New Build

I'm doing (trying) a clean install Vista Home Premium on a new system build.
Reading prior posts and good advice I was finally able to see my SATA drive
at the "Select a drive to install Vista" screen by changing BIOS setting
"SATA Port0-3 Native Mode [Enabled]". Now I can create new partiions and
format. I've tried a number of configurations, but they all fail with the
error "Windows could not determine if this computer contains a valid system
volume". When I create/format a new partition, it displays as Primary. How
do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?

System Info:
Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R mother board
Western Digital WD5000AAKS SATA 500GB (single - no raid)

--

Hi, BikerDale.

It sounds like you are hitting the common problem of trying to install Vista
onto a hard drive without the proper drivers. Many programs - including
Vista Setup - can USE a hard drive, but cannot BOOT FROM that hard drive
without installing drivers.

When we boot from the Vista DVD and run Setup, we don't need the drivers for
the hard drive for the first phase of Setup. The needed files to boot from
the DVD are on the DVD. Setup knows how to partition and format the hard
drive (even SATA) and copy files to it. But after that, it comes time to
actually boot from the hard drive, rather than from the DVD - and that's
when the process chokes.

The Vista DVD has drivers for many hard drives, including some SATA drives,
but not all. You probably need to check the Western Digital website for
Vista drivers for your specific model, download them, and put them onto a
floppy diskette. Have that diskette handy when you boot from the Vista DVD
to run Setup. ("Windows Vista Inside Out says that the drivers can be on a
thumb drive or CD, but I haven't had occasion to test that. I did this many
times in Win2K and WinXP; they insisted on a diskette.) Setup will ask for
the driver diskette when you get to the screen that asks where you want to
install Vista.

> When I create/format a new partition, it displays as Primary. How
> do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?

You might want to read this KB article to clarify the counterintuitive
naming of the System and Boot volumes:
Definitions for system volume and boot volume
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470/EN-US/

Those names are backwards from most users' expectations. As often said, we
boot from the system partition and keep the operating system in the boot
volume. The boot-up process always starts in the System Partition, then
branches from there to the Boot Volume for whichever operating system we
choose for the current session. The System Partition must be a Primary
Partition, marked Active, on the hard drive designated in the BIOS as the
boot device, but any volume (primary partition or logical drive) on any hard
drive can serve as a Boot Volume.

Typically, there is only a single partition covering the entire hard disk,
so it becomes Drive C:, the System Partition, the Boot Volume, the swap
drive - and everything else. But you might want to divide your 500 GB into
multiple partitions. There are many opinions as to which is the best way to
organize a hard drive. My preference is to have a small System Partition to
hold only the startup files; these files total only a few MB, so this
partition can be under 1 GB, but I probably would make it about 10-20 GB
because some ill-behaved installation programs insist on using the system
volume for their temporary files. Vista's boot volume will need to be at
least 15 GB for the initial installation, but Vista GROWS! With your 500 GB
drive, you probably should make the Vista volume at least 30 GB. The rest
of your 500 GB can be a single "data' volume, or divided into multiple
drives to suit yourself.

Vista's Disk Management can handle any further partition creation chores
after Vista is up and running. Note a change from prior versions of DM:
The first 3 volumes will be created as primary partitions. When it creates
a 4th volume, DM creates an extended partition and then creates the 4th
volume as a logical drive within it. If we want a different arrangement, we
have to use the DiskPart.exe shell.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX

Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64)

"BikerDale" <> wrote in message
news:1EB4D01B-823A-4BD1-89E7-...
> I'm doing (trying) a clean install Vista Home Premium on a new system
> build.
> Reading prior posts and good advice I was finally able to see my SATA
> drive
> at the "Select a drive to install Vista" screen by changing BIOS setting
> "SATA Port0-3 Native Mode [Enabled]". Now I can create new partiions and
> format. I've tried a number of configurations, but they all fail with the
> error "Windows could not determine if this computer contains a valid
> system
> volume". When I create/format a new partition, it displays as Primary.
> How
> do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?
>
> System Info:
> Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R mother board
> Western Digital WD5000AAKS SATA 500GB (single - no raid)

Thanks R.C., I've been thinking that Western Digital supplied Vista drivers
were the answer all along. But according to WD they don't have Vista drivers
and all I need to do is format the drive and Vista will use it. Other
discussions in this community lead me to think that it is a Gigabyte supplied
SATA driver that I need. I've downloaded from their site and installed a
number of drivers which may or may not have helped, but I think the farthest
I've gotten is changing the BIOS setting to enable SATA Port0-3 Native Mode.
Then at least I could "see" the drive in the Vista install.

