Windows XP Setup Could Not Detect and Find Any Hard Disk Drive

When installing Windows XP, Windows XP Setup Could Not Detect and Find Any Hard Disk Drive error appear and you won't be able install Windows XP. This error may due to SATA hard disk drive not detectable by the windows XP setup thus XP setup can't find usable physical disk and force to quit by pressing F3.

For some of the newer computer system, if the SATA hard disk drive is not running on RAID, older operating system like XP would be able to recognize the SATA drive without needed to install any drivers.

However, for those SATA hard disk drive which requires a driver, normally the motherboard manufacturers will provide a floppy disk (or you may need to copy the content from the motherboard cd driver to floppy disk), which you will be able to use F6 during Windows XP setup to add in the drivers.

The problems now is some of the computer system now doesn't come with floppy disk drive! Online there's a lot of method of using nlite to burn the drivers and create a new XP installation cd using the old XP installation cd.

There's another quick solution to solve this problem instead needed to go to all the hassle of doing that. The trick is by changing BIOS setting to disable AHCI (or RAID which includes AHCI in its functions) and use native SATA IDE emulation mode (SATA/PATA). In SATA IDE Emulation mode, XP setup could find the SATA drives and proceed to continue to install XP properly.

The method to change the BIOS settings on SATA mode is solely depending on which brand or model or even motherboard of your computer system. Check your system manual for more information.

Unable to update Windows xp

When you have an original windows xp and unable to run updates, try the solution below.

1. Go to Start --> Run

2. Key in iexplore http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=39204


3. Click open


4. Copy the LegitCheckControl.dll to c:\windows\system32. If the system prompt for overwrite existing file, click yes.


5. Go to Start --> Run

6. Type in regsvr32 LegitCheckControl.dll


7. You should able to updates windows

Format USB Drive to NTFS filesystem

Windows XP by default only allow you to format your USB drive to FAT or FAT32 filesystem.

By adjusting some setting, you may now enable USB drive to be formatted to NTFS filesystem.

Advantages to have NTFS filesystem on USB drive would be:
1. Able to use file encrytion function (Windows 2000/ 2003 domain network)
2. Use of file compression
3. Permissions setting for files or folders

Disadvantages to have NTFS filesystem on USB drive would be:
1. Additional data writes on USB drive
2. Windows 98/ME and some other OS unable to read NTFS filesystem

Follow the steps below to enable format USB drive to NTFS filesystem:

1. Right click on My Computer (in desktop or Start menu) and select manage.


2. In Device Manager, select Disk drives and select the USB drive. Right click and select properties.


3. Go to Policies tab and select Optimize for performance.


4. Now you can format your USB drive to NTFS filesystem.

Use Firefox as default to open email links (Windows XP)

If you likes firefox and you want firefox to open everytime you click on the hyperlinks of your email, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Tools --> Folder options (in my computer or any folder)


2. Click on File Types, highlight URL: HyperText Transfer Protocol and click on Advanced


3. Highlight Open in the Actions and click Edit


4. Untick Use DDE checkbox and click Browse


5. Find the firefox folder (default would be in c:\program files\mozilla firefox)

6. Select the firefox.exe


7. At Application used to perform action, add -url "%1" at the back. After that click OK.


8. Repeat the same steps with URL: HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy

Icon in folder keep changing

If sometimes the icon in folders keep on changing, it's because you didn't set to remember the folder view setting.


1. Go to Tools --> Folder options


2. Go to View tab, make sure that the remember each folder's view settings is tick.

Using USB (external device) in Safe mode

Sometimes due to certain windows problem, you can't seem to boot up normally in windows. However, it's possible for you to boot up in safe mode.

The problems is when in safe mode, when you plug in the usb drive/ usb external devices, device manager detect the device but the file system doesn't recognize it (possibly is because there's no drive letter assign to the usb)

To enable usb in safe mode, you just need to assign a drive letter in disk management.

1. Go to start --> control panel

2. Switch to classic view (if you haven't switch to classic view - only for windows xp)

3. Select Administrative Tools

4. Select Computer Management


5. Select Disk Management

6. Assign a drive letter by right click on your device


Lastly, backup all your important data to your usb devices and reinstall windows if needed

How to enable task manager

Sometimes, when a computer has been infected with viruses or spyware, the task manager will be disable.



To solve this problem, follow the steps below:

1. Click on Start --> Run

2. Key in REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f and press enter

Make sure you run antivirus to check on your computer to ensure that your computer is free from viruses.

Desktop icon missing solution

When mistakenly hide the desktop icon, to show desktop icon again, right click on the desktop and select arrange icon by --> show desktop icon

NTDetect missing or deleted solution

If you mistaken deleted NTDETECT.COM, you won't be able to boot up the computer because it is used during the hardware recognition when boot up.

To solve this problem:

1. Insert Windows XP installation CD (bootable).

2. When system prompted to press any key to boot from CD, press Enter (make sure that your bios is set to boot from CD first).

3. In Windows XP setup, press "R" key to repair windows in the recovery console.

4. Log in to the windows installation by pressing "1" key and enter.

5. When prompted for administrator password, enter the password you set.

6. Copy 2 file from the CD-ROM to the root directory of your primary hard disk (For example: e is the drive for CD-ROM)
copy e:\i386\ntldr c:\
copy e:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\

7. After finished copy both the files, remove the Windows XP CD and restart computer.