When I try to install Windows XP it can't find my harddrives? Help!?

Question

I recently had a problem with my HD and it got wiped. Its entirely empty. When I try to install Windows XP it says it can't find my harddrive or no harddrive is connected, but it is?! do I need to put a driver on the Hardrive and if so how do I do that, is anything to do with the BIOS?

Answer 1

format hdd again using xp install cd

Answer 2

Im assuming its an internal hdd so if its an ide hdd (wide grey cable) make sure that the jumper is set to master or cable select and try plugging the cable into a different port on your mobo. if its a sata drive (thin red cable) then again try plugging the cable into a different port on your motherboard. Also make sure that the power cable is pushed in properly. if it still doesnt work then try using a different power connector for the drive and see what happens. also some more info would be nice e.g. how old is the drive what type of drive it is and how big is it.

Answer 3

I had a situation equivalent to this. It seems such as you have a Sata difficult stress which demands a undeniable driving force. greater present day motherboards can get around this yet i'm having a danger yours can no longer. if your workstation has a floppy stress you could load the driving force that way. If no longer, you're able to desire to "slipstream" the driving force data into the abode windows deploy iso then burn that iso to a sparkling cd and deploy from that. This demands a undeniable software and isn't any longer easy. you ought to be waiting to detect the driving force from the gateway internet site.

Answer 4

you don't need a driver it should pick up when you boot try turning off all power to you're computer even unplug would be wise then unplug you're hard drive for a minute then plug the hard drive back in and start up you're computer again if that does not work i would go and bay a new hard drive they are cheep, if you lost everything on it you have nothing to worry about as it is empty

buy a new 1

good luck m8

Answer 5

Run FDISK



. Boot with the Win98 boot disk

. type FDISK

. The following instructions all assume that FDISK is running

. Select Y for large hard disk support. This is what allows for FAT32 partitions





Deleting an NTFS Partition

1. Select Y for treating NTFS partitions as large

2. Select 3. Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive

3. Select 4. Delete Non-DOS Partition

4. Enter 1 for the primary partition to delete

5. Enter in the number of the Non-DOS Partition.. It should show as Type NTFS in the list above.

6. Press the Enter key

7. Enter Y for Do you with to continue

8. Press the Esc key to bring you back to the main FDISK screen.

9. exit, take out startup disk, restart computer with Windows XP CD in drive.



Email me at [e-mail] if u need more help at all. Cheers.

Answer 6

Follow Elmondo's instructions - but first - press delete (or whatever it is on your computer) on boot up and make sure it is set up for the 1st boot device as your CD - so it will boot from the XP CD and 2nd boot device your HDD. After you've installed XP - allow it to boot from the Hard drive - don't press any key while it's booting or it will boot from the CD again!

Answer 7

It needs formatting



Boot from your XP CD>new install>delete old partition>make new Partition>format Now install from there.



Look at the link below.

Answer 8

Change the hard disk data cable and then put the jumper of hard disk to cable select(SC jumper)



and then install the windows

Answer 9

depends why it got wiped.

you need to fdisk the drive, this is a small dos program that reinstalls the drive for you, but you need to know how to use it, then you need to format the drive and reinstall windows from the original cd.

failing that you need a new hard drive.

the other posibility is that you have a loose connection to the drive.

any probs please contact me

[e-mail]

michelle

Answer 10

change the HD.

Answer 11

smoky_crim, you got it from me

iv done it dosens of times