"No hard disk" error on XP install (SATA)

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khensu

Geek Trainee
My notebook came installed with Vista, which of course had to go. When trying to install XP I received a "no hard disk" error.

The HD in the laptop is a SATA drive, hence the error. As the laptop doesn't have a floppy drive I tried slipstreaming the drivers onto the bootable Windows XP installation CD but to no avail - I tried it both manually and with nLite. I don't get the "no hard disk" error, but another one, namely that the driver cannot be found despite it being there (double-checked, retried, etc).

So, any ideas on how to solve this? How do I get XP onto the SATA drive without a floppy?
 
Welcome to hardwareforums khensu :beer:

Good choice, unfortunately all i can remember about windows and SATA drives is that you need to add 2 different drivers (or 2 different files? cant remember exactly), one of them is used by the installer and then the other is used by windows when it is starting up.

Im guessing your having trouble getting to the first boot of windows but have already formatted the disk and the windows setup has already copied a load of files?

[OT]
You might want to take a look at an operating system called Ubuntu (Which is based on an operating system called Debian). Its completely free for any use and is alot more stable and secure than any of the windows operating systems.

Allthough, you will want to run a program called automatix once you have installed it (it allows you to install all sorts of extra's very easily, like every video codec you could possibly want with just a few clicks).

Also, it works with SATA hard drives straight off :)
[/OT]
 
Yeah, I know about Ubuntu, and found it quite easy to use in the past, but I need too many Windows applications which don't always run too smoothly under Wine. It's on the testing list though, and I'll keep on educating myself and then hopefully one day be able to ditch Windows as an OS.


Driver-wise, I included only one .sys file if I recall correctly. I did have the txtsetup.oem and .tag files included. Basically, everything that came with the driver package.

The problem with the slipstreaming is that I get an error saying that the installation process cannot find "gd32144.sys", even though both files (txt[something].sif and winnt.sif) refer to the correct location, the files are all there and there is no problem with capitalisation (all referrals and the file itself use the same caps, i.e. none at all).

And yes, the error occurs after Windows has already loaded a bunch of drivers, basically during the initial stage of the installation process (Setup is loading this, Setup is loading that, etc).
The error does occur _before_ the formatting, as I don't even get to the part where the hard disk comes into play.

Hence, I'm :(
 
Have you tried going through google? what have you looked for? (No point going through the same results as you :p)
 
I can't find the particular link anymore, I don't remember the search terms I used for that one... but it was a detailed, step-by-step description to add the drivers manually to the boot CD.

The other one, with nLite, was Install Windows XP on SATA without a Floppy (F6) - No Floppy...no Windows on SATA? Wrong! - Softpedia .

For now, all that seems plausible is a USB floppy drive, as the BIOS seems capable of allowing me to boot from USB, so that should work during (well, prior to) the XP install.
 
yeah, you need to slipstream the SATA drivers into your XP CD, alternatively you can install your SATA drivers as you are installing, just boot from the XP CD and press <F6> when prompted, to install your HDD drivers, but you will need to insert the HDD drivers every time you install XP onto a SATA drive, so, it is better to slipstream your drivers into your XP CD
 
The link you provided did have some differences from the "guide" I originally used, so I gave that a go. I can't test it as I can't seem to burn a bootable CD... which puzzles me.

I copied the XP CD to the hard drive, made the changes, used IsoRecorder to create an ISO, burned it - nothing.
Added a boot file to the ISO (again with IsoRecorder, in a new .iso file), burned it - nothing.

I am of course burning the files as an iso is supposed to be burned, I'm not just putting the file itself on a CD.

This is seriously pissing me off. I am ill so I may be overlooking something in my not so concentrated state but still... I'm just going to blame Vista. And communism. May they burn in hell.
 
Goddamnit. The Intel floppy config utility gives me errors (well, WinImage does, which the Intel .exe uses...) so I can't write the drivers to floppy through that. I copied them manually to the floppy, chucked them in the USB FDD and rebooted with the XP installation cd.

