Windows 7 setup does not recognize my hard drives!

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  1.    #11

    Dorr404 said:
    Ok, as far as trying to install those Silicon Image drivers, Windows setup still did not recognize my hardware. However, I do have some new information that may or may not be useful:

    In the bios the first through fourth SATA master is set to none, there are only two options when you try to change it, that is none and auto, I did not see anything about IHCI. Primary IDE Master and Slave are also set to none.
    If those SATA and IDE drives are occupied and their controllers are set to None instead of Auto then you may have found your problem.

    Try setting the Sata and IDE controllers to auto.

    Also, did you unzip and copy the Silicon drivers which were provided earlier in thread onto a flash stick or CD and load them into installer on the Custom drives screen link (the screen where your HD's should show up, drivers link at bottom left). You need to browse through the folders until the installer finds the drivers to load.

    Dorr404 said:
    Microsoft is still of no help. I can not get my problems solved. I would rather downgrade to Vista if I cannot get this to work. I was informed on another topic that my motherboard was "too old" for Windows 7 (my mobo is an asus a8n sli-deluxe). I want to just go back to vista. I still have my windows.old folder as I could not format in the first place. Anyone have any ideas to point me in the right direction? I tried following a sticky on this site for formatting a drive and I still could not get it to work, and I am running out of patience with Microsoft's customer support, and their products.
    You might as well try formatting the HD first before giving up and rolling back to Vista.

    Boot into the Win7 DVD, select Repair My COmputer on second screen, then in Recovery Tools open a Command Line and type:

    DISKPART
    LIST DISK
    SELECT DISK # (for target disk)
    clean all ("all" zeroes the drive, much fuller format)
    create partition primary
    select partition 1
    assign letter=c:
    active
    format
    exit


    Here's the tutorial from MS for rolling back to Vista using the windows.old folder below.


    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971760
    Last edited by gregrocker; 11 Dec 2009 at 02:46.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 1,031
    Windows 7 x64
       #12

    Well, Just in case you do not yet have it working. I will assume you are intentionally running a raid setup. If you have been running raid in Vista, some things will have already been done.

    The raid controller may have to be turned on in the bios.

    When you boot, you may see a RAID setup screen which you might need to get into for setting your disks for a RAID array.

    Windows should load the normal IDE SATA drivers during the install and you will probably need to load the RAID matrix drivers when allowed. It probably needs an .inf file to look at, but I have never installed RAID drivers. Some manufacturers supply a download of just the drivers needed during an install for use like this.

    You said the drives had been used, so you did not wipe them and need them re-initialized?

    Have you changed any connectors on the motherboard? Some boards have two controllers. The fact you show no hard drives in the bios is not a good sign and if you have them plugged into the wrong controller, they may not work correctly.

    Gregrocker meant AHCI, not IHCI, and the setting should be for an RAID/external controller, or for you primary drives where you set IDE/RAID/ACHI, depending on your motherboard choices.

    If you can't get it to work, try just one drive at a time to see what happens. Then you would at least know if Win 7 was having problems with your hardware.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 14
    Windows 7 Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #13

    I am guessing that Windows7 does not recognize the hardware. Everything is plugged in the same as it was. I tried booting to the repair computer screen as specified above, but It does not recognize any hard drives or partitions, so there is nothing to select. Recently, i was cleaning up my computer, deleted my windows.old folder, and my computer blue screened, and now it will not boot into windows.

    I know I have asked this before, but is there any way to wipe the hard drive without it recognizing any of the partitions that are currently on there? I know it is a long shot, but now I cannot even get into windows, I need to reformat bad, and I cannot get anything in Windows to see that it has partitions that it is currently running off of!

    Thank you all for your time.
      My Computer

  4.    #14

    Dorr404 said:

    I know I have asked this before, but is there any way to wipe the hard drive without it recognizing any of the partitions that are currently on there? I know it is a long shot, but now I cannot even get into windows, I need to reformat bad, and I cannot get anything in Windows to see that it has partitions that it is currently running off of!
    Repeating:

    gregrocker said:

    Boot into the Win7 DVD, select Repair My COmputer on second screen, then in Recovery Tools open a Command Line and type:

    DISKPART
    LIST DISK
    SELECT DISK # (for target disk)
    clean
    create partition primary
    select partition 1
    assign letter=c:
    active
    format
    exit

      My Computer


  5. Posts : 14
    Windows 7 Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #15

    There is some confusion. That's what I was talking about. When I type LISTDISK, nothing shows up.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 11,840
    64-bit Windows 8.1 Pro
       #16

    Try LIST (space) DISK and see what happens..
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 5
    Vista
       #17

    Actually, I am having the same problem. When I type LIST DISK it says "There are no fixed disks to show".
      My Computer

  8.    #18

    Check the BIOS settings for your SATA controller. Try AHCI or IDE.

    Does the HD show up there?

    If not, check jumpers and cable connections. Set jumper to master with only one drive on ribbon.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 5
    Vista
       #19

    I've tried both IDE and AHCI, no difference. I doubt it's the cables seeing as I am on a Acer 6920g, and I haven't touched any of the cables.

    The HD does not show up in the BIOS.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 795
    windows 7 RTM x64
       #20

    If the hard drives dont show up in the bios, you have bigger issues. Like a possible dead drive.

    Pull the cables from one of the drives and see if the bios will see the drive, if it does then continue with the windows install.
      My Computer


 
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