So if I understand you right with the system partition, using the Vista
install, I need to create/format a primary partition (30-80GB depending on
which discussion I look at). I don't recall seeing where I would make it
active, but go back into BIOS and designate that partition as the boot
device, and then start the Vista install again to have Vista recognize it as
a drive it can boot from (hopefully). I'll leave the remaining 400-ish GB as
a single data drive. At least that's tonight's plan unless you (or someone
else) tells me I'm missing the boat.

Thanks,
BD

"R. C. White" wrote:

> Hi, BikerDale.
>
> It sounds like you are hitting the common problem of trying to install Vista
> onto a hard drive without the proper drivers. Many programs - including
> Vista Setup - can USE a hard drive, but cannot BOOT FROM that hard drive
> without installing drivers.
>
> When we boot from the Vista DVD and run Setup, we don't need the drivers for
> the hard drive for the first phase of Setup. The needed files to boot from
> the DVD are on the DVD. Setup knows how to partition and format the hard
> drive (even SATA) and copy files to it. But after that, it comes time to
> actually boot from the hard drive, rather than from the DVD - and that's
> when the process chokes.
>
> The Vista DVD has drivers for many hard drives, including some SATA drives,
> but not all. You probably need to check the Western Digital website for
> Vista drivers for your specific model, download them, and put them onto a
> floppy diskette. Have that diskette handy when you boot from the Vista DVD
> to run Setup. ("Windows Vista Inside Out says that the drivers can be on a
> thumb drive or CD, but I haven't had occasion to test that. I did this many
> times in Win2K and WinXP; they insisted on a diskette.) Setup will ask for
> the driver diskette when you get to the screen that asks where you want to
> install Vista.
>
> > When I create/format a new partition, it displays as Primary. How
> > do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?
>
> You might want to read this KB article to clarify the counterintuitive
> naming of the System and Boot volumes:
> Definitions for system volume and boot volume
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470/EN-US/
>
> Those names are backwards from most users' expectations. As often said, we
> boot from the system partition and keep the operating system in the boot
> volume. The boot-up process always starts in the System Partition, then
> branches from there to the Boot Volume for whichever operating system we
> choose for the current session. The System Partition must be a Primary
> Partition, marked Active, on the hard drive designated in the BIOS as the
> boot device, but any volume (primary partition or logical drive) on any hard
> drive can serve as a Boot Volume.
>
> Typically, there is only a single partition covering the entire hard disk,
> so it becomes Drive C:, the System Partition, the Boot Volume, the swap
> drive - and everything else. But you might want to divide your 500 GB into
> multiple partitions. There are many opinions as to which is the best way to
> organize a hard drive. My preference is to have a small System Partition to
> hold only the startup files; these files total only a few MB, so this
> partition can be under 1 GB, but I probably would make it about 10-20 GB
> because some ill-behaved installation programs insist on using the system
> volume for their temporary files. Vista's boot volume will need to be at
> least 15 GB for the initial installation, but Vista GROWS! With your 500 GB
> drive, you probably should make the Vista volume at least 30 GB. The rest
> of your 500 GB can be a single "data' volume, or divided into multiple
> drives to suit yourself.
>
> Vista's Disk Management can handle any further partition creation chores
> after Vista is up and running. Note a change from prior versions of DM:
> The first 3 volumes will be created as primary partitions. When it creates
> a 4th volume, DM creates an extended partition and then creates the 4th
> volume as a logical drive within it. If we want a different arrangement, we
> have to use the DiskPart.exe shell.
>
> RC
> --
> R. C. White, CPA
> San Marcos, TX
>
> Microsoft Windows MVP
> (Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64)
>
> "BikerDale" <> wrote in message
> news:1EB4D01B-823A-4BD1-89E7-...
> > I'm doing (trying) a clean install Vista Home Premium on a new system
> > build.
> > Reading prior posts and good advice I was finally able to see my SATA
> > drive
> > at the "Select a drive to install Vista" screen by changing BIOS setting
> > "SATA Port0-3 Native Mode [Enabled]". Now I can create new partiions and
> > format. I've tried a number of configurations, but they all fail with the
> > error "Windows could not determine if this computer contains a valid
> > system
> > volume". When I create/format a new partition, it displays as Primary.
> > How
> > do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?
> >
> > System Info:
> > Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R mother board
> > Western Digital WD5000AAKS SATA 500GB (single - no raid)
>

