Why I fucking hate dell - Vista Install and SATA help needed

[[fr31ns]Karrde]

If I didn't really need a laptop...I'm so building my glorified lego next year when I get an RN job   SO here's my problem.  I formatted and everything seemed to be going fine.  However, when I went to reinstall the OS, it hung at "completing installation".  After shit tons of googling and reading, it's looking like there's an issue with the SATA controller/drivers/or some shit on a lot of dell models.  Fuck me.  So I tried several fixes.  I couldn't get the dell drivers to load preinstall (might have a few other ideas there), so I ended up having to install in ATA mode instead of AHCI.  This works fine, except now I'm stuck in ATA mode when I'd rather be in AHCI (switching causes a BSOD and I did attempt the MS knowledge base bit about enabling drivers via regedit: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976 ).  No amount of monkeying about with drivers made any method seem to work pre or post install.

Here's what I'm looking for from the brbu knowledge base.

1. Any thoughts or previous experience on how to fix this?
2. Is there even a significant performance difference between ATA and AHCI?  Obviously with gaming, and the fact that I tend to frequently move a lot of files in and out on an SVN for beta testing a mod, I'm concenred about speed and performance.
3. Really, what is the difference between ATA and AHCI in layman's terms?

Any help will be appreciated.  At the very least, I can get the system up and functional for school, but I'd really rather have it's full capacity at my disposal.  And now off to New York for a wedding that doesn't involve me screaming at my laptop.

[Eschatos]

Wow. I'm getting an extremely similar problem with the PC I'm building for my dad.  I can't install an OS either, so I'm trying to mess around with drivers and shit to get it to work.

[Mission Difficult]

Are you using an OEM windows disc or the dell one? What model dell is it? I remember having a similar problem a few years ago. I think the solution was to download the correct drivers from the dell site (as the ones on the disc the servers came with were incorrect)  and have them loaded when you install the OS (hit f6 for third party/SCSI drivers I think it was?).

[Eschatos]

So I just need to download SCSI drivers from the appropriate site?

[Mission Difficult]

So I just need to download SCSI drivers from the appropriate site?

I was thinking more along the lines of SATA drivers. Just a stab in the dark with this one though.

[Eschatos]

[quote author=Eschatos link=topic=3109.msg91115#msg91115 date=1245457735]
So I just need to download SCSI drivers from the appropriate site?

I was thinking more along the lines of SATA drivers. Just a stab in the dark with this one though.
[/quote]

Well the hard drive manufacturer site says the motherboard manufacturer should provide them, and the motherboard manufacturer has SATA drivers, but only for Vista.  Google says download XP Raid drivers and try that.  Doing so now.

[HeK]

Karrde link=topic=3109.msg91079#msg91079 date=1245438260]
Here's what I'm looking for from the brbu knowledge base.

1. Any thoughts or previous experience on how to fix this?
2. Is there even a significant performance difference between ATA and AHCI?  Obviously with gaming, and the fact that I tend to frequently move a lot of files in and out on an SVN for beta testing a mod, I'm concenred about speed and performance.
3. Really, what is the difference between ATA and AHCI in layman's terms?

1. You can load the required AHCI controller drivers into the windows installer when prompted while loading the installer. For Windows XP you will need the drivers on a floppy disk and an available disc drive. I believe Vista has support to load drivers from a USB device; however having never installed Vista, I cannot confirm. For a laptop that will not take advantage of AHCI, I highly advise setting the disk controller to ATA mode.

2. You will loose NCQ (Native Command Queuing) by running in legacy ATA mode, however the performance difference will be negligible with laptop-class hard drives. Under optimal circumstances, features from the AHCI standard over ATA can yield up to a 15% performance increase; mainly when performing multiple threaded reads/writes.

3. Basically AHCI is the 'de facto' standard interface for SATA controllers. Think of it as another 'language' where one can speak faster, and carry on multiple conversations at once. You can still speak in the classical language of IDE for compatibility sake.

For more reading:
http://www.intel.com/technology/serialata/ahci.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA#..._Interface
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Ho..._Interface

[Eschatos]

Well I downloaded the drivers the motherboard manufacturer's site says I need, and put them on a floppy disk.  Then when I try to install them during OS installation the computer keeps telling me to insert the manufacturer CD.  I have that, but XP doesn't work with CDs.  The only thing I can think of is to download Vista and try that with the manufacturer CD.  Not looking forward to it.

[HeK]

What is the specific model of laptop?

[Eschatos]

Well if you're referring to me, it's not a laptop, but a computer I'm building for my dad.  Parts were all ordered from Newegg.  ECS mobo, Hitachi HD, EVGA graphics card, and AMD processor.

[HeK]

Erk, I got the poster's mixed up.

While we're on the subject, which mobo are you using?

[Eschatos]

ECS GF8200A

[HeK]

Well, for Windows XP, you'll have to download this massive file: http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Downloa...=2&LanID=0

And inside the archive, there are two folders that you extract to two separate floppy disks;
XP_XP64.zip\XP_XP64\IDE\WinXP\sata_ide\Floppy\Disk1
XP_XP64.zip\XP_XP64\IDE\WinXP\sata_ide\Floppy\Disk2

When booting off the Windows XP cd, press F6 when prompted to load additional raid/scsi drivers.
Follow the on screen directions.

[Eschatos]

Well that didn't work, but it turned out that wasn't the problem.  Now the only problem is that the XP install CD I used didn't include any utility drivers, so I can't get internet till I find the right ones.

[Wedge]

What you mean like ethernet drivers?  Stock XP usually doesn't have generic working ones, you can download all that stuff from the website for whatever your mobo is though.  I mean your mobo should have come with a disc for that stuff, but you mayaswell get the most up to date drivers anyways.

[Eschatos]

Yeah, I got everything and the computer works now.  I lost the mobo disc though.

[[fr31ns]Karrde]

Back up and running and everything's good to go the way I want it.  Christ though I need to send away for updated OS discs.  WAY too many updates to install.  Took hours.  In the end, the whole mess was a driver issue.  I just had to find the exact right driver and install it just in the right way to make dell happy.  It was weird, I couldn't install it unless I partitioned the drive first.  Strikes me that it shold have loaded without a partition.  But maybe by partitioning the drive it more or less "labeled" it with the mode the SATA was set to.  Who knows.  Either way, functioning computer is go.