Windows 7: Win7 "No Drives found" SATA drive

I have a custom built HTPC with a Seagate SATA drive. Media Center halted, and Windows 7 would not reboot. When I attempt to reinstall Windows 7 it cannot find the drive (C) - "No drives were found. Click Load Driver to provide a mass storage driver for installation."

My research tells me SATA drives don't have drivers, at least that's what Seagate says.
I've changed BIOS SATA controller from "Enhanced" to "Compatible" with no effect.
Don't know what to try next. Please don’t make me go to Geek Squad J
Any help?

May we get the make and model of your Motherboard?

Also the model of your SATA drive?

First off, please don't go to Geek Squad. Not to diss their technicians, some of them do actually know what they're talking about and are very capable, but it's like Russian Roulette on getting someone competent to help. They don't train their "Agents" so it truly is luck of the draw.

If this was a system that was already set up and running as it sounds, and it all of a sudden is failing on finding your HD, it sounds to me like you may have had a hardware failure, possibly the HD itself.

Questions:

• When you say the system would not reboot, what actually happened?
• Were there any errors?
• What did the system do after the halt/crash?
• When you originally installed windows on this machine, did you have to load a specified driver at that time?
• Does the hard drive show up in a different computer or external cradle/sled or even a bootable PE/LIVE disc?
• What kind of mobo and hard drive is this?
• What are all of your options for SATA operation on this mobo?

May we get the make and model of your Motherboard?

Also the model of your SATA drive?

What info I have is.
Motherboard: ECS G31T-m Micro Atx MB
Processor: Intel Core 2 duo, @ 2.93ghz
Memory: 4 GB Crucial DDR2 Ram
Hard Drive: 250 GB Seagate Sata Drive - model – Barracuda ES.2

10-4

ECS Web Site

Just curious.. Can you check your BIOS version of your motherboard

There is the website for it.
That would be my guess. It has to be something with your SATA settings or maybe the motherboard needs a BIOS update (Last Resort!)

removed. see reply later

And just how does one check the BIOS version of their motherboard?
The manual?
The website?
The computer BIOS has it somewhere?

Thx,

Thanks TCG,

Just teasing about Geek Squad, not to diss them either.
I didn't build this HTPC. Bought from a builder.
Mobo is ECS G31T-m Micro Atx MB (posted in another reply.
I don't know the model of the Seagate SATA drive yet.
I haven't installed the drive on any other computer.
I have a manual on the mobo, but I don't know what I'd be looking for re "options for SATA operations"

While running Media Center, the screen froze. No errors noted, just no further response from mouse or keyboard.
I can't remember whether I just turned it off or pressed ctl,alt,del to reboot (without install CD).
Without Windows 7 CD, when restarted, it asks "Reboot and Select proper boot device or insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key."

Pressed ctl,alt,del Then, on restart, F11 to select reboot device. Which gives me option of 1) 1st floppy drive (doesn't exist) 2) ATAPI iHOS104 (Blue ray drive I believe) or 3) Kingston DataTraveler (2g USB drive)

Of course, selected 2) ATAPI iHOS104 after inserting Windows 7 install disk.

"Windows is loading files..."
Windows blue background with little leaf and birdie graphics screen appears.
Been a few minutes, then...
"Install Windows" window appears.
I select English yada, yada and Next, Install Now. Then "Setup is starting..." and a few more minutes pass then...
Accept license term and...
Then option to "Upgrade" or "Custom". I choose "Custom"
Then " No drives were found. Click Load Driver to provide a mass storage device for installation"
When I click on the "Load Driver" and "Browse" the drives appearing under "Computer" include: 1) Floppy Disk Drive A, 2) CD Drive... and 3) "Boot" (X) which has a "Programs" folder and "Windows" folder
I don't know what this "Boot (X)" drive represents. but there aren't any compatible drivers there.
Of course, I have no other drivers from anywhere, or I would stick them on the USB.
At that point, I'm stuck and I must exit out of screen and it begins restart again.

That's the situation. Hope I didn't seem sarcastic there, I'm a little frustrated.
Thanks.

The "X" drive is the ramdisk that Windows loads its files into when it boots. If the drive does not detect automatically with included drivers, you won't find your driver there.

Looking at the specs on your mobo, the controller is Intel ICH7 which should be detected by Windows without the need for extra drivers on install. Based off of what you say happened, it sounds to me like either your hard drive took a dive, or your motherboard is having issues with the ICH7 controller. My suspicion would be the hard drive. Any chance you have another drive you could put into this system and run the install again as a test? This would omit your controller as the issue and further support the possibility of a failed hard drive without having to get into a BIOS flash quite yet.

Here is something to check quickly:

Re-seat the SATA power cable & SATA Data cable on the Seagate HD & on the MB.

Does the HD show up in the bios setup ?