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| Q: | How do I install Windows XP or Windows 2000 to a Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive? | | A: | Windows XP and Windows 2000 do not natively include drivers for SATA controllers (add-in or on-board), so you must install them during the installation of the operating system. The system, motherboard, or controller manufacturer usually supplies these drivers, either on a driver CD or downloadable from their web site. To install the SATA controller drivers you first need to copy the appropriate drivers onto a diskette (controller drivers can be loaded from diskette only). Early in the installation process, you have an opportunity to load third-party controller drivers by pressing ‘F6’. You will have six seconds to press ‘F6’ before the installation process will continue: - Press ‘F6’ to install the SATA controller drivers.
- After pressing ‘F6’, you will come to a screen asking you to press ‘S’ to load additional controller drivers or to press ‘ENTER’ to continue with the installation. Be sure you press ‘S’ to load your SATA controller drivers. After pressing ‘S’, you will be prompted to insert a floppy disk with the updated drivers.
Note: the installation process specifically looks at the A: (floppy) drive for the updated drivers. This is a limitation imposed by the installation routine. You cannot load the drivers using any other media. - After inserting the appropriate driver diskette, choose which driver you wish to load (if the disk has more than one driver). Make a selection using the up or down arrows and press ‘ENTER’ to install the driver.
- Once you have loaded the appropriate controller drivers, you may continue with the installation.
For more information and screenshots, consult the Knowledge Base topic "How do I install my Serial ATA drive in Windows XP and 2000 during OS installation?" |
| Q: | What is the 32 GB clip jumper setting used for? | | A: | Some BIOS manufacturers have limitations supporting any drive with a capacity greater than 32 GB. The jumper was added to help customers with this limitation and enable them to use the drive as a 32 GB capacity until the BIOS manufacturer was able to provide a BIOS update that supports drives larger than 32 GB. Drives with a capacity less than 32 GB have a 2 GB clip. |
| Q: | Why does my new drive seem to be performing slower than my original drive? | | A: | This could indicate that the drive is running in PIO mode and is not taking advantage of the UDMA capabilities of the drive. To enable DMA mode in your system: - Right-click on the My Computer icon (found on your desktop of your start menu).
- Selecting the Manage option opens the Computer Management console.
- From the computer management console select Device Manager.
- Expand the list of IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers and double-click on the Primary IDE channel.
- Select the Advanced Settings tab from the controller properties panel.
- Select the transfer mode setting DMA if available for all available devices.
- Click OK.
- You will then return to device manager, close the window.
- Reboot your system. (Start > Shut Down > Select Restart > select OK)
- When the system restarts, the drive will be running in DMA mode.
To verify DMA mode, repeat steps 1 to 4 and make sure that Ultra DMA mode is still the ‘Current Transfer Mode’. The actual mode varies dependent on the system capabilities. Click Cancel to back out of the properties panel. |
| Q: | Which power connector should I use on my Serial ATA (SATA) drive? | | A: | : The 4-pin Molex power connector is most commonly found in current and legacy PC systems. All Parallel ATA (PATA) hard drives and CD/DVD drives use this power connector. SATA drives have the option of using a new 15-pin power connector which has been designed specifically for SATA use. Either power connector may be used on a Hitachi SATA drive, but it is not recommended that both are connected at the same time. |
| Q: | How do I obtain a replacement logic board for my hard drive? | | A: | Unfortunately, Hitachi is not able to provide individual replacement parts for hard drives. If you are having problems with your drive, we encourage you to contact the technical support center for troubleshooting assistance. |
| Q: | I have a SCSI drive that is giving a “Start Unit Request Failure” error message. What does it mean? | | A: | If a SCSI drive is giving this error message, there are a couple of things that could be wrong. - There is a communication problem between the drive and the controller card. Try replacing the cable, termination, and any adapters that may be in use.
- The motor is no longer spinning or the logic board is telling the SCSI controller card that the motor is no longer spinning. In this case, the drive will need to be replaced.
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| Q: | Can I use a newer SCSI drive on an older SCSI controller or vice-versa? | | A: | SCSI standards are backward and forward compatible. This means you can use a brand new SCSI 3 Ultra 320 drive on an older Ultra 2 Wide LVD controller. However, the drive will only be able to perform at the Ultra 2 Wide speeds. You can also use an older drive on a newer controller, but the old drive will not gain the performance of the newer controller. |
| Q: | My system is working fine without termination. Do I really need to add a terminator? | | A: | Even if your system is working and you are not using a terminator, you could still encounter future problems. Problems caused by improper termination can show up without warning and seemingly without reason. Always use proper termination on both ends of the SCSI chain. |
All information is provided by Hitachi Global Storage Technologies on an "AS IS" basis only. Hitachi makes no representations or warranties, whether express or implied, regarding the information, including the warranty of non-infringement and non-interference and the implied warranty or terms of merchantability, and fitness or use for a particular purpose. Use of information that is provided by Hitachi is at the recipient's own risk. Hitachi provides no assurances that any reported problems may be resolved with the use of any information that Hitachi provides. By furnishing information, Hitachi does not grant any licenses to any copyrights, trademarks, patents or any other intellectual property rights. Any trademarks and product or brand names referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners. Please consult your Hitachi product manuals for complete trademark information. Any references to third parties are provided as reference only and are not recommendations of any products by Hitachi GST. Hitachi GST makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these companies or products. |
