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Thread: Test SATA HD ?

  1. 03-24-2005, 07:01 PM #1
    *TeKKeD*
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    Test SATA HD ?

    I'm currently using a SATA 120gig drive, but i never installed it during the windows installation process where you had to stick in a floopy with the appropriate drivers, instead it just got installed from windows automatically, atleast it's how i'm using the disk now.

    Since so many articles on the net suggest that the only way to install a SATA drive is using drivers from a floopy disk during the windows installation start up, how can test if the drive is functioning fully and properly without having to reinstall windows and loading in the drivers as suggested???

    Thanks


    p.s. are there programs that can test full functionality of a SATA drive??
    Last edited by *TeKKeD*; 03-24-2005 at 07:03 PM.
    -AlBERT
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  2. 03-24-2005, 07:28 PM #2
    mrrobotto
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    You can go to the manufacturer's web site and d/l the diagnostic software. Then put it on a floopy disk and test the hdd.
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  3. 03-24-2005, 10:58 PM #3
    ukulele
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    Personally I have found some of the manufacturers disk utilities disappointing with some the latest diagnostics. You can try and check the disk by going to mycomputer/manage.../ then select a drive and right click it then chose properties/tools/error checking and select [check now]. You can scan the drives for errors just like the old scandisk. I recently installed a SATA barracuda that came from an apple computer and ran the diagnostics and it choked from the IBM platform, Maxtor SATA utilities and XP utilities. Finally I used zap on the drive and then ran the utilities from xp to partition and format and check for errors successfully. So zap does indeed work on sata drives too. If XP utilities don't work then you need to worry.
    Last edited by ukulele; 03-24-2005 at 11:02 PM.
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  4. 03-26-2005, 02:50 AM #4
    FijiJohn
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    Older motherbaords often needed special SATA drivers for WinXP to install but at least some newer ones do not. I just did an Asus P4P800-VM and the SATA drive showed right up when installing XPProSP2. Much easier than my Athlon 64 & Gigabyte board.
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  5. 03-26-2005, 05:34 AM #5
    mpc2
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    Re: Test SATA HD ?

    Originally posted by *TeKKeD*

    Since so many articles on the net suggest that the only way to install a SATA drive is using drivers from a floopy disk during the windows installation start up...
    When they say that, they're talking about loading Windows onto a SATA drive during a fresh install (because Windows doesn't have built in SATA drivers), not when adding a SATA drive after Windows has already been installed.
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  6. 03-26-2005, 02:16 PM #6
    FijiJohn
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    Having done a number of fresh XP installs onto SATA drives (with the requisite floppy and SATA drivers) I was quite surprised that the I did NOT need separate drivers with XPproSP2 on the P4P800-VM. Just booted from the Windows XP CD and there was the SATA drive (as well as an IDE drive) as a choice for which drive to use for Windows.
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  7. 03-26-2005, 03:37 PM #7
    mpc2
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    That's because your mobo chipset supports SATA. I have an nForce4 board and because it supports SATA, I didn't have to load the drivers in at install either.

    Not all chipsets that support SATA allow installation w/o having to install the drivers first, however, many do.
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  8. 03-26-2005, 04:57 PM #8
    rangeral
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    Believe theres only about 3 chipsets that support sata so far.
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  9. 03-27-2005, 01:28 PM #9
    *TeKKeD*
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    well i have the Asus P4C-800 Delux, which installed the SATA drivers for me, i guess, since it's working fine, and i just got the diagnostics tool off the maxtor website, put on a floopy as specified, ran the program during startup and passed all the test maxtor had provided. so all is good?

    I also disabled RAID on my motherboard and since i'm not using it, and besides raid, the other option is ATA so that's what i'm using as a setting for my disk, ????
    -AlBERT
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  10. 03-27-2005, 10:24 PM #10
    mobo57
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    To check your speed get hdtach here:http://www.simplisoftware.com/Public...request=HdTach
    it's free too!
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  11. 03-28-2005, 12:21 AM #11
    Vitalka
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    Originally posted by mpc2
    That's because your mobo chipset supports SATA. I have an nForce4 board and because it supports SATA, I didn't have to load the drivers in at install either.

    Not all chipsets that support SATA allow installation w/o having to install the drivers first, however, many do.
    If chipset doesn't support SATA then it won't work at all(drivers or no drivers). WinXP SP2 has SATA driver.
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  12. 03-29-2005, 05:59 AM #12
    *TeKKeD*
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    Well i had no problems before service pack 2, and now i have it installed so i guess all is good

    Thanks mobo57, i'll check that out!
    -AlBERT
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