Question about SATA drivers on Win XP

[LightPhoenix]

Hopefully an easy tech question...

I have Windows XP installed already, but didn't install the SATA drivers when I installed Windows XP. Is it possible to install those drivers after Windows XP has been fully installed? Is there a Windows tool that will do it, or a manual method?

 

[Mycanid]

Hey there fellow Syracusian!

I personally feel SATA drivers are a pain in the neck.

I have only built one machine that used a SATA drive. One can usually get the drivers for it. Are these on (mother) board SATA ports? Or pci card ports? If the former, usually the drivers are: 1. On the motherboard maker's website in the driver section or on the install cd that comes with the board. If the latter the drivers should have been bundled with the card in the cd.

SATA drives require special connections and separate power, of course, but early SATA, when activated, would also "swallow up" some of the onboard moboard IDE connections! SO you might have to be cautious about that too.

Usually installing the drivers itself is a snap, just like any other device.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Represent!

I'm plugging it into the mobo slot. Everything is all set, I just wasn't sure if the only opportunity Windows gave to install the drivers was during the Windows XP install... good to know that isn't the case!

Thanks!

 

[trancejeremy]

Doesn't it detect it like any other hardware, and install the drivers for it itself?

My computer has a SATA drive (in fact, that's why I got WinXP, Win 98 doesn't support SATA, at least not my drive) and honestly, I don't remember having to do anything special - IIRC, WinXP installed the drivers by itself. (It was only a year ago, but I can't remember the process. D'oh).

 

[DethStryke]

In my experience, personal and professional, I've only needed a special driver for XP with SATA controller cards (PCI or otherwise). If the motherboard has SATA connectors on it, I've only seen options in the BIOS to choose between IDE and SATA as primary boot. I've never seen a board that makes you choose to use either SATA or IDE, but not both at the same time. Not saying it doesn't exist, but if your parts are even remotely known manufacturers (Abit, Asus, MSI, Intel, etc.) then you will probably never see that. Everything else is, for all intents and puposes, identical to installing an IDE drive.

I actually have come to prefer them, especially when specifying RAID configuration... cheapest option to come along in years that wasn't crap.