My computer stopped recognizing my 2nd hard drive.

[lydrad]

Hello all.

I recently put a second hard drive in my computer as the primary hard drive -- as in, my operating system and everything is on the new hard drive. The old hard drive I left in in case I needed it. Well, I formatted the old drive as the D drive and everything was fine for a couple of weeks. Then, yesterday, I noticed that my computer is no longer recognizing the old drive. It's not showing up in Device Manager, and it isn't showing up in Disk Management (via Computer Management) either. It is, however, showing up in BIOS.

That's about the extent of my knowledge; I'm not super tech savvy so bear with me, please.

I'm using Windows 10.

Thanks in advance

 

[F3Ature1]

Hi,
Try this:https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-hardware/windows-10-does-not-recognize-my-second-hard-drive/11f1cf28-0320-4a5e-aabb-e66e13a7526b?auth=1

 

[lydrad]

No, unfortunately, that didn't work. It isn't a problem with upgrading to Windows 10; I've been using Windows 10 since it first came out.

The drive isn't showing up in device manager or computer manager (thus, I can't format it). I checked the connections and they're secure. Could my drive be dead? Why did my computer detect it then all of a sudden NOT detect it? Very strange...

 

[ArtPog]

It could simply be a defective drive. Since the system detects its presence have you tried diagnosing its health with a HDD diagnostic program preferably available from the disk's manufacturer? ALWAYS use a diagnostic program if there's a problem with a drive. It should be one of your FIRST TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS, capiche?

Also, have you another PC available to connect the drive, or a USB external HDD enclosure to install it?

 

[lydrad]

It could simply be a defective drive. Since the system detects its presence have you tried diagnosing its health with a HDD diagnostic program preferably available from the disk's manufacturer? ALWAYS use a diagnostic program if there's a problem with a drive. It should be one of your FIRST TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS, capiche?

Also, have you another PC available to connect the drive, or a USB external HDD enclosure to install it?

 

[lydrad]

I did actually run Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows -- my hard drive is a Western Digital -- but it didn't show my second drive.

I'm getting the message CPU or memory changed, please enter setup to configure your system, press F1 to run setup, press F2 to load default values and continue. When I press F1 it takes me to the BIOS screen, but I have no clue what to do once I'm there. This is all new to me; I've never run into anything like this before.

Also, I have Windows 10 updates that failed to install.

Halp?

 

[ArtPog]

In your initial post you indicated that the drive was detected by the BIOS. Isn't that what you meant by "showing up in BIOS"?
Now you're indicating that the drive is NOT detected by the HDD diagnostic program.
Is the drive detected in the BIOS or is it not?
If not, assuming you've correctly installed the drive in your system, it sounds like a defective drive.

 

[lydrad]

I went into BIOS and noticed that I had 1st boot set as USB. I had it that way because Windows 10 was giving me fits (couldn't launch settings...among other things) and I had to re-install Windows. My computer was blue screening right and left, as well.

So, I transferred my files to an external drive, wiped the hard drive, installed a 2nd drive that I just bought, and re-installed Windows from a USB. (This is why BIOS was set to boot from a USB on 1st boot). Then I formatted my old drive to be the D drive and set my new drive as C drive.

Everything was fine, until my computer wasn't detecting my old drive anymore.

I started getting that CPU or memory changed message, as well as the issues with Windows 10 updates not installing. so I went in to BIOS and disabled the USB 1st boot setting. The updates installed fine after that and I stopped getting that CPU or memory changed message.

Just to make sure, I went back in to BIOS, and now it's not detecting my old drive. I'm guessing the old drive was dying and that's why my PC was blue screening, and now the hard drive must be dead. Does that sound right?

 

[ArtPog]

I went into BIOS and noticed that I had 1st boot set as USB. I had it that way because Windows 10 was giving me fits (couldn't launch settings...among other things) and I had to re-install Windows. My computer was blue screening right and left, as well.

So, I transferred my files to an external drive, wiped the hard drive, installed a 2nd drive that I just bought, and re-installed Windows from a USB. (This is why BIOS was set to boot from a USB on 1st boot). Then I formatted my old drive to be the D drive and set my new drive as C drive.

Everything was fine, until my computer wasn't detecting my old drive anymore.

I started getting that CPU or memory changed message, as well as the issues with Windows 10 updates not installing. so I went in to BIOS and disabled the USB 1st boot setting. The updates installed fine after that and I stopped getting that CPU or memory changed message.

Just to make sure, I went back in to BIOS, and now it's not detecting my old drive. I'm guessing the old drive was dying and that's why my PC was blue screening, and now the hard drive must be dead. Does that sound right?

Yes.