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Thread ID: 115313	2011-01-12 20:51:00	Desktop boot prob - please read	blanco (11336)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1169332	2011-01-12 20:51:00	My 2Yr old Medion 6486 desktop was bought new with Vista loaded and I updated to Win 7 a year ago. All has worked well until a recent shutdown using the front on/off switch. Since then I have not been able to boot up from the hard drive and thought that the drive had failed. I have now carefully fitted a new WD 1TB hard drive with new SATA connector and tried to load windows from my Win7 installation disc but after selecting a partition configuration I get the message "partitioning" and after a long wait I get "unable to partition drive, check connectivity etc." Both drives are SATA 2 without jumpers. The new HDD model number is shown in Bios at Port 0 but fails to spin up. DC Voltages on the Sata power plug are +3.35V, +5.08V and +12V. I have checked the motherboard plugs are secure and don't suspect the ATX PSU because of the above mentioned Voltage measurements. Booting into BIOS shows the SATA setting is on AHCI but when I boot up normally I get displayed "no devices present" and "AHCI BIOS not installed!!", followed by the usual disk info and PCI listing. When it gets to "verifying DMI Pool Data" there is a pause then "disk boot failure" > "please insert system disk and press enter" I have been using a borrowed laptop for a few weeks and would like to get my desktop PC back in working order. I would be very grateful for any suggestions regarding the symptoms above. Thanks for your time.	blanco (11336)
1169333	2011-01-12 21:35:00	Try turning off AHCI (en.wikipedia.org) mode.	Cellux (15145)
1169334	2011-01-12 21:36:00	What other SATA settings does the BIOS offer? Possibly the BIOS might not support a TB size drive, but more worrying is your report that it doesn't spin, but let's investigate the other BIOS options first. If you're trying to load Windows onto it you'll need to be booting off the CD/DVD drive first anyway.	Paul.Cov (425)
1169335	2011-01-12 21:40:00	Booting into BIOS shows the SATA setting is on AHCI but when I boot up normally I get displayed "no devices present" and "AHCI BIOS not installed!!", That's what shows when it isn't detecting the drive(s) Disabling AHCI will not help There is a problem with your cable (data or power) or PSU, or a faulty motherboard. In this order try: Swap data cables, try a different power plug on PSU, try a different PSU.	Agent_24 (57)
1169336	2011-01-13 17:00:00	Paul - the sata options are (1)IDE (2)AHCI (3)RAID. I believe it has always been on AHCI. Regarding capacity, the original WD HD is 500GB. New WD HD is 1TB. Both SATA2 Don't think this is a problem. By the way, there were none of the usual audible or visual signs of HD failure leading up to boot failure so I expect the original HD is OK and still loaded with Win7 and all my files. Regarding the instal of Windows on the New HD- yes, I set to boot from optical drive but only got as far as partitioning which failed. Agent- I am using a Newly Bought SATA connector and the Power Connector reads +3.3V / Ground / +5.08V / Ground / +12V (with the drive connected or not). This makes me think that the prob is not connections or power related. It appears to be a matter of recognition/communication between motherboard and hard drive. Both my Pata optical drives are working.	blanco (11336)
1169337	2011-01-13 22:00:00	Do the drives show up correctly in the bios (the right capacity etc) ? It's possible the sata controller has gone faulty. Do you have access to anything else you can test them in, such as a friends pc or an external enclosure? Also if you haven't already try disconnecting the old drive while you try and partition the new one. Sometimes a faulty drive connected to a PC can prevent other drives from working, or completely stop a pc from starting in some cases (as in won't POST, obviously you can't boot from a faulty drive)	dugimodo (138)
1169338	2011-01-14 00:09:00	Since posting the issue no hard drive is showing up at normal boot. BIOS setup display reads: Phoenix Award Bios CMOS Setup Utility BIOS Standard CMOS Features reads: Date , Time - correct > ESATA 1 NONE > SATA 1 NONE > ESATA 2 NONE > SATA 3 NONE > Drive A NONE (no floppy ever fitted) Video: [EGA/VGA] Halt On: [all but keyboard] Bios Vers: 1.0V(06-29-2007) Base Mem: 639K Extended Mem: 2095104K Total Mem: 2096128K CPU: Intel(R) ----------------------------------------------------- Yes, the new drive was tried with the old one removed. No, I currently don't have a 3.5in external enclosure or another PC in which to try them.	blanco (11336)
1169339	2011-01-14 00:13:00	Agent- I am using a Newly Bought SATA connector and the Power Connector reads +3.3V / Ground / +5.08V / Ground / +12V (with the drive connected or not). This makes me think that the prob is not connections or power related. Well those voltages are OK but it says nothing of the 'quality' of the power. A faulty PSU could easily send out power with high ripple component which can cause all sorts of havoc and damage to anything connected. Unless you can confirm ripple is under the permissible levels with an oscilloscope, don't just take those voltages as meaning everything is OK.	Agent_24 (57)
1169340	2011-01-14 00:40:00	Thanks, Agent. I get your point but I have a gut feeling the prob lies elsewhere. When I find a solution I will post it on this forum.	blanco (11336)
1169341	2011-01-14 00:46:00	Looks like someone in another forum fixed the AHCI BIOS not installed error by going into recovery console and fixing the master boot record (with fixmbr command)	Speedy Gonzales (78)
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