Need Help: OS won't load - Says no Harddrive found

Hello,
I just got my Sager 5670 today and I'm trying to load up the OS - XP Home. I put the CD in the drive and it started to lead up, but then it stopped and said that there was no harddrive found. I'm pretty new to this and have never installed an OS by myself. What do I have to do to get my system to recognize that I have a harddrive? Do I need to load the drivers first? Do I need to change the boot up order? HD 1st, then CD, then removeable drivers or CD first? I'm really cusrious what's going on and would appreciate all the help. Thanks in advance.

Ok, I talked to Sager Tech support and Powernotebooks tech support. They said that the problem is probably with my hard drive and that I should remove the floppy bay to get to the hard drive. I have tired several times to remove the bay, but I can't seem it get it off/ out. I moved the latch to unlock and it should come out right, well it's not. It seems like there is something holding it there. Powernotebooks gave me a RMA # and told me to ship it to Sager if I can't get it open. I'm planning having my friend help me open it up by taking out all the screws on the bottom and see if we can get it off that way. Would you recommend this or should I just leave it alone and have it shipped to Sager?

This really sucks, I've been looking forward to getting and using my laptop for 2 weeks and when I finally get it, it doesn't work. I guess I'll probably have to wait another 2-3 weeks before I get it back from Sager. Oh well. Please let me know if you think I should open it up and see if I can get the floppy bay out that way. Thanks again.

Thanks, I'll try again tonight. I know how to remove the modular bay, but honestly, it just won't come out. When I unlock the latch and pull on it, it comes out about 1-3mm, no where close to an inch. I have tried repeatedly to get the bay out, it just won't come out. Would it perhaps make it easier if I took off the DVD/CD-RW drive to make a little room and then try to remove the floppy bay?

This is getting really frustrating, I know it should just come out, but it isn't.

I know it's easy, it's just not coming off

Ok, I have been doing what everyone has been recommending, sliding the clasp to the unlock position and trying to slide the bay out, but it seems like it is STUCK. I just tried again for about 5 minutes and no luck.

So would it be ok to try and open the case now? Or should I just send it in? Thanks again.

I'll probably see if my friend and I can get the case off tonight and then if we can get the bay off, if not, it's probably going back to Sager.

Ok, gsferrari, I know which drive to remove, the floppy, it just wouldn't come out!!!! I know which one the battery is, in fact the battery easily pops right out when I move the latch to unlock, it's the floppy drive that I can't get out. I applied pressure like you said, I moved the latch on the floppy drive to the unlock position and then used my palm to "pushslide it out" but it doesn't come out. You said that it should come out about an inch or so and then I can pull it up and it will come out. The powernotebooks representative I talked to told me it should come out about 1/2". The problem is that it WON'T come out that far. Like I said earlier, it will only come out a few mimimeters, that's all. I honestly pushed down on the floppy with force and it still didn't budge.

I know this is SUPPOSED to be a simple task and one I should be able to do within seconds, but like I said, it's stuck. Since it is stuck, what others options do I have other then sending it in to Sager?

You also said that you wouldn't trust me or my friend of being able to put the computer back together if we took the case off since we couldn't get the floppy drive out and off the system, but how do you expect us to do so if it is stuck. My friend has a loptop (a older Dell) and last night he said that the floppy SHOULD come right off, but we couldn't get it off and so we stopped. We know which drive to TRY to take off, but it just won't come off.

If we take the case off, I will not do anything or remove any parts that we may not be able to put back on. I just want to see if we can get in there and see if we can get the stupid floppy out so we can get to the HDD.

Sorry if it seems like I am being rude, I'm not trying to be. I'm just trying to tell you that the floppy bay is stuck and I can't get it off, but you guys seem to think that I don't know what I should be doing. I turned it upside down like you said, and did what you said in your last post, but the thing won't budge. I will try again later tonight when I get home or with my friend and let you know how it goes.

Thanks

Thanks guys for understanding my problem

Hey GSFerrari and myrkat, thanks for your help and suggestions. I will contact Powernotebooks.com and tell then to ship me another until while this one is being repaired or to request that they pay for the overnight shipping of the computer back to Sager in California so that Sager can get it and work on it as soon as possible and get it back to me. You are right that I need to tough about this and let them know that I am pissed. Maybe I wouldn't be so mad if I was able to get the FDD out and determine the problem, but thus far I haven't been able to. And gsferrari, you don't need to appologize for what you said earlier, I understand that you were probably just as frustrated as me when you read that I couldn't get the FDD off. It's cool. Thanks again, I'm going to contact Powernotebooks via email now and let them know that I am not happy.

Well, I took my laptop ove ro my friend's but we decided that we should just leave the system alone and send it back to Sager. We tried to take the FDD out, but I tell you that it is really stuck. Oh well.