SSD Cannot Format Windows 7 Install

So I decided to take the plunge into installing an SSD. I got a good deal on an OCZ Vertex 4 256GB drive but since my computer only supports SATA2 I decided to get a SATA3 card along with it. The problem is that even though the Windows Install disc recognizes the card and the drive attached to it the installation fails saying it cannot format the drive. I first tried loading the drivers into Windows setup off the supplied CD and then tried again without loading the drivers.

Connecting the drive to the onboad SATA2 windows will install fine so I know it is not the drive but I would really like to use the SATA3 card if I could so I am here wondering if anyone has any advice on how I can make that happen. I already tried installing Windows and then moving the SATA cable to the drive and doing a repair but it changes the drive letter to D and says it finds no issues.

What happens if you do the install on the SATA2 interface, with the SATA3 card fitted but nothing connected, then just change the drive connection onto the SATA3 card?

The drive partitions and formats fine on the onboard SATA2 and if I do that and install windows or start installing Windows and then move it to the SATA3 the computer does not boot. Tried repairing the install but once the drive moves it changes the drive letter to D and a repair detects no issues. There are no other drives other than the ROM drives connected to the system. I have 2 more internal SATA drives but I usually connect them after Windows has been installed.

I forget the exact error code but everything I have read on the code state that the correct SATA drivers may not be loaded even though I am loading the latest drivers. The card is a Vantec SG-ST622 or something like that.

What about SD card readers on the machine? If you have any disconnect them/disable in the BIOS. Some card readers play havok on programs designed to format drives.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Niclo Iste

What about SD card readers on the machine? If you have any disconnect them/disable in the BIOS. Some card readers play havok on programs designed to format drives.

---

Nope, no other drives connected to the system other than the SSD Sata and the SATA ROM drives which are on the onboard channels. I only have the monitors and a keyboard and mouse connected in the back too to minimize any interference.

On a side note I first booted the computer with the OCZ Linux boot tools to verify the firmware was up to date and it detected the drive and the firmware but I could not flash it. I had to connect to the onboard and reboot to flash the firmware from 1.4 to 1.5. I think it is the card but not sure what to do about it since there are not many vendors of those cards that I can find and who is to say that I will not have the same trouble with a card of another brand.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BOB IROC

I think it is the card

---

I'm leaning towards that too... Does the card show up OK in Device Manager when you boot from SATA2, & if so does a HDD connected to it operate ok?

And just to try covering all bases, the SATA2 controller hasn't got set to IDE mode in the BIOS has it? If so, Windows will be set up as a non-AHCI installation, and the Vantec will no doubt be in AHCI mode.

Ok here is the latest. As a test I took a 250GB SATA 2 laptop hard drive as that is the drive that is closest in size to my 256GB SSD and Windows is installing on that. I figure if I can get Windows on that I can possibly use my work's copy of Acronis 14 that I made boot media from to clone it to the SSD and then it should bring over everything just as it was connected to the card and with a little bit of luck maybe boot and I can take it from there.

Since it will take a SATA2 maybe the Vertex4 drive is just too fast for the SATA3 card and Windows is not liking that for the install. That's my theory anyway.

Well that didn't work.. THe computer just sits at a black screen when it tries to boot. Plug the SSD into the onboard SATA2 and it boots fine. The question is do I try another card or just deal with the performance hit of SATA2 even though it should be much better than using a spindle Hard Drive..

At least now I know it is an incompatibility with the Card and the SSD at the very least. Either that or the card and my motherboard.

I read that "You cannot use all 4 ports at the same time only 2 ports. You have to set jumpers to pick which ones." and "Protip: Some older Core 2 motherboards had PCIe 2.0 slots, but they were of the x16 or x8 varieties. No problem, stick this little card in one of them, it doesn't care. You'll notice this after POST, the card reports either Gen 1 or Gen 2."

per: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16815287017

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CCT

I read that "You cannot use all 4 ports at the same time only 2 ports. You have to set jumpers to pick which ones." and "Protip: Some older Core 2 motherboards had PCIe 2.0 slots, but they were of the x16 or x8 varieties. No problem, stick this little card in one of them, it doesn't care. You'll notice this after POST, the card reports either Gen 1 or Gen 2."

per: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16815287017

---

Yes it posts with Gen2 and detects the drive as SATA3. The default jumper settings had both the internal SATA ports enabled and I changed it to one internal and one external and it was plugged into an active port.

A poster named killbucket has a novel approach here -> http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/25...indows-install