Warning: system battery is low.

[Admiral_dk]

Mike - the SATA setting is VERY IMPORTANT !!!!!

You CAN NOT change this without re-Installing Windows !!!!

So though it is a bit of a shame that it wasn't installed with it set to ACHI (faster) - you will have to set it to ATA again - BEFORE you try to Boot (this isn't always critical - but better safe than sorry).

If you get this setting wrong the PC will try to access the HardDisk in a completely wrong way (sectors etc.) -> wrong addresses for the Data.

Having the Clock wrong might prevent you from Login if it is on a network ....

Best wishes

Per         

[Vixen]

Thank you all for your help and contributions,

Internal fire.    Thank you, I have amended my previous post accordingly.

Krypto.     Thanks, yes I regularly back-up the important files to external storage.

Per. Thank you also. I feel I now better understand the difference between the ACHI and ATA settings. I read somewhere that Win XP ran under ATA and all later versions run under ACHI. However, it is sometimes difficult to tell if the information you find on the net is the truth or someones guesswork.

Mike - the SATA setting is VERY IMPORTANT !!!!!

You CAN NOT change this without re-Installing Windows !!!!

So though it is a bit of a shame that it wasn't installed with it set to ACHI (faster) - you will have to set it to ATA again - BEFORE you try to Boot (this isn't always critical - but better safe than sorry).

If you get this setting wrong the PC will try to access the HardDisk in a completely wrong way (sectors etc.) -> wrong addresses for the Data.

Having the Clock wrong might prevent you from Login if it is on a network ....

Best wishes

Per         

I will certainly make sure it is set to ATA before I try to Boot, Wish I had known that before I threw the previous PC out. 

Cheers   

Mike

[Admiral_dk]

I read somewhere that Win XP ran under ATA and all later versions run under ACHI.

Yes and No : XP needs extra drivers on the installation Media (CD/DVD) before it is possible to use ACHI on XP .... and it is IMPORTANT that they are integrated with the Installation files before the CD/DVD is Created ...!!!

I will certainly make sure it is set to ATA before I try to Boot, Wish I had known that before I threw the previous PC out.   

Have tried to 'Fix Dead PC's ' more times than I care to admit (because I got this setting wrong) - even when working as IT Supporter 
This happened often enough that if one off us had a problem with an XP PC not booting - one of the others would automaticly ask 'Have you checked that the SATA Setting is correct (we had our XP PC's set to ACHI @ the University).

Per

[Admiral_dk]

As not to tarnish Achims thread too much - I will comment on Windows versions here Mike 

Anything pre Windows 95 third revision - forget about them ....

I liked Windows 95 & 98 - Loved XP 

Next really good version was Windows 7 - though I had to learn where some of the great things from XP where hidden (in the beginning).

Windows 8 = Trash - though the Phone version was not too bad ....

Took me quite a while to switch to Windows 10 - my most important CAD/CAM (electronics) didn't play well there (old version - took quite some time to get an upgrade). After a much newer CAD/CAM revision - I switched and are quite happy with Windows 10.

I hate Windows 11 - bad user interface       
Give me headackes everytime I have to help my father with his PC (run Win11) - why degrade the function + hide some of those any Tech needs the most + Worse - completely remove some of those too 

Strange as a big part of Windows 10 is inside Windows 11 .... then again what did they think when they made Windows Millenium, 8 + more ....

Per   

[Jo]

Just a thought: earth yourself before touching the motherboard 

Jo

[Vixen]

Thanks Jo,
I remember that anti static stuff from when someone paid me.

Mike

[Laurentic]

Good luck with the battery change Mike, but remember the old saying I hold firm, NEVER trust anything with wires coming out of it. It will always bite you.

Chris   

[Vixen]

Ha ha
There are lot's of other things out there which bite

Mike