You need to load the serial drivers when prompted during the first part of the CD boot process.

Thye would be on the software that came with the drive and you would transfer it over to a floppy disk and load when prompted (F6).

Pardon my ignorance, but it's not clear to me as where exactly (or even approximately) to look for those. Since I'm using the SATA connections on the 9100's own mobo, I assume they're on the reinstallation disk or the resource disk, or even both, but it's not readily apparent--at least from what I'm seeing in Explorer--where they are. Any idea on what folder, zip or filename I should be looking at?

It's not entirely clear what the procedure for installation should be. According to this, After formatting, MaxBlast will provide specific instructions on how to install the Operating System. It is very important to follow the procedure that is outlined by MaxBlast. That suggests that there is a different installation procedure associated with the MaxBlast application.

Message Edited by redwolfe_98 on 09-30-2005 01:27 PM

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@Denny Denham wrote:
It's not entirely clear what the procedure for installation should be. According to this, After formatting, MaxBlast will provide specific instructions on how to install the Operating System. It is very important to follow the procedure that is outlined by MaxBlast. That suggests that there is a different installation procedure associated with the MaxBlast application.

But there is no reason to use MaxBlast in the installation as Windows can handle things just fine. 

I appreciate all the advice. But the saga continues...

After finally breaking down and opening the user's guide up, the Maxtor install booklet that came with the drive DOES indeed say I need to load SATA drivers onto a floppy and install them during the F6 sequence with the Windows install. It happens to be contrary to the snippets of info within MaxBlast's various install screens, which read like I DON'T need to do this. Being the anti-user's guide fellow that I am, I initially chose to believe the messages inside MaxBlast. Guess that was a bad choice.

However, a couple of things complicated matters.

This refurbished 9100 didn't come with a 1.44MB floppy drive. According to Maxtor's hardcopy install guide, their MaxBlast software used to create the SATA drivers disk only understands writing such drivers to a 3 1/2" floppy; it certainly wouldn't look for a USB flash drive when I tried.

I have an extra Panasonic 3 1/2" floppy lying around--though I'm not sure it still works--but no extra floppy cable, at least w/o tearing into another working computer so off to the surplus computer store tomorrow, er, later today, to get a cable. Which leads me to my next question (however obvious the answer may seem, I need to know for sure for my own sanity):

From what I can see of the available connectors on the 9100's mobo, it looks as if the floppy cable connects along the bottom edge of the motherboard, oriented flat and towards the front of the computer. I haven't found a mobo diagram to confirm this, but there's no other available connector that I can see on the mobo that would possibly work with a standard ribbon floppy cable. The only thing that seems odd about this connector is that it's located relatively far away from the optical drive and SATA connection points on the mobo. And any ribbon cable mounted there when routed to the 3 1/2" drive bays will at least partially block the opening to CPU heat sink. Does anyone know for sure if this is indeed the floppy connection point on this 9100 motherboard?

monoblocks,

See the information here.

Well, after all that...the install STILL didn't work; the 9100 still won't find the Maxtor even after successfully loading the drivers off the floppy, so yet again I can't proceed with the XP Pro installation.

In fact, Windows' install routine chided me about those drivers, saying they're already part of the XP Pro install disk and recommending that I use those instead of the ones MaxBlast put on the floppy. I've now tried it both ways, and the 9100 is no closer to finding the new HD.

I still wonder if there's some specific drivers I need for the 9100 mobo, since the actual SATA controller is onboard and not tied to a separate SATA card.

Someone's conspiring against me...lol

FINALLY...all done (well, at least with the base OS). Once I looked up the proper Intel SATA drivers for the 9100's mobo, downloaded them from Dell, and stuck 'em on a floppy like the instructions said, the rest was a snap considering all the hassle of adding in an old floppy drive.

Still, a nojoy experience. At least the GeForce 6800 and SB 24-Live driver installs went down smoothly.