FAQ - Installing SATA as boot drive not detected.

[gwendes]

Q. I am trying to install Windows XP to a serial ATA (SATA) drive but at the start of the install windows says I have no hard drives detected.

A. The reason windows does not detect the hard drive is because it does not have RAID drivers for the motherboard. Without drivers for the motherboard SATA controller it can’t detect the drive.

Solution. Your motherboard would have come with a floppy disk containing RAID drivers or on the drivers CD there will be a program to create a floppy containing the drivers.

At the start of the windows XP install you will see a message saying “Press F6 to install 3rd party RAID or SCSI drivers”. When you see this message put the floppy disk in the drive and press F6. There is no instant indication that you have done this but you will be asked to insert the floppy disc containing the drivers later on in the installation.

[Matt]

If you don't have a floppy drive, you will need to slipstream the drivers into your windows installation, as XP doesn't support loading drivers at install-time as yet.

Slipstreaming can be quite confusing but there are many resources on the internet to help, I managed it with a few spare hours and a CDRW to try the install package on.

[gwendes]

Here is a handy guide for slipstreaming a Windows XP installation

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/wi ... stream.asp (
here