Setup Fails If SCSI Device Has no Media in it (102041)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1
This article was previously published under Q102041

SYMPTOMS

If you run Windows NT Setup and your removable-media SCSI drive does not have any media in it, you will receive the following error message:
An error occurred reading from or determining the configuration of a hard disk drive attached to your computer. This may indicate a hardware or configuration problem with a disk drive, disk controller, or SCSI adapter.

Check cabling and ensure that all disk controllers and SCSI adapters installed in your computer are correctly configured and terminated.

If you have a SCSI device that is not a hard disk, ensure that it is properly configured. For example, some SCSI adapters scan for hard disks at SCSI IDs 0 and 1. If you have a CD-ROM drive set to SCSI ID 0 or 1, try setting it to a different ID. Consult your SCSI adapter documentation for more details.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because Windows NT Setup isn't removable hard-disk-media aware. When Setup receives the error when trying to read from the drive, it assumes the hard disk is bad.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, ensure that there is media inserted into any removable hard-disk-type devices before running Setup.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/20/2003
Keywords:kbHardware kbsetup KB102041
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.