[birdietime]

I just purchased a Western Digital 500gb drive as a second drive for my Dell 4600. Once installed and connected by the SATA cable, it is neither viewable to my system or functioning. Since this system is over 5 years old are there possible drivers to load and is there special consideration for the SATA cable?

Thanks in advance for your responses

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Howdy and welcome to GTG:

Have you gone into Computer Management and formatted the drive yet?

Murray

[Murray S.]

Howdy and welcome to GTG:

Have you gone into Computer Management and formatted the drive yet?

Murray

[birdietime]

Murray,

Thanks for the quick response.
I have done nothing more than to add the drive to my system.
I purchased the drive from Dell and they said it would be compatible.
I then purchased an SATA cable to allow me to connect the drive.
After that, I am in a quandry as to what to do next.
I know it has to be configured/partitioned, but am unsure of how to do that.
Is there also something about the BIOS recongnizing SATA drives?

ANY help and comments are grately appreciated.

Thanks....

[Murray S.]

What operating system are you using?

Murray

[birdietime]

XP

[birdietime]

Have now upgraded the BIOS and still nothing.
Also...when I tap the DEL key during bootup I do not get the BIOS screen.
I have heard something that the SATA part of the BIOS might be set to off?

Again, any help is greatly appreciated.

THANKS

[123Runner]

I will repeat what Murray asked.

Have you looked in computer management for the drive?

Lets take a look at the drives and partitions.

Go to start
Go to run
Type in compmgmt.msc
Click on OK
On the left side under storage...click on disk management.
Make sure the right side showing the drives is expanded so we can see it all.
Take a screen shot showing the drives and partitions.

Attach it to your reply.

[birdietime]

I can do that but I have already been into Disk management and the drive does not appear.

[birdietime]

Sorry...how do you print the screen shot?

[rshaffer61]

To do a screenshot please have click on your Print Screen on your keyboard. It is normally the key above your number pad between the F12 key and the Scroll Lock key
Now go to Start and then to All Programs
Scroll to Accessories and then click on Paint
In the Empty White Area click and hold the CTRL key and then click the V
Go to the File option at the top and click on Save as
Save as file type JPEG and save it to your Desktop


Attach it to your next reply

[123Runner]

If the board has a SATA connection on it then it should be all set to go. A bios upgrade should not have been needed.

I will ask if you also attached the sata power connection?
Bios should at least recognise it.

The sata power is on the right in the picture.

[birdietime]

Should be attached

Attached Thumbnails

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[birdietime]

Yes, I have attached the SATA cable...first to one SATA connection on the board and then the other....Neither with success...

[birdietime]

Thank you for all the replies so far....I have to take my daughter to work so I guess her computer will have to wait for another day....

THANKS to all....

[123Runner]

I will ask if you also attached the sata power connection?