Installing Windows 7 on newly bought drive

Drive is a Western Digital Caviar Blue (WD10EALX) 1TB.

Computer is a Gateway FX7026.

I've removed both my old drives, only the new drive is connected. I did a clean, custom install.

I keep getting the message:

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. this computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. esnsure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu."

I know it isn't my hardware, because I tried this with the exact same model of HDD before, I installed Windows 7 successfully on that one, but I had to return the last one because it was unstable and had bad sectors etc. and probably would've broken soon or later, so I returned it and got the same drive, but this one can't even install Windows 7.

Have you checked in BIOS setup to see that the HD is recognized? While there also check that SATA controller is set to AHCI mode first to try install. If it fails, try IDE mode.

First setup the HD in Diskpart, you follow is tutorial:
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

Never mind, I fixed the problem, turns out I mixed up the cables, and I also reset the BIOS settings, installed Windows 7 fine. =D

However, I now have to manually boot from the HD, or else it auto boots to some Intel Boot Agent and tries to connect to a MAC address? However, in the boot order this option doesn't even appear and so it should boot from HD first. How can I fix this?

The HD needs to be pluged in to the first SATA port on MOBO & first HD boot in BIOS.

theog said:

The HD needs to be pluged in to the first SATA port on MOBO

I don't think this is necessary. For example, my boot drive is connected to SATA connector 5 (of 6) and there is no problem booting from it at all.

You can obviously have multiple hard drives of all kinds (SATA, SCSI, IDE, etc.) and they'll all be listed as hard drives in the "hard drive list", which is perfectly fine, and SATA drives do not need to be absolutely be cabled to the FIRST SATA connector on the mobo in order to make them bootable.

What's important for booting is that the particular drive (whatever that drive is) where you place the "active" partition should be specified properly to appear correctly in the "boot device sequence" of the BIOS. Normally, you'd have other devices earlier in the "boot device sequence" (e.g. floppy disk drive, USB device, CD/DVD drive, etc.) and then finally THE hard drive where the "active" partition has been created.

The System boot files are placed on the first marked-Active partition or the target-install Partition, whichever comes first.

Sometimes having HD cabled to SATA1 solves installation problems unrelated to this.

System boot files are install to the first HD, if marked active or inactive.

I figured it out,

I think my SATA cable is a bit damaged, sometimes my BIOS doesn't detect my HDD at all, and that's why it boots from the next possible option which is from my lan card, thus activating Intel Boot Agent, but this is a useless option I don't use and don't ever plan on using.

Sucks 'cause on this prebuilt system it looks pretty difficult to replace a SATA cable.