Oops!! SATA!!!

Hi Rockster,
I have already set the "Boot Device Priority" to '1st Boot Device - [Hard Drive], 2nd Boot Device - [Disabled], 3rd Boot Device - [Disabled]' as in 2.6.1 -
http://dlsvr01.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socketAM2/M2N8-VMX/e2813_m2n8-vmx.pdf

The thing that I have noticed is that every time the PC is turned on, the BIOS 'Main Menu' has the Primary IDE Master as [Not Detected]. It then goes thru its incredibly slow POST, comes up with the 'error' "Reboot and select proper Boot device or insert Boot media in selected Boot device and press a key.. " - pressing <Reset> it continues (albeit slowly) to Windows and seems to perform OK.
Once the PC is turned off, BIOS seems to have lost the Primary IDE Master again...

I'm feeling like throwing the thing across the road under the wheels of a rather large truck - thank God the ol' dinosaur still works.....

Den

 

Although I don't know the model of the ASUS board you are using, most ASUS boards also have a setting for hard drive priorities which is seperate from the boot device order. Look around in your BIOS and see if you can find a seperate setting which lets you prioritize the hard drives. As stated in the earlier part of this thread, most machines like using regular IDE HDD's first, followed by SATA but there may also be a setting which will permit you to eliminate this annoyance.

 

Hi Rockster,
I decided to try an old 'door stop' 3.2Gb Quantum Fireball HDD that I've had hangin' 'round in an attempt to eliminate the possibility that the 40Gb HDD was stuffed.

Loaded XP (after eventually dicyphering the jumper setting diagram on the bloody thing) - worked perfectly.....

I started thinking that, maybe because the 40Gb was partitioned, BIOS was having an issue attempting to establish which partition to boot from (maybe there were system files on the second partition). Had a look - No!!

Then REVELATION - I had used a different IDE data cable on the 3Gb drive - SUCCESS - a faulty IDE data cable was the source of all these nervous breakdowns and copious amounts of bourbon (not complaining about the bourbon tho...

Thanks so much for your help (at least I learned a bit on the way) and if we ever run into each other in RL, I'll make sure you help me demolish some bourbon.

Den

BTW - your mention earlier in the thread re: my thanks - it really pees me off when I read this board and watch ppl ask questions, you guys go to alot of effort to give solutions/suggestions and the ignorant twits don't even have the common courtesy of at least saying 'thanks'. Just my 2c. Once again - THANKS....

 

Boy you were lucky to get your board to recognise 3GB hard disk. Most of the new motherboards consider it too downmarket to recognise these small hard disks & most would not boot properly if one were to mix old (small capacity) & new hard disks.

 

rsinfo,
I was amazed how ironic it was that I started this thread in view of my lack of knowledge of SATA when, in the end, it was a bloody IDE cable that was the problem......

Den

 

Yep, understand your feelings. Have got stuck myself a couple of times to find out that a cable was causing the problems (most recently with a USB cable connected to a laser printer). Goes onto show that all of us must check the small things first before calling out the artillery