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254340
October 25th, 2011 10:00
Windows Setup could not configure Windows on this computer’s hardware
I have a dell XPS 420. Recently the hard drive went out on the desktop (error message:Error auto-sensing secondary master hard disk drive) . I bought a replacement hard drive. Seagate Barracuda High Performance 3TB. I installed the hard drive completely removing the old one. The new HD came with a SATA cable so just to be safe I used that cable instead of the SATA cable that was already in the system. I started Windows 7 from the disk and tried to install the OS. I have tried a regular installation and a custom installation neither worked. During the custom installation I make sure that the drive is partitioned and formatted, but towards the end of the install I receive "Windows Setup could not configure Windows on this computer's hardware." Windows Setup then tells me to restart only to receive the same message. Is there anything I could do?
Before installation I ran the windows 7 update manager and it assured me that my hardware was capable of running Windows 7. But to be sure that it was a windows 7 issue I tried to load Windows Vista and the same thing happened.
In some forums I see that I should update BIOS. If that is the case how do you do that?
I also see in some forums that I should change the BIOS to make it compatible with this drive. Specifically how do you do that?
and finally I also see in some forums that it could be a bad SATA connection cable ( I doubt that because I am using the new cable that came with the drive.) Should I try connecting the drive to another SATA port?
speedstep
11 Legend
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47K Posts
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November 4th, 2011 12:00
Newer Dells with the Latest INTEL Rapid Storage Drivers can boot a 3TB Drive if the Drivers or bios does not support booting from a 3TB drive it will be seen only as 750 gigs or so.
You will need to use an F6 Diskette.
Downloads:
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology F6 Driver Diskettes
XP Master Boot Record partition tables can only address up to 232 blocks.
With 512-byte sectors, that adds up to a maximum capacity of 2.19TB,
or considerably less than the 3TB . GUID Partition Table, or GPT, which
can address up to 264 sectors. Windows XP doesn't work with GPT Boot partitions.
Unable to install the AHCI or RAID driver using the F6 installation procedure because the system does not have a floppy drive.
Solution:
Use one of these methods to resolve the issue:
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology supports the following operating systems:
speedstep
11 Legend
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47K Posts
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October 25th, 2011 12:00
“Windows Setup could not configure Windows on this computer’s hardware” installation error on a Windows 7-based or a Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer"
This error can occur when you try to install Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 on a system in the following configuration:
* You are installing by using Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 RTM media.
Note Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 are not affected by this issue.
* Your system has an Intel storage controller that is configured to "RAID" mode in the BIOS.
* Your intended system drive is an "Advanced Format" disk.
Note Advanced Format disks have a physical sector size of 4 kilobytes and a logical emulated sector size of 512 bytes.
*******************************************************************************************************************************
To help resolve this issue and install Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 on your computer, follow these steps. Method 1 is preferred. If you cannot complete method 1, try method 2.
Method 1: Download the appropriate drivers for your hard disk drive
Download and install the latest drivers for your Windows 7-based or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer.
To do this by using another computer, visit the following Intel website and download the appropriate drivers for your hard disk drive (either 32-bit or 64-bit)
to a flash drive. Or, burn the drivers onto a CD or DVD.
The flash drive or the disc will then be used during setup of Windows 7 or of Windows Server 2008 R2.
Method 2: Change the BIOS hard disk drive setting to AHCI or IDE
Warning This procedure may involve changing your hard disk drive settings in the BIOS. Incorrect changes to the BIOS of your computer can result in serious problems. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems that result from changes to the BIOS can be resolved. Change the BIOS settings at your own risk. Incorrect or corrupted BIOS settings can cause startup problems or shutdown problems.
You can change the hard disk drive setting in the BIOS to AHCI or to IDE if the hard disk drive setting is currently set to a RAID configuration. If you set the hard disk drive to AHCI or to IDE, you do not have to install the driver that you obtained in method 1.
Microsoft cannot provide specific instructions for how to change the BIOS settings because they are specific to your computer. For information about the correct BIOS settings for your computer and how to check and change these settings, see your computer documentation, or contact the manufacturer of your computer.
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) version 9.6 and newer supports 4k sector disks.
What happens if I try to use an older version of the driver?
If you try to install the operating system on a 4k sector disk with a driver older than Intel® RST version 9.6, the install process might not complete.
If the operating system does install, do not try to upgrade to Intel® RST version 9.6 without reinstalling your operating system.
How do I install the operating system on a 4k sector disk?
RAID
If your system has a supported RAID controller, follow these steps to install the operating system on a 4k sector disk:
AHCI
If your system has a supported AHCI controller, you do not need to load the Intel® RST driver during the operating system. If you choose to manually load the driver, load Intel® RST version 9.6.
This applies to: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
RoHe
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October 28th, 2011 19:00
This got posted before I was finished... :emotion-12:
That error message suggests you originally had a RAID setup with 2 hard drives. And now you've replaced one of those drives with the 3TB Seagate? Is that correct?
In that case, you need to go into BIOS setup (Reboot and press F2) and change SATA0 to ON, instead of RAID ON, and set the second drive on SATA1 to OFF (it might actually connected to SATA2, so check both 1 and 2 for a hard drive) . Save the changes and exit setup. See if you can install Windows now.
When that's done and all the hardware drivers are installed, in the correct order, you can reboot and go back into BIOS setup to set the second drive to ON. Save that change and reboot.
jackshack
6.4K Posts
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October 28th, 2011 23:00
Pardon me, but how are you partitioning and formatting the disk? The only way I know to completely partition and format a 3 TB drive is using GPT, and since the XPS 420 uses a PC BIOS, it can't boot even using Windows 7 64 bit. Have you tried using a smaller drive and formatting it in the default MBR process?
jackshack
6.4K Posts
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November 4th, 2011 14:00
According to Microsoft you need to add one thing to your list; the computer must have a UEFI mode. Some of the late model Optiplex machines and I suspect many of the business class machines do have this. The standard PC BIOS can't find the boot information on a GPT partitioned disk.
EDIT: Using GPT Drives.
bhatcher73
12 Posts
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November 5th, 2011 08:00
Downloading the lntel® Rapid Storage Technology F6 Driver Diskettes help me be able to load my operating system. Before the OS would not install. Now that the OS is installed I am updating it and I plan on downloading the drivers that will allow me to use all of the 3TB.
Sunedaz
21 Posts
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June 6th, 2013 08:00
I know this was posted a long time ago but you seem like a very smart person when it comes to computers.
I have the following message when I start my PC. I have a dell XPS 420. (error message:Error auto-sensing secondary master hard disk drive) does this mean
I need a new hard drive?
Thanks
speedstep
11 Legend
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47K Posts
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June 6th, 2013 12:00
The XPS 420 uses SATA not PATA drives and therefore Master/Slave/Cable Select would not apply.