Author Topic: Installing SATA HDD on ASUS A7V8X-LA Phoenix Award BIOS?? (Read 38118 times)

Beedub245 · « **on:** November 09, 2009, 09:27:37 PM »

The question is in the title. Is this possible? My old IDE HDD went down. I mistakenly purchased a SATA HDD. After some deliberation I decided to buy the adapter cables and go that route. Installed everything. Powered up and HDD is not recognized. There is not a visible SATA control in my BIOS. What can I do? Thanks.

patio · « **Reply #1 on:** November 09, 2009, 10:29:24 PM »

The SATA/RAID drivers will be available at the MBoard manuf. website.

Beedub245 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 10, 2009, 12:56:34 AM »

I have downloaded the drivers from the MB website. I can't get them to integrate into my BIOS. I burned them to disk and tried to do it that way, but I have not been successful. I also tried to install the driver during the Windows installation and that did not work either. I am going crazy here.

Beedub245 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 10, 2009, 02:47:40 AM »

After a lot of research, I am under the impression that I need a "flash utility"? It just seems that all of this stuff works from DOS and I have no access to DOS because my old hard drive does not function anymore. How do I update the bios without being able to get to DOS? Is it even possible. I am going to sleep now because I have classes all day tomorrow and will not be able to work on this again until 11:00EST. Until that time(and after) any and all comments, opinions, and advice is welcomed and greatly appreciated.

patio · « **Reply #4 on:** November 10, 2009, 05:48:26 AM »

They don't get "incorporated " into the BIOS...
Very early on in the XP install process at the bottom of the screen you will see a prompt "Press F6 to install third party drivers"///
Press F6 at this point and put in the driver CD...they will install automatically and setup will continue...

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #5 on:** November 10, 2009, 11:04:02 AM »

Does you BIOS contain the following?
BIOS---Main---Integrated Peripherals

OR something like this?
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph07110&tmp_track_link=ot_recdoc/c00063254/en_us/bph07110/loc:3&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us

For BIOS reset:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&docname=c00069442

patio · « **Reply #6 on:** November 10, 2009, 05:01:53 PM »

***sigh***

Beedub245 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 10, 2009, 10:05:13 PM »

Okay, I am home and back to work... I tried making the driver cd. I DL'd the manual for my mother board and read all that I could about updating my BIOS. I made a cd with the following files on it: fasttxt, txtsetup.oem, readme.txt(these 3 files are what was downloaded from the MB website under "RAID"), FLASH.EXE, AFLASH.EXE, BIOS 1015.003, and VIA 4 in 1 Driver Package Service.

These are the file that I believed the manual said could be necessary.

Commando... My BIOS does not have an integrated peripherals section... My BIOS looks just like the first screenshot on the first link that you posted just with different things in the boxes.
System Time
System Date
Language [English(US)]
Floppy DIskette A [Not Instlled]

First Channel Device 0 [None]
First Channel Device 1 [None]
Second Channel Device 0 [ASUS DVD-E6]
Second Channel Device 1 [TSSTcorpCD-R/R]
Third Channel Device 0 [None]
Fourth Channel Device 0 [None

(all of this below is grayed out)
Installed Memory 1536 MB/PC2700
Memory Bank 0 512 MB/DDR SDRAM
Memory Bank 1 1024 MB/DDR SDRAM

Core Version 6.0
BIOS REVISION 3.15 06/06/2005

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #8 on:** November 11, 2009, 11:36:13 AM »

Quote from: Beedub245 on November 10, 2009, 10:05:13 PM

...
System Time
System Date
Language [English(US)]
Floppy DIskette A [Not Instlled]

First Channel Device 0 [None]
First Channel Device 1 [None]
Second Channel Device 0 [ASUS DVD-E6]
Second Channel Device 1 [TSSTcorpCD-R/R]
Third Channel Device 0 [None]
Fourth Channel Device 0 [None]

(all of this below is grayed out)
Installed Memory 1536 MB/PC2700
Memory Bank 0 512 MB/DDR SDRAM
Memory Bank 1 1024 MB/DDR SDRAM

Core Version 6.0
BIOS REVISION 3.15 06/06/2005

Change bold items to Auto.

patio · « **Reply #9 on:** November 11, 2009, 04:12:03 PM »

Quote from: patio on November 10, 2009, 05:48:26 AM

They don't get "incorporated " into the BIOS...
Very early on in the XP install process at the bottom of the screen you will see a prompt "Press F6 to install third party drivers"///
Press F6 at this point and put in the driver CD...they will install automatically and setup will continue...

