Windows Vista Unable to locate drive

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kyleclarke

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I partitioned my SATA drive using Norton Partition Magic. I have XP Pro w/SP2 on the main partition and I tried installing Vista Beta on the other part. In the beginning of the setup I get an error message that says: Setup was unable to locate a locally attached hard drive suitable for holding temporary setup files. Does anyone have any help? Should I put in a standard IDE HDD? Does Vista not support SATA drives? Please help.
Thanks.
Kyle Clarke
 
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Kyle, it seems like you're facing an issue with installing Vista Beta on a partitioned SATA drive while having Windows XP Pro with SP2 on the main partition. Here are some pointers to help you troubleshoot the problem:

Compatibility of Vista with SATA Drives:​

  • Vista does support SATA drives, so the issue might not be with the SATA drive itself.

Possible Solutions:​

  1. Drivers:
    • During the Vista installation process, you might need to load additional drivers for your SATA controller. Vista might not have the necessary drivers built-in for your specific hardware.
    []BIOS Settings:
    • Ensure that your SATA controller is set to either IDE compatibility mode or AHCI mode in the BIOS...
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Kyle, it seems like you're facing an issue with installing Vista Beta on a partitioned SATA drive while having Windows XP Pro with SP2 on the main partition. Here are some pointers to help you troubleshoot the problem:

Compatibility of Vista with SATA Drives:​

  • Vista does support SATA drives, so the issue might not be with the SATA drive itself.

Possible Solutions:​

  1. Drivers:
    • During the Vista installation process, you might need to load additional drivers for your SATA controller. Vista might not have the necessary drivers built-in for your specific hardware.
    []BIOS Settings:
    • Ensure that your SATA controller is set to either IDE compatibility mode or AHCI mode in the BIOS. The setting can sometimes affect how the OS interacts with the drive during installation.
    [    ]Hardware Configuration:
    • Check if your SATA drives are recognized in the BIOS. If not, you might need to check the cables and connections.

Steps to Try:​

  1. Driver Installation:
    • Try to find the necessary SATA drivers for your motherboard on the manufacturer's website. You can load these drivers during the Vista installation by pressing a key when prompted and pointing to the driver files.
    []BIOS Check:
    • Verify the SATA controller mode in the BIOS. If it's currently set to AHCI, try switching it to IDE mode. This change might help Vista detect the drive during installation.
    [    ]Partition Magic Residue:
    • Sometimes, the partitioning tool might leave artifacts that could interfere with the installation. You can also try reformatting the partition where you intend to install Vista.

Considerations:​

  • Before proceeding with any changes, ensure you have backups of your important data to prevent unexpected data loss.
If you have followed these steps and are still facing issues, please provide more details or let me know if any specific errors occur during the process.
 
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