Solve : Bad MoBo??

1.	Solve : Bad MoBo??
Answer» I have been attempting to get my computer back up and running after quite some downtime.. I recently installed a local hard drive and completed the initial boot up and re-installation of Windows XP, and proceeded to DOWNLOAD and install recommended automatic Windows Updates. After the last of a few mandatory reboots it failed to find/detec a local hard drive to boot from. I have three total hard drives I've been attempting to install/format/boot up with no luck, which leads me to believe I have either a IDE cable PROBLEM, a mobo connection problem, a mobo problem, or any combination of the above, while certainly not ruling out any other possibilities not yet considered...Find the 1 HDD with the last succesful Win install on it... Remove all other drives... Use a BRAND new IDE cable... If this works it was either the cable or your jumpering scheme with multiple drives was askew... PS...I doubt its the MBoard...but i could be wrong.FYI - When attempting this recovery I have only had 1 HDD in at a time (with jumper settings open, no cap) I will try replacing the IDE cable first (cheapest).. what is my next plan of ATTACK if it is not the IDE cable?Look in your BIOS and see if your HDD RAID configuration is set to AHCI or compatible. You want to set it to 'compatible'.Stop insisting everyone with drive issues has a RAID setup... You're losing credibility very rapidly here. Quote from: patio on October 26, 2010, 07:27:28 PM Stop insisting everyone with drive issues has a RAID setup... You're losing credibility very rapidly here. Do you have any other advice to substantiate this claim? What a censored. I deal with these issues every day. It's not just a hobby.if the "downtime" was long enough, and the CMOS settings were lost, then yes, the SATA/RAID mode might have reverted to AHCI when XP essentially requires "Compatible" to WORK with SATA. On the other hand, since they are Using PATA and not SATA that sort of blows that out of the WATER. AHCI is specific to SATA controllers, and is not present with PATA/EIDE controllers/devices. TomL: Are all three of these Hard drives installed at once, or are you trying them "separately" if none of them seem to be working for this (which is of course why you are here, heh) then it's probably not a drive problem. I'd be inclined to blame the cable, myself, since I've encountered quite literally the exact same thing when I accidentally used a 40-conductor cable instead of an 80-conductor, where the drive would essentially "refuse to exist" sometimes. Since trying a new IDE cable is the cheapest option to go with that should be a good first step. Quote from: BC_Programmer on October 27, 2010, 06:11:26 AM On the other hand, since they are Using PATA and not SATA that sort of blows that out of the water. AHCI is specific to SATA controllers, and is not present with PATA/EIDE controllers/devices. Most motherboards have both an IDE and a SATA controller. If AHCI is switched on, it usually causes me problems with XP recognizing the drive. Quote from: OpenSource on October 27, 2010, 07:29:44 AM Most motherboards have both an IDE and a SATA controller. If AHCI is switched on, it usually causes me problems with XP recognizing the drive. AHCI won't cause any problems recognizing drives connected via IDE. It's a completely disparate system.

Answer»

I have been attempting to get my computer back up and running after quite some downtime..
I recently installed a local hard drive and completed the initial boot up and re-installation of Windows XP, and proceeded to DOWNLOAD and install recommended automatic Windows Updates. After the last of a few mandatory reboots it failed to find/detec a local hard drive to boot from. I have three total hard drives I've been attempting to install/format/boot up with no luck, which leads me to believe I have either a IDE cable PROBLEM, a mobo connection problem, a mobo problem, or any combination of the above, while certainly not ruling out any other possibilities not yet considered...Find the 1 HDD with the last succesful Win install on it...
Remove all other drives...
Use a BRAND new IDE cable...

If this works it was either the cable or your jumpering scheme with multiple drives was askew...

PS...I doubt its the MBoard...but i could be wrong.FYI - When attempting this recovery I have only had 1 HDD in at a time (with jumper settings open, no cap)
I will try replacing the IDE cable first (cheapest).. what is my next plan of ATTACK if it is not the IDE cable?Look in your BIOS and see if your HDD RAID configuration is set to AHCI or compatible. You want to set it to 'compatible'.Stop insisting everyone with drive issues has a RAID setup...
You're losing credibility very rapidly here. Quote from: patio on October 26, 2010, 07:27:28 PM

Stop insisting everyone with drive issues has a RAID setup...
You're losing credibility very rapidly here.

Do you have any other advice to substantiate this claim? What a *censored*. I deal with these issues every day. It's not just a hobby.if the "downtime" was long enough, and the CMOS settings were lost, then yes, the SATA/RAID mode might have reverted to AHCI when XP essentially requires "Compatible" to WORK with SATA.

On the other hand, since they are Using PATA and not SATA that sort of blows that out of the WATER. AHCI is specific to SATA controllers, and is not present with PATA/EIDE controllers/devices.

TomL: Are all three of these Hard drives installed at once, or are you trying them "separately" if none of them seem to be working for this (which is of course why you are here, heh) then it's probably not a drive problem. I'd be inclined to blame the cable, myself, since I've encountered quite literally the exact same thing when I accidentally used a 40-conductor cable instead of an 80-conductor, where the drive would essentially "refuse to exist" sometimes. Since trying a new IDE cable is the cheapest option to go with that should be a good first step. Quote from: BC_Programmer on October 27, 2010, 06:11:26 AM

On the other hand, since they are Using PATA and not SATA that sort of blows that out of the water. AHCI is specific to SATA controllers, and is not present with PATA/EIDE controllers/devices.

Most motherboards have both an IDE and a SATA controller. If AHCI is switched on, it usually causes me problems with XP recognizing the drive. Quote from: OpenSource on October 27, 2010, 07:29:44 AM

Most motherboards have both an IDE and a SATA controller. If AHCI is switched on, it usually causes me problems with XP recognizing the drive.

AHCI won't cause any problems recognizing drives connected via IDE. It's a completely disparate system.

Solve : Bad MoBo??

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