesn't make sense why it won't see my sata hd. I have been trying to get this thing running for weeks.... please anyone else have this same problem or any suggestions. I am pretty much past my time limit for RMA and I don't know what to do.

SO here is what I have tried.

I have tried different power and sata cables.... including the ones that were used for the blue ray player to see if my cables were just bad for the hd and that did not work.

I have tried all the ports with and without the blue ray player hooked up with no luck.

I have tried setting bios to achi and ide and it still won't see the hd.

Please... help.

 

[STMahlberg]

If I understand you correctly, you have no other drives in this system other than your CD drive and the WD drive. You don't have multiple HD's installed.

When you load the Vista installation disk into the CD drive and turn the system on, what does it do?

And no formatting was done to the WD drive, correct? This is a clean drive right out of the box?

 

[STMahlberg]

Another question, when the Vista installation disk is in the CD drive and you turn the system on does it force you into the bios?

 

[toddjschock]

Another question, when the Vista installation disk is in the CD drive and you turn the system on does it force you into the bios?

Its a brand new sata drive and is not formated yet. Vista will start the installation and then when I go to install it won't see the hd either...I don't know what to do.

 

[jared51182]

Okay, so....when you try to install the install process from the Vista install disk starts. When it gets to the part where it says select a drive to install, it doesn't give any options?

Out of curiosity, does the HDD busy light go on at all, when you first boot up, or at any point?

Also, when you go into BIOS, you had to set it up to boot from CD drive first, to get the Vista install disk to be the boot drive, and enable you to do the install. However, when you are in the BIOS and you go to set the boot order, does the BIOS see a HDD?

 

[toddjschock]

Okay, so....when you try to install the install process from the Vista install disk starts. When it gets to the part where it says select a drive to install, it doesn't give any options?

Out of curiosity, does the HDD busy light go on at all, when you first boot up, or at any point?

Also, when you go into BIOS, you had to set it up to boot from CD drive first, to get the Vista install disk to be the boot drive, and enable you to do the install. However, when you are in the BIOS and you go to set the boot order, does the BIOS see a HDD?

I did not know there was an activity light....where would that be I am not seeing one.

 

[jared51182]

Well, technically it would be on the front of the case, if the HDD is properly hooked up, the Activity light is an LED in the case. If the Case wires are properly plugged into the MOBO, then if the HDD is having activity, you should see it on the front of the case. Look at your case manual and it will tell you which light it is. Also, reference your case manual, your mobo manual, and your HDD manual for installation, and just double check that you did everything correct.

You still haven't answered the question regarding the BIOS - does it see a HDD in the Boot Order?

 

[toddjschock]

Well, technically it would be on the front of the case, if the HDD is properly hooked up, the Activity light is an LED in the case. If the Case wires are properly plugged into the MOBO, then if the HDD is having activity, you should see it on the front of the case. Look at your case manual and it will tell you which light it is. Also, reference your case manual, your mobo manual, and your HDD manual for installation, and just double check that you did everything correct.

You still haven't answered the question regarding the BIOS - does it see a HDD in the Boot Order?

its says boot device priority
<cd/dvd-rom drie>
<floppy drive>
<hard disk drive>
<ethernet>
but below that it also says hard drive order - no hard disk drive


sooo yah.

 

[jared51182]

okay, so can you talk through what happens when you try to boot from the install disk? Being specific? You put the cd in, restart the computer, and it boots from the cd drive. Then what happens? What prompts do you get?

Have you double checked the installation of the HDD?

Do you get a blue screen with a bunch of writing with options to install, and there just isn't a HDD to install to?
--> do you get to the point where it wants to partition the harddrive, and there just isn't a harddrive to partition?

Or do you get a prompt that says there is no HDD to install to?

 

[jared51182]

Oh just to make sure, this is a full version of the OS, not an upgrade - correct?

 

[jared51182]

Also, apparently installing vista is a little different than I thought. (as I haven't done it).

He is an installation guide - with pictures. How far have you got into it.

http://www.petri.co.il/install_windows_vista.htm