[D-Suzaku]

I'm running off of Windows Vista on a Dell Inspiron 531S. I bought a Green Power WD Caviar GP HD that holds 500 GB yesterday, but I am right now unable to install it because the CD that was packaged with it only does it for everything up to XP. Vista is not supported, even though I have confirmed that it is Vista compatible. Internally, everything is hooked up as it should be, but the computer as of right now does not know it exists. How do I get the hard drive to register in the CPU?

 

[sobeit]

are you replacing the drive with your current os on it or is it a second drive?

did you go to the drives manufacturers website to for updated software?

 

[D-Suzaku]

I'm adding it as an additional storage device.

 

[D-Suzaku]

*Bump*

I went to both the manufacturer's website, but they only support everything up to Vista, even though they say that Vista is compatible with this Hard Drive on the website and the box, and the XP options won't work.

As for updated Software, I went to Microsoft to update the BIOS Driver, but that didn't help either.

 

[sobeit]

does the bios see the drive?

 

[D-Suzaku]

No. Like I said above, right now, the computer doesn't even know it exists, but when I took it apart again to make sure everything was hooked up right, the new drive was hot, which tells me that it is being powered up.

 

[sobeit]

bios and computer could mean two different things. when you said computer, it could also mean windows did not see it so clarification was needed since we are not sitting in front of your computer.

Exactly which model of WD Caviar GP do you have?

 

[D-Suzaku]

This is the best I can give you about the Hard Drive.

It is a WD Caviar GP 500 GB SATA Internal Hard Drive.


And yeah. BIOS cannot detect it and Windows Vista cannot detect it. Nothing in the system can detect it.

The only drives that ARE being detected are the C: Drive, which came with the computer, and the CD-ROM Drive, which also came with the computer. Better yet, software aside, this is the first customization I'm making to this computer.

 

[TheShadowFl]

Again, you have not told us all about your system.

What motherboard?
Is the drive SATA1 or SATA2.....I'd be only guessing that it's SATA2.
What is the SATA port on your mobo? SATA1 or SATA2?
(it makes one heck of a difference! )

If the mobo is SATA1 and there is NO SATA1 jumper on the drive, the Motherboard WILL NOT see it. I can promise you that!

However, if there is a SATA1 jumper and the mobo is SATA2, the mobo will see it just fine but the drive will transfer data at ONLY the SATA1 speed. (half speed)

Ya see? You're leaving out way too much info, for us to really know how to advise you.

WD is just about the last drive in the world that this old tech would ever use. I had to RMA four of those in just one summer. And that was from my own PC. NO MORE!
I now use only Maxtor/Seagate and have no more problems with drives dying.

Fill in the blanks so maybe we can help you.

Shadow

 

[D-Suzaku]

Ok, I've got more information.

I do not know what motherboard I have, but what I did was I took apart my computer and replaced the CD drive, which was plugged into the SATA 1 port, with the new Hard Drive, and I plugged the CD Drive into the SATA 2 port. *SATA port 0 has my OS Hard Drive* Now it detects the new Hard Drive, but the CD Drive is not detected. In the BIOS System, it detects anything in SATA 2 and 3 as {NONE} I'm guessing that I need a SATA Jumper like you said, or else there is something wrong with the motherboard, which I'm doubting.

I can deal with not having a CD drive right now, but I would like to have it back, especially if I want to play Diablo II again.