Hi, BD.

> But according to WD they don't have Vista drivers
> and all I need to do is format the drive and Vista will use it.

Yes, as I said, "Many programs...can USE a hard drive, but cannot BOOT FROM
[it] without installing drivers." It's the "BOOT FROM" that is the
stumbling block. In your previous trials, Setup has been able to partition
and format the drive and copy files to it. But when the initial phase is
done and the system tries to BOOT FROM that drive for the first time, if
fails.

SATA has been out for a couple of years now. The EPoX mobo I bought a year
ago has an nForce 570 chipset and EIGHT SATA connectors (in addition to
IDE/PATA), and Vista recognized my SATA boot device with its built-in
drivers. But many mobos still need a BIOS update, and your board might be
one of them.

Once over that hump, the process should be simple. Just tell Vista how big
you want the System Partition to be (and the Boot Volume, if you want to
install Vista somewhere other than the System Partition) and Setup will
handle the rest. After you have Vista up and running, you can do the rest
with Disk Management.

Another quirk where Vista deviates from WinXP and prior is that it will name
its boot volume Drive C:. If the System Partition is different, it will get
another letter, probably Drive D:. That's OK - for the computer - but it
might confuse us humans. ;^} I've gotten used to it, but it takes many
users by surprise. I always assign names, or labels, to my hard drive
volumes (Vista x64; Vista x86; Data, etc.); these get written to the disks
and don't change with every boot. Drive LETTERS are not permanent and often
vary. In dual-boot system, it is not unusual for WinXP to refer to the
System Partition as C: while Vista calls the same partition D:.

Good luck with tonight's project. ;<)

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX

Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64)

