Need help installing Windows XP Professional!

[bjc3121991]

I need help installing Windows XP Professional on a computer because every time I go to install it, it says that I have no hard drives installed. So could someone help me! Need many solutions!

[TinglyCourier]

I need help installing Windows XP Professional on a computer because every time I go to install it, it says that I have no hard drives installed. So could someone help me! Need many solutions!

Ok, need more information first. For starters, why are you installing Windows? Is it a new HD, an upgrade from XP Home or Media? Did you have a crash? What kind of computer specs can you give us? Have you had problems before trying to install XP Pro? Any detail you can offer would be great.

[bjc3121991]

I had Windows Server 2003 because the computer was a gift. My computer then crashed and I wanted to install Windows XP Professional. I have never had problems before while trying to install Windows XP Professional. I have the disk ready I just need to know why it keeps telling me that I have no hard disk drives installed.

[John A]

I had Windows Server 2003 because the computer was a gift. My computer then crashed and I wanted to install Windows XP Professional. I have never had problems before while trying to install Windows XP Professional. I have the disk ready I just need to know why it keeps telling me that I have no hard disk drives installed.

What kind of hard drives are they, and what connection do they use? (IDE, SCSI, SATA, etc.) You should also repartition and format the NTFS/FAT32 prior to installation.

[fry]

hi bjc3121991, and welcome to daniweb!

it looks like you install windows on a sata drive and windows can't find sata controller driver. so at first you need to make a sata controller driver installation floppy, ususally it's delivered with motherboard, if it's not it can be made by your self, you need a MoBo cd and on it you can find an utility to make such floppies, or go to your mobo's manufacturer and download there. After you made this diskette, run the windows installation, and when you'll see in the bottom of the screen, "press F6 bla bla bla", so press F6, and you'll be offered to install SATA drivers, so insert diskette and install, then go on the installation process.

good luck.

[bjc3121991]

i am not sure what to do

[MartyMcFly]

On your PC, go to Start > Run > Type "devmgmt.msc"

Expand "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" and write down instances under that heading.

We can then hopefully, give you a download location for a driver, that you can put on a Floppy Disket, and utilise during your Windows install to get a result.

Regards, David

[bjc3121991]

The computer has no OS on it as of right now that is why i am trying to put Windows XP Professional on it. So i won't be able to do that.

[Xpenetrator]

You should check now if your HDD is an IDE (40-pin connector) or S-ATA type (lesser pins, looks like this photo: http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/04/07/going_the_sas_storage_way/page3.html) . If S-ATA, do what Fry (Posting #5) suggested. If it's IDE, check if the disk is recognized by the BIOS.

[bjc3121991]

Thanks everyone I fixed it!!!