How does one get a Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 to detect SATA hard drives?

[metrop021]

I recently got to work setting up a new rig with a Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 rev4 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514) motherboard and a 128 GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, a 1 TB Westgate HDD, and an older 320 GB Westgate HDD. All of the drives are SATA and not a single one is detected by the motherboard. It is extremely unlikely that all 3 drives are failing at once, so the problem must be on the motherboard.

I have gone through every possible combination of settings in the BIOS’s SATA controller menu and have not gotten a single one to enumerate them. I’ve also tried every port, because it appears there’s a distinction between SATA ports 0-3 and 4-5 (0-3 have more features). All to no avail.

For a bit I gave up on the BIOS and went straight into my Windows 8.1 USB drive install. I provided the installer with all of the official drivers for the AHCI/SATA controller (downloaded from the manufacturer’s website) and that didn’t have any better luck.
I also briefly considered the possibility that the PSU isn’t delivering power to the drives. It seems unlikely since it’s powering everything else, but it may be plausible that a single line is misconnected or something. But sadly I have no way of actually testing this; my other computers are all laptops that don’t have exposed SATA ports inside of them (I checked). To confirm this I am ordering a multimeter (I need a better one anyways) and see if I can tie a small copper wire to the tip of the probe and then push that down into the power pin of the SATA power cable.

I’ve been troubleshooting this for about 2 days and it’s a real shame considering EVERYTHING else is working. I’ve looked around online for other folks having this problem and the solution they come up with always seems to be something akin to “kick the left tire twice, punch the steering wheel, and then turn the key”. I’ve sent a support request to Gigabyte but I don’t expect a speedy response.
I’d be great to avoid RMAing this since I’ve already put a lot of effort into wiring everything correctly.

I greatly appreciate any help.

 

[smorizio]

first take one drive the smallest. plug both the data and sata power cables to it outside the case. does the drive spin up?? if it spins up is the drive seen in the bios. is the sata ports turned on and set to achi mode. if the drive is found it be under boot devices hard drive. if you dont feel the drive spin up make sure the power cables plugged in on both ends of the power supply. check on both cable and data ends for bent or broken pins.

 

[metrop021]

first take one drive the smallest. plug both the data and sata power cables to it outside the case. does the drive spin up?? if it spins up is the drive seen in the bios. is the sata ports turned on and set to achi mode. if the drive is found it be under boot devices hard drive. if you dont feel the drive spin up make sure the power cables plugged in on both ends of the power supply. check on both cable and data ends for bent or broken pins.

I can confirm that the hard drives are not even spinning up. A brief inspection of the cables showed no damage but I'm going to look closer.

 

[smorizio]

if the drives are not moving and your using a modular power supply try another set of cables and make sure there in the right ports on the power supply. if nothing happens take the power supply back for replacment. make sure they test the new one so that it shows there voltage on the hard drive lines.

 

[metrop021]

if the drives are not moving and your using a modular power supply try another set of cables and make sure there in the right ports on the power supply. if nothing happens take the power supply back for replacment. make sure they test the new one so that it shows there voltage on the hard drive lines.

I don't have a modular power supply but I wouldn't be surprised to find out if it was just a defective PSU. That sounds like the most plausible answer. I may just return it and buy a better quality one. I'll update on how that goes, thanks.

 

[metrop021]

It was the PSU. I replaced it with a better one and all is well. Thanks for the help folks.

 

[mikee462]

first take one drive the smallest. plug both the data and sata power cables to it outside the case. does the drive spin up?? if it spins up is the drive seen in the bios. is the sata ports turned on and set to achi mode. if the drive is found it be under boot devices hard drive. if you dont feel the drive spin up make sure the power cables plugged in on both ends of the power supply. check on both cable and data ends for bent or broken pins.

I can confirm that the hard drives are not even spinning up. A brief inspection of the cables showed no damage but I'm going to look closer.

Hey, hope I'm not too late... These boards have an idiosyncratic way of managing hard drives. If you aren't installing enough Sata drives to fill every Sata port (ie: 6 I believe) then you have to use very specific Sata ports. I know that if you are installing 2 Sata drives, the correct ports are SATA3_0 and SATA3_5... Hope this helps. Good Luck!

*Spread the word. A TON of people have had this same issue. It would be a shame to RMA a good board because of a quirky little design flaw that is easily remedied.

 

[ayzim]

there are some tips for help. it will be solve your problems,
The hard drive is probably the weakest component of a computer, and unfortunately it's also probably the most important. All of your data is stored on the little electronic brain. Here are a few tips to increase your hard drive's life and avoid some of the common pitfalls of hard drive ownership.
1. Defragment your drive regularly. This could conceivably hard drive life. The longer a hard drive is running, the more fragmented files get, causing more physical stress to the internal components. Here I recommend Wise Disk Cleaner( a completely free software), Many experts encourage monthly, if not weekly, defragmentation of your drive. You can set a schedule on Wise Disk Cleaner to defrag, which is always helpful for your hard drive.
2. Watch heat and vibration, they're two of a hard drive's worst enemies. Many offices don't consider heat to be that dangerous; after all, computers have fans, right? But the fan in a computer tower is designed for the normal heat of operation, not more extreme temperatures possible when a computer is put in a compartment such as a closed desk.
3. Don't shut your computer down without doing it properly. Hitting the power button is a huge shock to your computer.
For a delicately tuned machine like a hard drive, suddenly cutting all power can be disastrous and can fragment files or permanently damage your hard drive. No matter how frustrated you get, always follow the proper procedure when shutting your computer down.
If you follow some common sense rules, you should get a lot of life from your hard drive, and overall increased performance from your computer.