o.k.. from what i gathered, both the bios setup (Enable sata) and Window's SATA drivers are required for sata operation..

so i'll need to download the drivers for my board, and copy to diskette...huh...

Anyone has a link to that driver.Please.


I also understand that the drivers should be entered into Window's setup routine (pressing f6 ..) but i was wondering,
What if i re-install XP and just before files starts to copy to the HD, i select R (for repair),
Windows will re-install itself without formating the drive ... right?
.. except this time, i would have pressed F6 to install the SATA drivers from a diskette, would that do the trick and re install XP on the same partition, only this time, i'd have the Sata Controllers Installed for Windows to recognize...??

would/should that be o.k.??

ThanxAll

F6 during setup is only for SCSI drives. Since you installed the OS, there was no problem accessing the disk. You MUST, however, install the Intel Chipset drivers as soon as you boot your XP for the first time. That is where the SATA specific driver will be installed.

actually F6 is for sata drivers as well (and raid and unsupported pata/IDE controllers).

you just generally don't need them with a dell XP CD because they are already slipstreamed in.

in my own experiance, if your sata controller does not support AHCI then you will not see a difference in device manager.

In device Manager
where is it that i should see SATA Controller (or anything like that) ??

i've upgraded to XP Pro, supplied by the comp i work for and it's not a DELL cd

.. so we know WHY i don't have the SATA drivers,
Now i wonder HOW to get them to control my H.D.?

any advantage for raid configuration on my system?

Dimension4700
P4 2.8G H.T.
1.5G DDR2Ram (2x250(slot1&3)DELL / 2x500(slot2&4)Samsung)
Seagate 180G 8mbuffer (sata)
DiamondMax250G 16mbuffer (sata)
XPProSP2

xp won't install without the drivers if it needs them. likely your computer does not support ahci and the current drivers are fine.

BTW the chipset is 915G Express and it is ahci compatible

http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets/915G/915G_pb.pdf

Message Edited by Richard Roussel on 09-21-2006 10:58 PM

""you just generally don't need them with a dell XP CD because they are already slipstreamed in.""
o.k then....

.. what if i start with a Dell CD (home edition SP2)(just to see SATA on my DeviceManager's list!)
and then upgrade with my job's XpPro CD. (no SP on that cd... needs to be added after xp's install)

1- would the HomeEditionSP2 accept the Upgrade to XPpro (NO SP)
and if it does:
2- will i be controlling my h.d. with SATA drivers this time?


thanx.

Message Edited by Richard Roussel on 09-22-2006 12:23 PM

in my own experiance I could not get the ahci sata drivers to work with my e510. i could get them to work fine with my dim9150. the 9150 has an option to enable ahci in the bios. the e510 does not.

i could get the raid sata drivers to install by enabling raid in the bios, but this isn't really the same thing.

i know the e510 isn't your model -- just my own experiances with this issue.

i tried the F6 intel sata drivers during XP setup with my e510 and got a bluescreen.

Y'a know..

when i 1st got this pc from dell, the drivers we're there
i just don't remember WHERE ( in device manager)it made reference to SATA but i remember seeing it!!

then i had problems with H.D. and dell sent me a new one on which i decided to install from scratch..

that's where the reference to sata disapeared in DeviceManager
but
that's why i know that from a hardware point of vue... my p.c. IS SATA-ready !!

it's only a matter of knowing the right protocol to get them back into my system.