Hey Dave,

Never mind. I found the answer on the Intel site. I didn't have the driver
floppy, but the 2nd option below (change drive mode) seems to have solved the
problem instead. In case it comes up again, here's what worked...

*****************************

Windows XP Setup Can’t Find Hard Drive
If your Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive is set to AHCI mode in BIOS and you
install Windows XP without using an F6 driver, Windows setup is likely to
fail, reporting that it cannot find any hard drives.


To resolve this problem, use the F6 driver diskette during Windows XP setup
(if your SATA drive supports AHCI) - or - change the drive mode in BIOS to
IDE.


To use F6:

Near the beginning of Windows Setup, Windows pauses briefly and displays the
following prompt: Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or RAID
driver… This option is displayed in the status line and lets you use an OEM
mass storage controller driver.


For instructions on using F6, refer to F6 Installation Method.


To change the drive mode:

During boot, enter the BIOS setup by pressing F2.
In the Advanced > Drive Configuration menu
Set ATA/IDE Mode to Native.
Set Configure SATA as to IDE
Press F10 to Save and Exit.

**************************************


"BruceInTx" wrote:

> Hey Dave,
>
> Thanks for your quick response. You were exactly right with the *F6* trick.
> However, I didn't get a floppy with the drive. It's a Western Digital WD
> Caviar SE16 500 GB.
>
> The WD CD has a provision to create a boot disk. But when I use it, Windows
> tells me it can't find txtsetup.oem. There are no "oem" files on the WD CD.
>
> Nor will it boot with the WD boot disk.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thanks
>
> "Dave Patrick" wrote:
>
> > If your drive controller is not natively supported then you'll want to boot
> > the Windows 2003 CD-Rom. Then *F6* very early and very important (at setup
> > is inspecting your system) in the setup to prevent drive controller
> > detection, and select S to specify additional drivers. Then later you'll be
> > prompted to insert the manufacturer supplied Windows 2003 driver for your
> > drive controller in drive "A"
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
> > Microsoft Certified Professional
> > Microsoft MVP [Windows]
> > http://www.microsoft.com/protect
> >
> > "BruceInTx" wrote:
> > >I am doing a new intall on a new computer. The SATA drive is not yet
> > > formatted, but the BIOS is seeing it.
> > >
> > > When I boot using the 2003 DVD, I get the "Windows Setup" screen and it
> > > loads files. Then it says "Starting Windows" at the bottom of the screen.
> > >
> > > At this point, I get a "death screen" that says there's a problem with the
> > > HD. It suggests running chkdsk /F, which is of course not an option.
> > >
> > > The error is:
> > > STOP: 0x0000007B (0XF789E63C, 0XC0000034, 0X00000000, 0X00000000)
> > >
> > > !!!
> > >
> >
>