Help with CD-ROM on new MB

R

RoyGBiv

New Member
I just started building a new computer with a gigabyte MB, Intel i7 CPU, two SATA drives, which were from a previous computer, and an IDE CD-ROM/DVD drive, which has worked previously as well.

I knew there might be "legacy" issues with the SATA drives, but I did not expect problems with the CD-ROM.

The MB has one IDE port, which the CD-ROM is connected to. It does the POST without problems, and it identifies correctly the memory and CPU along with the two SATA drives and the CD-ROM, which it has assigned to "port 4, master." I can also boot the computer using one of several boot disks in the CD. But, none of these boot disks are able to find the CD-ROM, even though they are running in it!!! Invariably they start to load the drivers, and then they report "no drive found, drivers not loaded."

I am going crazy because one of the CDs I used to get things running including reformatting the two SATA disks was Hiren's boot CD, which has all kinds of utilities. Obviously running those utilities, they are on the CD (both HDDs are completely blank at this point). Also, the Win98 start up CD that I made years ago has many utilities on it. All work, even though when I try the first option to "boot with CD-ROM support," it reports it can't find a CD-ROM drive.

Any thoughts?

I've tried everything I can think of in the BIOS settings. There are very limited options for the CD-ROM. It auto detects correctly, and I don't know what else to try. Also, the SATAs are configured as IDE drives, because I want to use Win98, but I am not sure that is relevant. I've also tried changing the jumper on the CD-ROM from Master to Slave to Cable select. None of these makes a difference.

Thanks.

SMK
 
Most likely the motherboard has no support for windows 98, which any motherboard made in the last 7 or 8 years doesn't support windows 98. However, what motherboard do you have?
 
That's an interesting thought. I have never heard that you couldn't install a specific OS on a motherboard. Why would that be? The motherboard is the GA-X58A-UD3R.

Also, when I am booting from the Win98 boot CD, it is essentially working in DOS not Win98. I also have the WD DataLifeguard boot CD, which also doesn't load the CDROM drivers, and I am unsure which OS that is working in. There is nothing I can find on WDs website stating that DateLifeguard only works on certain motherboards. As I stated, both of these boot CDs have worked on other computers without problems.

I was planning all along to have a dual boot system with Win98 and WinXP as my current computer is configured. It would be disappointing to say the least if I couldn't install Win98 on this computer!

I do have the WinXP disc, and I will see what happens when I try to install it.

Any other thoughts???

SMK
 
Its not that any chipset doesnt support 98, its nobody makes drivers for 98 anymore. If your running anything under 2000 your out of luck. Really driver support for 2000 is kinda getting rare.

At the bottom of your boards Specifications.

Due to most hardware/software vendors no longer offer support for Win9X/ME. If some vendors still has Win9X/ME drivers available, we will publish on website.
 
That is disturbing, but how then to people talk about using Win98 or other older systems (even DOS) on new mother boards such as in the dual boot system I would like to set up????

SMK
 
Another thought. Maybe I haven't expressed myself correctly. The issue occurs at the moment that Win98 is trying to load the generic IDE CDROM drivers to begin setup. It is not at the point where Win98 is installing. I don't get to that point. Because the setup disk can't see the CDROM drive, it just doesn't load the generic drivers and boots to DOS.

Is this the situation you are referring to?

Thanks for the help.

SMK
 
Try using a 98 boot floopy and select the Start Windows 98 set up with CD ROM. But your still kinda stuck with no 98 SATA drivers for the harddrive. Unless you have a setting in the bios to put the SATA controllers in IDE mode.
 
The SATA controllers are in IDE mode on the BIOS. I don't have a 98 boot floppy disk, just the CDROM boot disk, and exactly what you've said to do with the floppy is what I'm doing with the CD boot disk. When it asks do I want to start win98 with CDROM support, I answer yes, and then it tells me it can't find the CDROM drive.

I do have another computer that I could make a floppy disk on, I guess, but what drivers do I need to put on that boot disk for CDROM support?

SMK
 
Use the 98SE OEM or the 98 OEM
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

Boot to the floppy. Pick start computer without CD ROM support. Type fdisk then pick option 1, then enable large disk support. Create a partition and make it active. Restart and pick Start computer without CD ROM support, type format #: /s (what ever drive letter). After it formats restart computer, this time pick (Start computer with CD ROM support) then type in setup and hit enter.
 
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