# Sata drive won't work on VT6421 controller

## shgadwa

I've got a Sata Hard Drive here... I want to get it to work on a older computer. I've got a PCI Sata Controller card (VT6421 VIA Sata). I enabled it in the kernel, and its not working. Its not even showing up in the bios. I've read a lot about it and it looks like other people are having similar problems.

Here is some output of dmesg: 

```
squid ~ # dmesg | grep ata_via 

[    0.979611] sata_via 0000:02:0c.0: version 2.4

[    0.979663] sata_via 0000:02:0c.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 20 (level, low) -> IRQ 20

[    0.979854] sata_via 0000:02:0c.0: routed to hard irq line 5

[    0.980284] scsi2 : sata_via

[    0.980890] scsi3 : sata_via

[    0.981461] scsi4 : sata_via

```

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## krinn

 *belikeyeshua wrote:*   

> Its not even showing up in the bios.

 

Halt here.

Don't hack your gentoo and kill it for nothing, as long as bios doesn't handle it, gentoo won't too  :Smile: 

Classic mistake for sata are connecting a sata2 drive on a sata1 controller, check the drive for a jumper to enable compatibility with sata1, if you don't have one and you have a sata2 with a sata1 controller -> you've just loose money

I don't know that controller, but you said "old comp" so we can assume sata1 controller

2nd classic one: the sata controller is disable (check that in your bios) (not your case as the controller is seen) but it might still have functions disable, like enable but pata only

google for your disk ref to check sata type the disk is

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## BradN

Try a jumper on the drive in different positions, usually one of them will limit the drive to 1.5Gbps and make it work.

Whoa, beat me by a fraction of a minute...

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## shgadwa

 *krinn wrote:*   

>  *belikeyeshua wrote:*   Its not even showing up in the bios. 
> 
> Halt here.
> 
> Don't hack your gentoo and kill it for nothing, as long as bios doesn't handle it, gentoo won't too 
> ...

 

Thanks. I'll try that. Just so you know, this is a PCI sata controller card... its not build into the motherboard.

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## krinn

even not onboard, you should be able to use it as external controller, sadly old bios were unable to show the drives connect to the add-on card (you can know it easy, if you can enter bios mb before seeing the external controller bios, your bios won't see the drives, but gentoo will because of the add-on bios)

you may also have an option on your bios to check for add-on card, the int19 to gave handle to an add-on card detection, this was an option for scsi users (specially to allow scsi cdrom boot as a floppy), i suppose it might just work for sata too.

I think you should just concentrate on add-on bios detecting your drive at first.

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## krinn

 *BradN wrote:*   

> Whoa, beat me by a fraction of a minute...

 

 :Very Happy:  check this https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-6378610.html#6378610

unbeatttttaaabbbbblllleeeeeeee

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