"BikerDale" <> wrote in message
news:78975640-5300-4FC2-83F1-...
> Thanks R.C., I've been thinking that Western Digital supplied Vista
> drivers
> were the answer all along. But according to WD they don't have Vista
> drivers
> and all I need to do is format the drive and Vista will use it. Other
> discussions in this community lead me to think that it is a Gigabyte
> supplied
> SATA driver that I need. I've downloaded from their site and installed a
> number of drivers which may or may not have helped, but I think the
> farthest
> I've gotten is changing the BIOS setting to enable SATA Port0-3 Native
> Mode.
> Then at least I could "see" the drive in the Vista install.
>
> So if I understand you right with the system partition, using the Vista
> install, I need to create/format a primary partition (30-80GB depending on
> which discussion I look at). I don't recall seeing where I would make it
> active, but go back into BIOS and designate that partition as the boot
> device, and then start the Vista install again to have Vista recognize it
> as
> a drive it can boot from (hopefully). I'll leave the remaining 400-ish GB
> as
> a single data drive. At least that's tonight's plan unless you (or
> someone
> else) tells me I'm missing the boat.
>
> Thanks,
> BD
>
> "R. C. White" wrote:
>
>> Hi, BikerDale.
>>
>> It sounds like you are hitting the common problem of trying to install
>> Vista
>> onto a hard drive without the proper drivers. Many programs - including
>> Vista Setup - can USE a hard drive, but cannot BOOT FROM that hard drive
>> without installing drivers.
>>
>> When we boot from the Vista DVD and run Setup, we don't need the drivers
>> for
>> the hard drive for the first phase of Setup. The needed files to boot
>> from
>> the DVD are on the DVD. Setup knows how to partition and format the hard
>> drive (even SATA) and copy files to it. But after that, it comes time to
>> actually boot from the hard drive, rather than from the DVD - and that's
>> when the process chokes.
>>
>> The Vista DVD has drivers for many hard drives, including some SATA
>> drives,
>> but not all. You probably need to check the Western Digital website for
>> Vista drivers for your specific model, download them, and put them onto a
>> floppy diskette. Have that diskette handy when you boot from the Vista
>> DVD
>> to run Setup. ("Windows Vista Inside Out says that the drivers can be on
>> a
>> thumb drive or CD, but I haven't had occasion to test that. I did this
>> many
>> times in Win2K and WinXP; they insisted on a diskette.) Setup will ask
>> for
>> the driver diskette when you get to the screen that asks where you want
>> to
>> install Vista.
>>
>> > When I create/format a new partition, it displays as Primary. How
>> > do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?
>>
>> You might want to read this KB article to clarify the counterintuitive
>> naming of the System and Boot volumes:
>> Definitions for system volume and boot volume
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470/EN-US/
>>
>> Those names are backwards from most users' expectations. As often said,
>> we
>> boot from the system partition and keep the operating system in the boot
>> volume. The boot-up process always starts in the System Partition, then
>> branches from there to the Boot Volume for whichever operating system we
>> choose for the current session. The System Partition must be a Primary
>> Partition, marked Active, on the hard drive designated in the BIOS as the
>> boot device, but any volume (primary partition or logical drive) on any
>> hard
>> drive can serve as a Boot Volume.
>>
>> Typically, there is only a single partition covering the entire hard
>> disk,
>> so it becomes Drive C:, the System Partition, the Boot Volume, the swap
>> drive - and everything else. But you might want to divide your 500 GB
>> into
>> multiple partitions. There are many opinions as to which is the best way
>> to
>> organize a hard drive. My preference is to have a small System Partition
>> to
>> hold only the startup files; these files total only a few MB, so this
>> partition can be under 1 GB, but I probably would make it about 10-20 GB
>> because some ill-behaved installation programs insist on using the system
>> volume for their temporary files. Vista's boot volume will need to be at
>> least 15 GB for the initial installation, but Vista GROWS! With your 500
>> GB
>> drive, you probably should make the Vista volume at least 30 GB. The
>> rest
>> of your 500 GB can be a single "data' volume, or divided into multiple
>> drives to suit yourself.
>>
>> Vista's Disk Management can handle any further partition creation chores
>> after Vista is up and running. Note a change from prior versions of DM:
>> The first 3 volumes will be created as primary partitions. When it
>> creates
>> a 4th volume, DM creates an extended partition and then creates the 4th
>> volume as a logical drive within it. If we want a different arrangement,
>> we
>> have to use the DiskPart.exe shell.
>>
>> RC
>>
>> "BikerDale" <> wrote in message
>> news:1EB4D01B-823A-4BD1-89E7-...
>> > I'm doing (trying) a clean install Vista Home Premium on a new system
>> > build.
>> > Reading prior posts and good advice I was finally able to see my SATA
>> > drive
>> > at the "Select a drive to install Vista" screen by changing BIOS
>> > setting
>> > "SATA Port0-3 Native Mode [Enabled]". Now I can create new partiions
>> > and
>> > format. I've tried a number of configurations, but they all fail with
>> > the
>> > error "Windows could not determine if this computer contains a valid
>> > system
>> > volume". When I create/format a new partition, it displays as Primary.
>> > How
>> > do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?
>> >
>> > System Info:
>> > Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R mother board
>> > Western Digital WD5000AAKS SATA 500GB (single - no raid)

That was the magic word - BIOS Update. Downloaded and flashed, SATA drive
recognized, partitioned, formated, and Vista installed... and there was much
rejoicing. yea.

Thanks RC.


