Seagate does not supply drivers for SATA drives because hard drives themselves do not require specific device drivers. Operating systems such as Windows XP/2000 may not automatically recognize the SATA controller in the system. Windows 7 and above will usually recognize a SATA motherboard controller. SATA add-on cards will more than likely prompt for a driver. In either case, if the drive is not recognized by the OS Setup software, then you will need to supply a controller device driver.
The SATA controller driver can usually be found on the CD or website of the system, motherboard or SATA controller card manufacturer.
If the SATA controller is recognized during Setup without special drivers, then you can complete the installation. After the initial setup, check for driver updates from the OS or controller manufacturer.
Common Windows scenario:
When performing a new installation of Windows from CD of Windows XP or 2000, you will be prompted to push the F6 key to "install additional controller drivers".
When performing a new installation from DVD of Windows 7 or Vista a box will prompt “Where do you want to install Windows?” If the SATA hard drive is not showing then click the Load Driver option.
The "additional controller driver" is the SATA controller driver. Whether the SATA controller is embedded on the motherboard or is an add-on card, the driver(s) can be found on the CD or website of the manufacturer. If you need more information on installing SATA controller drivers, please consult the manufacturer's setup or installation manual.
For Windows 10 or 11 the drivers for the SATA controller will normally load automatically. If the drivers are not available as part of Windows, then Windows will prompt the user to do a custom installation and click the load drivers option. Then the user will need to install the appropriate drivers from the card or motherboard manufacturer.
