I realize this sounds like a repeated question, but so far 2 days of searching the web has gotten me no solutions to my problem.
First, the equipment I do and do not have.
NEW WD SATA-II HDD to replace a dead IDE drive.
Asus P4s800d-e deluxe mobo
DVD/CD burner
Floppy is owned but I don't have the SATA drivers on floppy disc, nor do I have a way to get them on it since the computer (desktop) that uses it is currently deceased.
Also, I have the XP Install disc, XP SP1 upgrade disc and XP SP2 upgrade disc, ASUS Vista recovery disc and finally Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade disc (family pack).
The problem is that I can get my BIOS to see the new drive but as we all know, the XP installer won't recognize it until I install the correct SATA driver from floppy...etc. I can't do the floppy thing, sadly. So, any advice, help, assistance...anything will be greatly appreciated.
One thing I wondered is if I can format the drive somehow, will the XP install work? The ultimate goal here is to get this machine up on Windows 7 with my family pack.