"R. C. White" wrote:

> Hi, BD.
>
> > But according to WD they don't have Vista drivers
> > and all I need to do is format the drive and Vista will use it.
>
> Yes, as I said, "Many programs...can USE a hard drive, but cannot BOOT FROM
> [it] without installing drivers." It's the "BOOT FROM" that is the
> stumbling block. In your previous trials, Setup has been able to partition
> and format the drive and copy files to it. But when the initial phase is
> done and the system tries to BOOT FROM that drive for the first time, if
> fails.
>
> SATA has been out for a couple of years now. The EPoX mobo I bought a year
> ago has an nForce 570 chipset and EIGHT SATA connectors (in addition to
> IDE/PATA), and Vista recognized my SATA boot device with its built-in
> drivers. But many mobos still need a BIOS update, and your board might be
> one of them.
>
> Once over that hump, the process should be simple. Just tell Vista how big
> you want the System Partition to be (and the Boot Volume, if you want to
> install Vista somewhere other than the System Partition) and Setup will
> handle the rest. After you have Vista up and running, you can do the rest
> with Disk Management.
>
> Another quirk where Vista deviates from WinXP and prior is that it will name
> its boot volume Drive C:. If the System Partition is different, it will get
> another letter, probably Drive D:. That's OK - for the computer - but it
> might confuse us humans. ;^} I've gotten used to it, but it takes many
> users by surprise. I always assign names, or labels, to my hard drive
> volumes (Vista x64; Vista x86; Data, etc.); these get written to the disks
> and don't change with every boot. Drive LETTERS are not permanent and often
> vary. In dual-boot system, it is not unusual for WinXP to refer to the
> System Partition as C: while Vista calls the same partition D:.
>
> Good luck with tonight's project. ;<)
>
> RC
> --
> R. C. White, CPA
> San Marcos, TX
>
> Microsoft Windows MVP
> (Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64)
>
> "BikerDale" <> wrote in message
> news:78975640-5300-4FC2-83F1-...
> > Thanks R.C., I've been thinking that Western Digital supplied Vista
> > drivers
> > were the answer all along. But according to WD they don't have Vista
> > drivers
> > and all I need to do is format the drive and Vista will use it. Other
> > discussions in this community lead me to think that it is a Gigabyte
> > supplied
> > SATA driver that I need. I've downloaded from their site and installed a
> > number of drivers which may or may not have helped, but I think the
> > farthest
> > I've gotten is changing the BIOS setting to enable SATA Port0-3 Native
> > Mode.
> > Then at least I could "see" the drive in the Vista install.
> >
> > So if I understand you right with the system partition, using the Vista
> > install, I need to create/format a primary partition (30-80GB depending on
> > which discussion I look at). I don't recall seeing where I would make it
> > active, but go back into BIOS and designate that partition as the boot
> > device, and then start the Vista install again to have Vista recognize it
> > as
> > a drive it can boot from (hopefully). I'll leave the remaining 400-ish GB
> > as
> > a single data drive. At least that's tonight's plan unless you (or
> > someone
> > else) tells me I'm missing the boat.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > BD
> >
> > "R. C. White" wrote:
> >
> >> Hi, BikerDale.
> >>
> >> It sounds like you are hitting the common problem of trying to install
> >> Vista
> >> onto a hard drive without the proper drivers. Many programs - including
> >> Vista Setup - can USE a hard drive, but cannot BOOT FROM that hard drive
> >> without installing drivers.
> >>
> >> When we boot from the Vista DVD and run Setup, we don't need the drivers
> >> for
> >> the hard drive for the first phase of Setup. The needed files to boot
> >> from
> >> the DVD are on the DVD. Setup knows how to partition and format the hard
> >> drive (even SATA) and copy files to it. But after that, it comes time to
> >> actually boot from the hard drive, rather than from the DVD - and that's