Beedub245 · « **Reply #10 on:** November 12, 2009, 10:13:46 PM »

I forgot to finish what I was saying after I listed the files that I put on the CD. Early on it says "press F6 if you need to install...", I pushed F6, it loaded a few things and then says
"Windows Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage devices installed in your system, or you have chosen to manually specify an adapter. Currently, Setup will load support for the following mass storage device(s):
<none>
* To specify additional SCSI adapters, CD-ROM drives, or special disk controllers for use with Windows, including those for which you have a device support disk from a mass storage device manufacturer, press S."
So I press "S" and then it says "Setup could not find a floppy drive on your machine to load OEM drivers from floppy disk."

I have tried doing this by taking the System Restore disk out and putting in the disk that I made and also by putting the Restore disk in the DVD drive and the disk that I made into the CD-RW drive and I get the same response either way.

Thank you for taking the time to try to help me.

patio · « **Reply #11 on:** November 13, 2009, 06:35:29 AM »

How did you make this CD ? ?
Windows should spot the drivers automatically if it was built correctly...

BTW you are doing the steps correctly.
Go ahead and post a link to where the drivers came from...

Beedub245 · « **Reply #12 on:** November 17, 2009, 02:15:25 AM »

I downloaded the files from http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

I am just writing the files to the cd. I am not aware of a proper protocol for doing this.

I am sorry if it takes me a while to respond, but I am in the middle of a pretty tough semester at school and having my PC go down has made things that much more difficult. I do appreciate all of the advice and opinions that you guys give me. I hope that this is a problem with a solution, because it is driving me crazy.

Beedub245 · « **Reply #13 on:** November 23, 2009, 10:30:13 PM »

Is there some trick to writing this disk? I will kick myself if I have lost a week all becuase I wasn't putting the files on the disk in the right manner. Thanks

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #14 on:** November 24, 2009, 11:56:00 AM »

You have an HP with an Asus motherboard. Any drivers should come from HP, not Asus. Since the hard drive is not shown in the BIOS, how did you connect it? You said something about "adapter cables".

BIOS Setup Utility Information and Menu Options
Go to Advanced Menu in BIOS:
Onboard PATA/SATA Adapters -- Both
Onboard PATA/SATA Configuration -- Enhanced Mode
F10, Save & Exit, then Back to BIOS Boot Main Menu, verify HDD is shown.
Now, go to BIOS Boot Menu, verify CD 1st, HDD 2nd.
F10, Save & Exit
Install Windows from CD

Beedub245 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 24, 2009, 01:13:07 PM »

The files that I have downloaded were to update the BIOS with SATA controls, or at least that is what I thought I was doing. The "adapter cables" are being used because I have SATA inputs, but did not have the cables to connect to my motherboard and I needed an adapter to be able to get power to the drive... My BIOS does not have any SATA settings currently, that is what I thought I was taking steps to fix.

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #16 on:** November 24, 2009, 01:27:10 PM »

Quote from: Beedub245 on November 24, 2009, 01:13:07 PM

1. The files that I have downloaded were to update the BIOS with SATA controls, or at least that is what I thought I was doing.
2. The "adapter cables" are being used because I have SATA inputs, but did not have the cables to connect to my motherboard and I needed an adapter to be able to get power to the drive...
3. My BIOS does not have any SATA settings currently, that is what I thought I was taking steps to fix.

1. SATA drivers have nothing to do with BIOS updates, they are Windows drivers.
2. Adapter cable was for power only? SATA data cable is the thin one.
3. SATA shows on the BIOS Main Page as:
Third Channel Device 0 [None]
Fourth Channel Device 0 [None]
Now go to the Advanced page and then the Boot page.

BTW, there is no Asus A7V8X-LA. I only see A7V8X, A7V8X-MX, A7V8X-MX SE, A7V8X-X
Is this a branded computer, i.e. HP, Dell or?

