HDD problem? Cable connector, or what?

[Nyameba Nana]

my thin slim hdd in my alienware 13 disappears most time and so windows does not start at all. i have run the ePSA diagnostics

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Welcome to the community, Nyameba Nana!

I'd recommend you to check the warranty on your laptop first. If it's still covered by the warranty, you should probably contact the manufacturer's customer support for assistance. You could RMA it and get it replaced by them. Otherwise, cracking the notebook open and tampering with the storage and connectors yourself will void the warranty.

I'd also suggest you to try using the HDD's brand-specific diagnostic tool to test its health and SMART status. You could try using the DOS version of the software so that you won't be required to boot into Windows. However, you still need another computer to create the bootable USB drive with the DOS utility.

Hope this helps. Keep me posted!
SuperSoph_WD