> >> when the process chokes.
> >>
> >> The Vista DVD has drivers for many hard drives, including some SATA
> >> drives,
> >> but not all. You probably need to check the Western Digital website for
> >> Vista drivers for your specific model, download them, and put them onto a
> >> floppy diskette. Have that diskette handy when you boot from the Vista
> >> DVD
> >> to run Setup. ("Windows Vista Inside Out says that the drivers can be on
> >> a
> >> thumb drive or CD, but I haven't had occasion to test that. I did this
> >> many
> >> times in Win2K and WinXP; they insisted on a diskette.) Setup will ask
> >> for
> >> the driver diskette when you get to the screen that asks where you want
> >> to
> >> install Vista.
> >>
> >> > When I create/format a new partition, it displays as Primary. How
> >> > do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?
> >>
> >> You might want to read this KB article to clarify the counterintuitive
> >> naming of the System and Boot volumes:
> >> Definitions for system volume and boot volume
> >> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470/EN-US/
> >>
> >> Those names are backwards from most users' expectations. As often said,
> >> we
> >> boot from the system partition and keep the operating system in the boot
> >> volume. The boot-up process always starts in the System Partition, then
> >> branches from there to the Boot Volume for whichever operating system we
> >> choose for the current session. The System Partition must be a Primary
> >> Partition, marked Active, on the hard drive designated in the BIOS as the
> >> boot device, but any volume (primary partition or logical drive) on any
> >> hard
> >> drive can serve as a Boot Volume.
> >>
> >> Typically, there is only a single partition covering the entire hard
> >> disk,
> >> so it becomes Drive C:, the System Partition, the Boot Volume, the swap
> >> drive - and everything else. But you might want to divide your 500 GB
> >> into
> >> multiple partitions. There are many opinions as to which is the best way
> >> to
> >> organize a hard drive. My preference is to have a small System Partition
> >> to
> >> hold only the startup files; these files total only a few MB, so this
> >> partition can be under 1 GB, but I probably would make it about 10-20 GB
> >> because some ill-behaved installation programs insist on using the system
> >> volume for their temporary files. Vista's boot volume will need to be at
> >> least 15 GB for the initial installation, but Vista GROWS! With your 500
> >> GB
> >> drive, you probably should make the Vista volume at least 30 GB. The
> >> rest
> >> of your 500 GB can be a single "data' volume, or divided into multiple
> >> drives to suit yourself.
> >>
> >> Vista's Disk Management can handle any further partition creation chores
> >> after Vista is up and running. Note a change from prior versions of DM:
> >> The first 3 volumes will be created as primary partitions. When it
> >> creates
> >> a 4th volume, DM creates an extended partition and then creates the 4th
> >> volume as a logical drive within it. If we want a different arrangement,
> >> we
> >> have to use the DiskPart.exe shell.
> >>
> >> RC
> >>
> >> "BikerDale" <> wrote in message
> >> news:1EB4D01B-823A-4BD1-89E7-...
> >> > I'm doing (trying) a clean install Vista Home Premium on a new system
> >> > build.
> >> > Reading prior posts and good advice I was finally able to see my SATA
> >> > drive
> >> > at the "Select a drive to install Vista" screen by changing BIOS
> >> > setting
> >> > "SATA Port0-3 Native Mode [Enabled]". Now I can create new partiions
> >> > and
> >> > format. I've tried a number of configurations, but they all fail with
> >> > the
> >> > error "Windows could not determine if this computer contains a valid
> >> > system
> >> > volume". When I create/format a new partition, it displays as Primary.
> >> > How
> >> > do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?
> >> >
> >> > System Info:
> >> > Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R mother board
> >> > Western Digital WD5000AAKS SATA 500GB (single - no raid)
>
>

