What SATA ports are you using? Single drive operation in the 9100 seems to work best if the boot drive is in the first SATA port. If you are already in that configuration, you might try checking to see if your new drive has a jumper to limit the controller speed. The 9100 is compatible with the 1.5 transfer rate, but nearly all the newer drives default to 3.0. Sometimes the older drive controllers have trouble negotiating the slower rate with a new drive so the jumper allows you to force the drive to 1.5.
If none of the above is helpful, try resetting the CMOS so that the computer redetects its devices. A conflict between the stored CMOS configuration and what you actually have can cause interesting problems.
Have tried both... The disk comes with the force 150 jumper installed, and I used the Alt F option to reset the CMOS.
The disk is not partitioned/formatted. I've been assuming that I can connect up the drive and run the formatting tool (I have purchased Acronis) but the tool cannot recognize the drive outside of the BIOS.
Since I have a SATA drive already installed, I'm also assuming that Windows should be able to recognize the new drive.
An unformatted drive should be reported in BIOS, usually including the capacity and model, and Windows should see it in the disk management tool. It will not be reported in My Computer (or Computer if you are using a later version of Windows) until it has been initialized. The fact that it is blank, however, should not stop Windows from booting. That is why I asked about the drive configuration.
When you used the ALT-F to reset the CMOS, did you notice an increase in the time taken to run POST? If that didn't happen, perhaps it did not get completely reset. I run my machines with the BIOS quickboot disabled so I can watch the POST progress bar; weird, I guess, but sometimes that has clued me in to something amiss.
What else do you have attached to the machine? Have you tried unplugging all the external peripherals while you attempt to install the drive? What you report seems similar to what happens when Windows detects a USB device while trying to boot. The computer sits there awaiting the device to cough up the boot code which never arrives.
P.S. Try moving the drive to another port further removed from the boot drive.
When both drives are connected, the BIOS (under Drives) recognizes both but insists (under boot choices) that the original disk is now not present.
Note that while the BIOS recognized the drive, it couldn't determine its capacity.
The POST did take considerably longer (especially after I disabled the "quick boot" option).
I took your advice and move the drive to the fourth (furthest) port but still no luck.
I've also loaded this disk with no other drive present and booted from my Acronis disk recovery disk and the software insists that NO hard drive is present.
I'm beginning to believe that I've been sold a dud. It's a Maxtor DiamondMax 750GB SATA/300.
jackshack
6.4K Posts
0
October 23rd, 2010 12:00
What SATA ports are you using? Single drive operation in the 9100 seems to work best if the boot drive is in the first SATA port. If you are already in that configuration, you might try checking to see if your new drive has a jumper to limit the controller speed. The 9100 is compatible with the 1.5 transfer rate, but nearly all the newer drives default to 3.0. Sometimes the older drive controllers have trouble negotiating the slower rate with a new drive so the jumper allows you to force the drive to 1.5.
If none of the above is helpful, try resetting the CMOS so that the computer redetects its devices. A conflict between the stored CMOS configuration and what you actually have can cause interesting problems.
olgeezer
3 Posts
0
October 23rd, 2010 13:00
Have tried both... The disk comes with the force 150 jumper installed, and I used the Alt F option to reset the CMOS.
The disk is not partitioned/formatted. I've been assuming that I can connect up the drive and run the formatting tool (I have purchased Acronis) but the tool cannot recognize the drive outside of the BIOS.
Since I have a SATA drive already installed, I'm also assuming that Windows should be able to recognize the new drive.
jackshack
6.4K Posts
0
October 23rd, 2010 14:00
An unformatted drive should be reported in BIOS, usually including the capacity and model, and Windows should see it in the disk management tool. It will not be reported in My Computer (or Computer if you are using a later version of Windows) until it has been initialized. The fact that it is blank, however, should not stop Windows from booting. That is why I asked about the drive configuration.
When you used the ALT-F to reset the CMOS, did you notice an increase in the time taken to run POST? If that didn't happen, perhaps it did not get completely reset. I run my machines with the BIOS quickboot disabled so I can watch the POST progress bar; weird, I guess, but sometimes that has clued me in to something amiss.
What else do you have attached to the machine? Have you tried unplugging all the external peripherals while you attempt to install the drive? What you report seems similar to what happens when Windows detects a USB device while trying to boot. The computer sits there awaiting the device to cough up the boot code which never arrives.
P.S. Try moving the drive to another port further removed from the boot drive.
jackshack
6.4K Posts
0
October 23rd, 2010 15:00
I agree with you, and think you should exchange the drive for another. I've never had this problem with a working drive.
olgeezer
3 Posts
0
October 23rd, 2010 15:00
When both drives are connected, the BIOS (under Drives) recognizes both but insists (under boot choices) that the original disk is now not present.
Note that while the BIOS recognized the drive, it couldn't determine its capacity.
The POST did take considerably longer (especially after I disabled the "quick boot" option).
I took your advice and move the drive to the fourth (furthest) port but still no luck.
I've also loaded this disk with no other drive present and booted from my Acronis disk recovery disk and the software insists that NO hard drive is present.
I'm beginning to believe that I've been sold a dud. It's a Maxtor DiamondMax 750GB SATA/300.