I hit F6, after a bit it asks me which drivers to load, I select the drivers, it goes on with loading... hard disk error. "No hard disk"....

Anyone?
 
khensu said:
I copied the XP CD to the hard drive, made the changes, used IsoRecorder to create an ISO, burned it - nothing.
Added a boot file to the ISO (again with IsoRecorder, in a new .iso file), burned it - nothing.
Click to expand...
presumably, you've got the SATA drivers, correct ?, create a folder called C:\XP-CD (or somewhere memorable) copy the XP CD to HDD to that directory &
Code: 
D:\path\to\your\drivers\file.exe -a -p C:\XP-CD
[ot]or the location where your SATA drivers are[/ot]

BTW: i think i used IsoRecorder V2
to extract the boot image
now extract the CD boot image (Microsoft Corporation.img) from your original XP CD and add it into C:\XP-CD, now burn the CD[ot]i can't remember how to do it on XP[/ot]

BTW: i think thats correct, i haven't used XP for a while, if you want any more help just ask

Edit: BTW: are we having fun yet!
 
No fun at all, sorry :p

I've got the SATA drivers, yes. But, what is "file.exe"? There's no .exe files included with my drivers :(
 
khensu said:
No fun at all
Click to expand...
could be worse, someone could have hit your laptop with a BFH (Big :swear:ing Hammer), i struggled slipstreaming my first XP CD (& i didn't integrate HDD drivers, i just integrated SP2 into an original XP CD

khensu said:
I've got the SATA drivers, yes. But, what is "file.exe"? There's no .exe files included with my drivers :(
Click to expand...
i was thinking the drivers where compressed in a .exe file (usually Setup.exe) but presumably you have the drivers extracted, correct ?[ot]D:\path\to\file.exe, is a path to a location of a file that you know exists, e.g. C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Iexplore.exe is the same as C:\path\to\file.exe[/ot]

BTW: i think uncompressed there are 2 file names 1 .inf file & 1 .sys:unsure:

BTW: try again, now i've explained some stuff

BTW: i'm a masochist, & i think it's fun
 
Extracted the boot file from the original XP installation CD, included it in the .iso prior to burning it, burned it, rebooted.

I get "Couldn't find NTLDR". No booting from CD at all:(
 
khensu said:
Extracted the boot file from the original XP installation CD, included it in the .iso prior to burning it, burned it, rebooted.
Click to expand...
:good:

khensu said:
I get "Couldn't find NTLDR".
Click to expand...
well, thats actually a good thing, cos there is load on net about NTLDR error, personally i fixed it by reinstalling OS, try obtaining the Bcupdate2.exe i believe there is a workaround, however i don't know it at the moment, try contacting MS via this page
khensu said:
No booting from CD at all:(
Click to expand...
check the boot priority in the BIOS, does it even attempt to boot CD ?

BTW: searching net for a workaround your problem
 
found this
pcsupport.com
  • Restart the PC. The NTLDR error could be a fluke.
  • Check your floppy and optical (CD/DVD) drives for media. Often times, the "NTLDR is Missing" error will appear if your PC is trying to boot to a non-bootable floppy disk or CD/DVD.
  • Check the hard drive and other drive settings in BIOS and ensure they are correct. The BIOS configuration tells the computer how to use a drive so incorrect settings can cause problems, including NTLDR errors. There is usually an Auto setting for hard drive and optical drive configurations in BIOS which is usually a safe bet if you're not sure what to do.
  • Restore the NTLDR and ntdetect.com files from the Windows XP CD. Restoring these two important system files from the original Windows XP CD may do the trick.
  • Repair or replace the boot.ini file. This will prevent the NTLDR error if the cause of the problem is a boot.ini file that is not configured properly for your Windows XP installation.
  • Write a new partition boot sector to the Windows XP system partition. If the partition boot sector has become corrupt or isn't properly configured, you may receive the "NTLDR is Missing" error.
  • Repair the Windows XP master boot record. NTLDR error messages may also appear if the master boot record is corrupt.
  • Open your computer's case and ensure that the cable that connects the hard drive to the motherboard is firmly in place. If this does not resolve the issue, try replacing the cable. NTLDR error messages could be caused by loose or malfunctioning IDE cables.
  • Update your motherboard's BIOS. Occasionally, an outdated BIOS version can cause the "NTLDR is Missing" error.
  • Perform a repair installation of Windows XP. This type of installation should replace any missing or corrupt files. Continue troubleshooting if this does not resolve the issue.
  • Perform a clean installation of Windows XP. This type of installation will completely remove Windows XP from your PC and install it again from scratch. While this will almost certainly resolve any NTLDR errors, it is a time consuming process due to the fact that all of your data must be backed up and then later restored.