Beedub245 · « **Reply #17 on:** November 25, 2009, 09:15:04 AM »

1. Ok. Thanks for that. I was confused. I thought that by running the drivers during the installation that would update the BIOS.
2. The adapter cable is for both the power and the MB connections. The MB had SATA slots but no cable and the power needed to be converted because the Output connection from my power source is different than the input connection on the HDD
3.I had no idea that is what was meant by third and fourth channels
** My computer is a HP.
... The advanced menu of my BIOS does not have any reference to SATA. These are the options and their settings:
Plug and Play OS YES
Reset Configuration Data NO
Primary Video Adapter PCI
PS/2 Mouse AUTO DETECT
Onboard 1394 Auto Detect
USB Legacy Mode Support AUTO
Onboard LAN ENABLED
Local Bus IDE Adapter BOTH
Onboard Video Memory AUTO
Onboard Audio AUTO
... Supervisor/ user password DISABLED

I/O Device Configuration
Serial Port A ENABLED
Base I/O address 3F8
Interrupt IRQ4
Parallel Port ENABLED
Base I/O address ENABLED
Mode ECP
Interrupt IRQ7

patio · « **Reply #18 on:** November 25, 2009, 09:32:47 AM »

Now i'm thoroughly confused...

The drive needs a SATA connection to the MBoard or it will not work...
As far as power there are Molex to SATA connectors available at any PC store.
While you are there get a SATA HDD connector data cable,,,

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #19 on:** November 25, 2009, 11:28:46 AM »

Quote from: Beedub245 on November 25, 2009, 09:15:04 AM

...
1. The adapter cable is for both the power and the MB connections.
2. My computer is a HP.
3. The advanced menu of my BIOS does not have any reference to SATA. These are the options and their settings:
Local Bus IDE Adapter BOTH
...

1. Is this it?

2. What is exact model number of the HP?
3. Local Bus IDE Adapter: this may have something to do with SATA, see what other setting besides BOTH.

jazz4brains · « **Reply #20 on:** November 25, 2009, 01:22:25 PM »

I just came across the following discussion:

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/wd1600-sata-drivers-Asus-A7v8x-LA-Board-t125407.html

It seems that this mobo has SATA I, not SATA II ports.
Looks like you have to set a jumper on newer hard drives (SATA II), to force them
to run at the slower 1.5Gbits/sec speed of SATA I.

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #21 on:** November 25, 2009, 06:12:11 PM »

Quote from: jazz4brains on November 25, 2009, 01:22:25 PM

I just came across the following discussion:
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/wd1600-sata-drivers-Asus-A7v8x-LA-Board-t125407.html
It seems that this mobo has SATA I, not SATA II ports.
Looks like you have to set a jumper on newer hard drives (SATA II), to force them
to run at the slower 1.5Gbits/sec speed of SATA I.

I was gonna say: Nice Find
However, it's baloney, read this from WD:
http://www.wdc.com/en/library/eide/2579-001037.pdf
The SATA jumpers are only for "spread spectrum clocking feature enabled or disabled".

However, unlikely as it seems, it's possible that even though this motherboard has SATA connectors, they have been rendered inoperable by HP.

jazz4brains · « **Reply #22 on:** November 25, 2009, 08:52:11 PM »

According to the Western Digital pdf file:

"OPT 1: 150MB/s data transfer enabled or disabled. Default setting is disabled. To enable
150MB/s data transfer speed, place a jumper on pins 5-6."

Beedub245 · « **Reply #23 on:** November 25, 2009, 09:16:04 PM »

1.The picture that is posted is exactly what I have installed.
2. The exact model of HP is HP Pavillion a800n
3. The other settings for Local Bus IDE adapter are : Disabled, Primary, Secondary, and Both.
** As I said earlier it is currently set on both.**
--The item in the picture that you posted is what I have been referring to as "the adapter". It is connected to the HDD and the power source.
-- I had already read the information about the jumper settings and I currently have a shunt on the 5-6 pins. Should I remove it?

Computer_Commando · « **Reply #24 on:** November 26, 2009, 02:51:37 PM »

Quote from: Beedub245 on November 25, 2009, 09:16:04 PM

...-- I had already read the information about the jumper settings and I currently have a shunt on the 5-6 pins. Should I remove it?

It can't hurt, let us know if it works.

jazz4brains · « **Reply #25 on:** November 27, 2009, 01:06:19 PM »

The following thread is relevant, especially the last entry:

http://forums.techguy.org/all-other-software/483231-sata-drivers.html

It is the same mobo in a Compaq computer.
Hope it is helpful.

Computer Hope Forum

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Author Topic: Installing SATA HDD on ASUS A7V8X-LA Phoenix Award BIOS?? (Read 38118 times)

Beedub245

patio

Beedub245

Beedub245

patio

Computer_Commando

patio

Beedub245

Computer_Commando

patio

Beedub245

patio

Beedub245

Beedub245

Computer_Commando

Beedub245

Computer_Commando

Beedub245

patio

Computer_Commando

jazz4brains

Computer_Commando

jazz4brains

Beedub245

Computer_Commando

jazz4brains