Windows XP not recongizing a HDD

[inchy97]

I am helping a buddy with his comp. His XP partition was corrupted somehow? and it will not boot his windows XP. and as we tried to install windows XP again with a reformat disc it prompts a location to install windows. There is no spaces available to install windows, if you select enter and install it will blue screen, if you select delete partition it will blue screen. He has a western digital 2500JS hard drive. I used WDD diag tool and ran it and it had no errors, as well as checking the BIOS to check to see if it is recognized (which it is). Any ideas why we are having this problem

[jason2074]

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000647.htm
Post more info. on the computer model/brand and details or steps on how you are reformatting the HD.

[inchy97]

i cannot give you the model number as of now, but it might be around a 2005-7 Sony vaio desktop, And i am using a normal Windows XP reformatting disc to try and reformat, when i try to select a area to format there are no selections.

[Salmon Trout]

What is this "reformat disc"?

[inchy97]

it is a Brown disc that is spiny and it says Windows XP professional Service pack 3, it is for students in college for us to use. I have used it many times on my computers and had not a hitch. I do have some technical background.

[Computer_Commando]

It probably needs SATA driver for hard drive.
http://esupport.sony.com/EN/osmig/xpclean.html

[inchy97]

Yup that is exactly thought was it needed a sata driver. But we will Probs be installing windows 7 on it so we wont have to worry about it then. Would i have to have those sata drivers on a flop to install like you would with raid?

[Computer_Commando]

To get around this for WinXP, you should be able to enable "SATA Compatibility Mode in the BIOS".  The terminology may be different, but look for something like that.  Might say:  SATA emulate IDE.

[patio]

You have an SP3 install CD...that's not gonna solve your Windows issue...

See if you can borrow/beg an XP CD...
I t needs to match the version you have installed...

[inchy97]

we dont want to solve the issues, we just want a brand new install of windows, he has a sony vaio VGC-RC110G i tried looking for a SATA comp. mode but there was nothing in relation to IDE or SATA

[jason2074]

1. 

western digital 2500JS hard drive

a. Is this SATA HD brand new or used and contains certain files/XP OS?
b. Is it the original drive attached on her Sony desktop?
2. 

Windows XP professional Service pack 3

The problem might be on using a Win XP OEM/Recovery disc instead of a Win XP installation disc.

[inchy97]

1 ) yes it is the original HDD that came with his computer

2) it is a installation disc not a recovery disc

[jason2074]

tried looking for a SATA comp. mode but there was nothing in relation to IDE or SATA

Try looking in your BIOS settings for drive controllers RAID, SATA,IDE or AHCI to enable or disable then try installing again. Other than that, I could only think of trying another XP CD as suggested or another SATA Hard drive to check on the real issue.

[inchy97]

i think what we are going to do. is just install 7 and deal with the issues

[Computer_Commando]

Better check here first:  http://esupport.sony.com/EN/VAIO
Your computer:  http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=VGCRC110G&LOC=3
If it's the original hard drive, you should be able to perform a System Recovery (this is not a Windows System Restore).
You don't use a Windows CD, the System Recovery is located on the original hard drive.

http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=C395689&sliceId=1&docTypeID=DT_KNOWLEDGEARTICLES_1_1&dialogID=295924331&stateId=1 0 295936193
This model does not require Recovery CDs. Recovery data is included on a special partition of the hard drive.
If the operating system will not start and no other troubleshooting can be performed, a recovery of the (C:) drive can be performed by starting the computer and pressing the F10 key.