windows xp takes soo long to load.......

hey;

I was fixing my friends computer. he has AMD atholon computer, somebody built it for him. He has installed windows xp on it but it take soooo long to load. The walpaper loads, but everything else loads after like 5 mins. I tried to install new windows on it but when I try to setup new windows on it, it shows error: "There is not hard drive in your computer, so windows can't be installed". What is wrong with it? windows is installed on the hd, then why it can't detect it.

I think it is a sata raid hd. since it only has thin wire connected to it.


So what should I do?

thanks

 

If it is a sata drive they will probably require a set of 3rd party drivers installed before the XP install will see the drive. When you first start the machine you should get a message to press F? key to install the drivers. You will need the disk that comes with the motherboard.

 

well I have installed all the drivers from the cd which came with it.

also, i found out its SCSI drive.... sorry.

 

You installed them on the original Win XP install right ?

Now you are trying to do a NEW WinXP install, you have to hit F6 when it flashes on the bottom of the screen to do that while booting from the WinXP install CD, as ThunderZ said.

You have to do this each time you boot from the WinXP install CD, because it needs its own separate drivers for the SATA drive, NOT what's installed on the computer (even if they're the same, the install CD will NOT look there), and so you have to catch it each time at the F6 prompt and put the drivers diskette (or other media) in and let it discover the drivers and let you pick the correct one (if more than one on the disk) so it knows which to load and then the boot/setup process can then resume and WinXP as booted (for that session) will now be able to find the SATA drive(s).