    If you can't gain access to your files to back them up, understand that you will loose them all if you continue with a clean installation of Windows XP.
  • Finally, if all else has failed, including the clean installation from the last step, you're most likely facing a hardware issue with your hard drive. Replace the hard drive and then perform a new installation of Windows XP
Click to expand...
Source
 
Sorry, should've been more clear: the NLTDR error occurs when I tried to boot from the CD I burned, not Windows in general. Icky Vista still boots without problems (thankfully).

The boot priority is set to CD, then HD. I also used the MultiBoot selection menu just to make sure it would boot from CD... nothink. Either no boot, NTLDR error, or no drivers being loaded. But hey, who can blame 'em... it's not like anyone was using SATA drives when they released the CDs of XP with SP2 integrated...
 
please go though each step list in the previous post
donkey said:
pcsupport.com

  • Restart the PC. The NTLDR error could be a fluke.
  • Check your floppy and optical (CD/DVD) drives for media. Often times, the "NTLDR is Missing" error will appear if your PC is trying to boot to a non-bootable floppy disk or CD/DVD.
  • Check the hard drive and other drive settings in BIOS and ensure they are correct. The BIOS configuration tells the computer how to use a drive so incorrect settings can cause problems, including NTLDR errors. There is usually an Auto setting for hard drive and optical drive configurations in BIOS which is usually a safe bet if you're not sure what to do.
  • Restore the NTLDR and ntdetect.com files from the Windows XP CD. Restoring these two important system files from the original Windows XP CD may do the trick.
  • Repair or replace the boot.ini file. This will prevent the NTLDR error if the cause of the problem is a boot.ini file that is not configured properly for your Windows XP installation.
  • Write a new partition boot sector to the Windows XP system partition. If the partition boot sector has become corrupt or isn't properly configured, you may receive the "NTLDR is Missing" error.
  • Repair the Windows XP master boot record. NTLDR error messages may also appear if the master boot record is corrupt.
  • Open your computer's case and ensure that the cable that connects the hard drive to the motherboard is firmly in place. If this does not resolve the issue, try replacing the cable. NTLDR error messages could be caused by loose or malfunctioning IDE cables.
  • Update your motherboard's BIOS. Occasionally, an outdated BIOS version can cause the "NTLDR is Missing" error.
  • Perform a repair installation of Windows XP. This type of installation should replace any missing or corrupt files. Continue troubleshooting if this does not resolve the issue.
  • Perform a clean installation of Windows XP. This type of installation will completely remove Windows XP from your PC and install it again from scratch. While this will almost certainly resolve any NTLDR errors, it is a time consuming process due to the fact that all of your data must be backed up and then later restored.

    If you can't gain access to your files to back them up, understand that you will loose them all if you continue with a clean installation of Windows XP.
  • Finally, if all else has failed, including the clean installation from the last step, you're most likely facing a hardware issue with your hard drive. Replace the hard drive and then perform a new installation of Windows XP
Click to expand...
Source

Edit: to resolve your NTLDR error
 
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