Hi, BD.

Thanks for the report back. Congratulations! Can I join the rejoicing,
too? ;<)

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX

Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail 2008 in Vista Ultimate x64)

"BikerDale" <> wrote in message
news:93E238D2-B3F9-49F0-A2D7-...
> That was the magic word - BIOS Update. Downloaded and flashed, SATA drive
> recognized, partitioned, formated, and Vista installed... and there was
> much
> rejoicing. yea.
>
> Thanks RC.
>
>
> "R. C. White" wrote:
>
>> Hi, BD.
>>
>> > But according to WD they don't have Vista drivers
>> > and all I need to do is format the drive and Vista will use it.
>>
>> Yes, as I said, "Many programs...can USE a hard drive, but cannot BOOT
>> FROM
>> [it] without installing drivers." It's the "BOOT FROM" that is the
>> stumbling block. In your previous trials, Setup has been able to
>> partition
>> and format the drive and copy files to it. But when the initial phase is
>> done and the system tries to BOOT FROM that drive for the first time, if
>> fails.
>>
>> SATA has been out for a couple of years now. The EPoX mobo I bought a
>> year
>> ago has an nForce 570 chipset and EIGHT SATA connectors (in addition to
>> IDE/PATA), and Vista recognized my SATA boot device with its built-in
>> drivers. But many mobos still need a BIOS update, and your board might
>> be
>> one of them.
>>
>> Once over that hump, the process should be simple. Just tell Vista how
>> big
>> you want the System Partition to be (and the Boot Volume, if you want to
>> install Vista somewhere other than the System Partition) and Setup will
>> handle the rest. After you have Vista up and running, you can do the
>> rest
>> with Disk Management.
>>
>> Another quirk where Vista deviates from WinXP and prior is that it will
>> name
>> its boot volume Drive C:. If the System Partition is different, it will
>> get
>> another letter, probably Drive D:. That's OK - for the computer - but it
>> might confuse us humans. ;^} I've gotten used to it, but it takes many
>> users by surprise. I always assign names, or labels, to my hard drive
>> volumes (Vista x64; Vista x86; Data, etc.); these get written to the
>> disks
>> and don't change with every boot. Drive LETTERS are not permanent and
>> often
>> vary. In dual-boot system, it is not unusual for WinXP to refer to the
>> System Partition as C: while Vista calls the same partition D:.
>>
>> Good luck with tonight's project. ;<)
>>
>> RC
>>
>> "BikerDale" <> wrote in message
>> news:78975640-5300-4FC2-83F1-...
>> > Thanks R.C., I've been thinking that Western Digital supplied Vista
>> > drivers
>> > were the answer all along. But according to WD they don't have Vista
>> > drivers
>> > and all I need to do is format the drive and Vista will use it. Other
>> > discussions in this community lead me to think that it is a Gigabyte
>> > supplied
>> > SATA driver that I need. I've downloaded from their site and installed
>> > a
>> > number of drivers which may or may not have helped, but I think the
>> > farthest
>> > I've gotten is changing the BIOS setting to enable SATA Port0-3 Native
>> > Mode.
>> > Then at least I could "see" the drive in the Vista install.
>> >
>> > So if I understand you right with the system partition, using the Vista
>> > install, I need to create/format a primary partition (30-80GB depending
>> > on
>> > which discussion I look at). I don't recall seeing where I would make
>> > it
>> > active, but go back into BIOS and designate that partition as the boot
>> > device, and then start the Vista install again to have Vista recognize
>> > it
>> > as
>> > a drive it can boot from (hopefully). I'll leave the remaining 400-ish
>> > GB
>> > as
>> > a single data drive. At least that's tonight's plan unless you (or
>> > someone
>> > else) tells me I'm missing the boat.
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> > BD
>> >
>> > "R. C. White" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hi, BikerDale.
>> >>
>> >> It sounds like you are hitting the common problem of trying to install
>> >> Vista
>> >> onto a hard drive without the proper drivers. Many programs -
>> >> including
>> >> Vista Setup - can USE a hard drive, but cannot BOOT FROM that hard
>> >> drive
>> >> without installing drivers.
>> >>
>> >> When we boot from the Vista DVD and run Setup, we don't need the
>> >> drivers
>> >> for
>> >> the hard drive for the first phase of Setup. The needed files to boot
>> >> from
>> >> the DVD are on the DVD. Setup knows how to partition and format the
>> >> hard
