Optiplex 780 no drive found during setup.

[bizzybody]

The computer shipped with Windows 7 so I'm attempting to put Windows 7 back onto it. Setup can't see the hard drive. So I STFI and find that Win7 may need to load a driver during setup. WTH? I thought AHCI support was added to Vista and up so we wouldn't have to do this?!

 

So I find the Pre-OS install driver http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/optiplex-780/drivers and Win7 setup loads it... and still claims there is no hard drive.

 

I know the hard drive works. I connected it to another Win7 x64 computer and formatted it. BIOS setup in the Optiplex 780 detects it. Nothing wrong with the hard drive.

 

The drive was part of a four drive RAID5 array, but I've had no problems with the other drives from that array in other computers, or any drive from any other array. Just format and it works as a single.

 

But not with *this* Dell Optiplex 780 for some reason.

 

The BIOS is A04, latest is A15. Of course I have to get Windows installed to run the update, but if the BIOS needs updated to be able to install non-Dell-OEM Windows... excuse me while I go over to a corner and think evil thoughts in the directions of Plano, TX and Redmond, WA.

[submix8c]

Curious - is the BIOS set up as UEFI? If so, set it to "Legacy" (or something like that).

[Ponch]

So I find the Pre-OS install driver http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/optiplex-780/drivers and Win7 setup loads it... and still claims there is no hard drive.

How exactly does Win7 setup load that driver ?

+Is it the "Intel_Matrix-Storage-Manager_A00_R230634.exe" you're talking about)