Installing Windows 7 / Reinstalling XP

A few weeks ago I began experiencing some weird problems. My computer will no longer connect to a remote server. I get various error messages depending on which remote server. For instance, I get a 10022 error with CuteFTP Pro 7. I also use a program that uses Microsoft SQL to synchronize database information with several other users. I attempted to run the Windows 7 compatibility checker and received a remote server error message there too. I have spent over 50 hours trying to troubleshoot this issue and have had many people from the various tech support areas give up on it. (Why is it that the tech support people seem to know less than I do?)

So, I decided that I would reinstall my operating system. Then I decided, what the heck, upgrade to Windows 7. THAT was an exercise in futility! Windows 7 does not recognize my hard drives. I have two HITACHI HTS723232L9A 320 GB 7200 RPM SATA drives installed.

When I first upgraded to these drives I had no problems installing XP Pro. Once I gave up on Windows 7, I decided to install XP Pro on the "spare" drive and then move my data files from the drive that I had been using. No matter what I do, the installation process does not see either drive. I have downloaded the drivers from Sager's site and put them on a floppy, pressed F6 when appropriate, and when the message says to press S to select the drivers from the floppy, I do it. When I select the drivers, the process says it cannot use those drivers. So, I went to Microsoft and downloaded the Promise ATA driver package and tried that to no avail.

While at the Microsoft site I downloaded the Windows 7 drivers for the SATA drives and tried to install Windows 7 again. It just seems that the Windows installer is not seeing my hard drives. I do not understand how this can be since I successfully installed Windows XP on the Hitachi SATA drive when I first received it.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to get something going right? Here are my preferred choices:

1. Fix the remote server connection problem since I really do not want to spend the next couple of months getting
   my system back to the way I like it
   
2. Install Windows 7 on the old “spare” drive and then move my data files from old “main” drive
   
3. Install Windows XP Pro onto the old “spare” drive and then move my data files from the old “main” drive

I do not recall which forum I visited and saw the suggestion given to someone else to remove all but the minimum amount of RAM and try again. I tried that and had no luck there either. While I am attempting to install either OS, I have disconnected everything from the computer in an effort to make sure that none of the peripherals was the culprit.

Does anyone have a full version of XP Pro SP3 as an ISO file? I have tried slipstreaming and have gone through half a dozen DVD’s that are now in the recycle bin in case someone wants to use them for Christmas decorations or maybe as mirrors in a survival kit.

Hi, thanks for the response. I have searched high and low and don't seem to be able to find an ISO that contains SP3 with a full install. The drives are healthy, at least according to several different HDD utilities. Apparently XP Pro without SP3 on the install disk does not recognize SATA drives. Since I have never had an SP3 full install disk, I have to wonder how I was able to install XP on the drive it is on now. I've been working at this since Wednesday evening. As I stated on the original post, I have given up on slipstreaming my own disk since I have wasted so many DVD-R's.

Hi, well, I finally tricked this old 9880 into letting me install Windows 7 with the two SATA 320 GB drives. I went into the BIOS and disabled the card reader (per someone's suggestion somewhere) and tried to install and got nowhere. I went back to the BIOS and set the SATA / RAID to RAID instead of SATA. Upon reboot I configured it for a one drive stripe. A few seconds later Windows 7 was installing like it should have done all along. Once everything was installed, I let Windows do its thing with upgrading for about 2 hours. Eventually all but the video drivers and the buttons at the top of te keyboard had Win7 drivers. I tried downloading the NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800 Ultra from NVIDIA and then tried installing and it kept hanging up telling me that it could not find a hardware match. So for now, it is on the default VGA settings. Once I quite messing with that, I put the second HDD in and rebooted, went into BIOS and set it for RAID, went through the reboot and set up a second 1 drive stripe. Once the sytem booted, the other HDD showed without any issues. I have been steadily installing my other software for most of the day without any issues. Sheesh, if I charged myself by the hour I'd be rich - or I guess poor since it'd be me paying....

Thank you "qhn" for the moral support! I got your last post right in the middle of Win7 loading via my Droid X2.

If anyone wants any support/advice/a shoulder to cry on while they attempt the nearly impossible, just let me know.