How do I install the SATA Drivers for a Dell Dimension 8400 hard drive?

What to do when a Dell Dimension 8400 does not recognize the SATA hard drive for a reformat or a new install?

1. If you don’t have your resource CD then you will need to first download the drivers for the SATA raid controller. Click here to download the drivers.
You will need to get a blank floppy and run the .exe program (R82876.exe) you downloaded from Dell. Run that and it will create a floppy disk with the drivers for you.
2. Go into your bios and change the mode of your SATA controller to a mode called “combination”.
3. Reboot and boot from your Windows installation CD.
4. Press the F6 key to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver..
5. When prompted, select 'S' to Specify Additional Device.
6. When prompted, insert the floppy disk you created in step 1 and press Enter.
7. At this point you should be presented with a selection for one of the following depending on you hardware version and configuration:
- Intel(R) 82801FR SATA RAID Controller
- Intel(R) 82801FR SATA AHCI Controller
8. Highlight the selection that is appropriate for the hardware in your system and press Enter.
9. Press Enter again to continue. Leave the floppy disk in the system until the next reboot as the software will need to be copied from the floppy disk again when setup is copying files.
10. Continue to install the rest of Windows.

Key Note: You must change the SATA controller in BIOS to “combination” or you install will never see the drive.