my friend just got a computer from a thrift shop for dirt cheap. it wasn’t booting up so i figured the OS was jacked up, so i downloaded windows 7 and boot it from a usb. it loads up perfect, but when i go to install windows, it can’t find the hard drive. i figured it could be bad so i got another that i know works, but same thing.
any suggestions?
Try another SATA port and cable. Also check the BiOS and restore all the settings to default. Does it have a DVD drive? Also check the BiOS and restore all the settings to default. Does it have a DVD drive? Try mt and cable. Also check the BiOS and restore all the settings to default. Does it have a DVD drive? Try making a live boot CD or USB. It allows you to run an OS from a portable device without actually installing the OS. Linux is the most popular OS to do this with, but I’m sure I’ve seen Windows XP live boot version. Once you duo this try to see if the HDD shows up in the file system and try writing to it.
Have you tried formatting the HDD in the Windows installation process? Try both NTFS and Fat32.
Where exactly is the install failing? Take some pictures.
got it figured out. previous owner had RAID turned on in the bios. works great now. thanks for the help though!
Thought so, thats why I said check the BiOS, raid will definitely do that.