I have a Packard-Bell IMEDIA MC1539 currently running Windows 7 Home Premium. I tried to install a second SATA hard-drive, but on start-up it does not go past the BIOS screen. Pressing F2 does not have any effect. Also tried connecting the hard-drive once machine was running and refreshing device manager. Computer saw the hard-drive, but on restart did not progress any further than the BIOS screen. HELP!
Answer a few questions:
Are you trying to start up with ONLY this second drive connected? Or does some other hard drive contain Windows 7 Home Premium?
What, if anything, is supposedly on this hard drive? Windows 7 Home Premium? Nothing? Data?
Is it brand new?
Brand name, size, and model?
Is this second hard drive recognized in the BIOS of the Packard Bell?
Does the Packard Bell boot and operate normally as long as this second drive is NOT connected?
If you did this without enabling AHCI mode on your SATA ports, i am willing to bet you actually damaged the drive. Also if you plugged the power into it whilst on, you probably shorted something out.
Speaking of which, when the machine POST's does is state there is a connection on channel #0 or #1?
Old picture i know, but it has relevance.
Are we talking about a PC that might be nearly 10 years old or have I got my wires crossed? Compatibility comes to mind!
I have discovered the reason for the problem. I was trying to install a 500GB drive, but after trying a 320GB drive, the problem went away. Obviously, the BIOS didn't like the larger drive. Thanks for the help, anyway.
That might be the cause, I suppose but I am a bit doubtful. Were both the Drives formatted the same ie FAT32 or NTFS?
I highly doubt that this was the problem, Traditional BIOS supports a maximum disk size of 2.2TB.
Have you tried installing the 500 into another machine?
Try following this guide on how to install the new drive, How To Physically Install A Second Internal Hard Drive
I really hope you haven't shorted it out.
That old of a machine the SATA is probably 1.5 where as the drive is probably 3 or 6. Most have a jumper you can use to bring them down to 1.5.
Quote