>> >> drive (even SATA) and copy files to it. But after that, it comes time
>> >> to
>> >> actually boot from the hard drive, rather than from the DVD - and
>> >> that's
>> >> when the process chokes.
>> >>
>> >> The Vista DVD has drivers for many hard drives, including some SATA
>> >> drives,
>> >> but not all. You probably need to check the Western Digital website
>> >> for
>> >> Vista drivers for your specific model, download them, and put them
>> >> onto a
>> >> floppy diskette. Have that diskette handy when you boot from the
>> >> Vista
>> >> DVD
>> >> to run Setup. ("Windows Vista Inside Out says that the drivers can be
>> >> on
>> >> a
>> >> thumb drive or CD, but I haven't had occasion to test that. I did
>> >> this
>> >> many
>> >> times in Win2K and WinXP; they insisted on a diskette.) Setup will
>> >> ask
>> >> for
>> >> the driver diskette when you get to the screen that asks where you
>> >> want
>> >> to
>> >> install Vista.
>> >>
>> >> > When I create/format a new partition, it displays as Primary. How
>> >> > do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?
>> >>
>> >> You might want to read this KB article to clarify the counterintuitive
>> >> naming of the System and Boot volumes:
>> >> Definitions for system volume and boot volume
>> >> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314470/EN-US/
>> >>
>> >> Those names are backwards from most users' expectations. As often
>> >> said,
>> >> we
>> >> boot from the system partition and keep the operating system in the
>> >> boot
>> >> volume. The boot-up process always starts in the System Partition,
>> >> then
>> >> branches from there to the Boot Volume for whichever operating system
>> >> we
>> >> choose for the current session. The System Partition must be a
>> >> Primary
>> >> Partition, marked Active, on the hard drive designated in the BIOS as
>> >> the
>> >> boot device, but any volume (primary partition or logical drive) on
>> >> any
>> >> hard
>> >> drive can serve as a Boot Volume.
>> >>
>> >> Typically, there is only a single partition covering the entire hard
>> >> disk,
>> >> so it becomes Drive C:, the System Partition, the Boot Volume, the
>> >> swap
>> >> drive - and everything else. But you might want to divide your 500 GB
>> >> into
>> >> multiple partitions. There are many opinions as to which is the best
>> >> way
>> >> to
>> >> organize a hard drive. My preference is to have a small System
>> >> Partition
>> >> to
>> >> hold only the startup files; these files total only a few MB, so this
>> >> partition can be under 1 GB, but I probably would make it about 10-20
>> >> GB
>> >> because some ill-behaved installation programs insist on using the
>> >> system
>> >> volume for their temporary files. Vista's boot volume will need to be
>> >> at
>> >> least 15 GB for the initial installation, but Vista GROWS! With your
>> >> 500
>> >> GB
>> >> drive, you probably should make the Vista volume at least 30 GB. The
>> >> rest
>> >> of your 500 GB can be a single "data' volume, or divided into multiple
>> >> drives to suit yourself.
>> >>
>> >> Vista's Disk Management can handle any further partition creation
>> >> chores
>> >> after Vista is up and running. Note a change from prior versions of
>> >> DM:
>> >> The first 3 volumes will be created as primary partitions. When it
>> >> creates
>> >> a 4th volume, DM creates an extended partition and then creates the
>> >> 4th
>> >> volume as a logical drive within it. If we want a different
>> >> arrangement,
>> >> we
>> >> have to use the DiskPart.exe shell.
>> >>
>> >> RC
>> >>
>> >> "BikerDale" <> wrote in message
>> >> news:1EB4D01B-823A-4BD1-89E7-...
>> >> > I'm doing (trying) a clean install Vista Home Premium on a new
>> >> > system
>> >> > build.
>> >> > Reading prior posts and good advice I was finally able to see my
>> >> > SATA
>> >> > drive
>> >> > at the "Select a drive to install Vista" screen by changing BIOS
>> >> > setting
>> >> > "SATA Port0-3 Native Mode [Enabled]". Now I can create new
>> >> > partiions
>> >> > and
>> >> > format. I've tried a number of configurations, but they all fail
>> >> > with
>> >> > the
>> >> > error "Windows could not determine if this computer contains a valid
>> >> > system
>> >> > volume". When I create/format a new partition, it displays as
>> >> > Primary.
>> >> > How
>> >> > do I designate a system volume to complete the Vista install?
>> >> >
>> >> > System Info:
>> >> > Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R mother board
>> >> > Western Digital WD5000AAKS SATA 500GB (single - no raid)