[SOLVED] PC Won't Post after installing New SSD

[1TheBusDriver]

Hey guys, first time poster, long time information gatherer. I've been racking my brain on this one.

PC Setup:
-CPU: Intel 6700k
-GPU: Nvidia 1070
-RAM: EVGA SuperSC 16GB (2x8gb) DDR4-3200 PC4-25600
-PSU: EVGA SuperNova 850w Fully Modular PSU
-Mobo: Asus STRIX Z270E Gaming
-M.2 Micron 256gb (Boot drive)
-M.2 Samsung 950 EVO 500gb (Secondary drive)

I just purchased a brand new Samsung 860 EVO V-NAND SSD (500GB) from Amazon.
Upon trying to simply power on my PC after installing it, I get nothing but an audible "click" and the fans budge only slightly. The power light on my power button lights for a split second.
Upon disconnecting the SSD entirely, the PC boots to windows without a hitch.

Troubleshooting thus far:
-Using different (never used) SATA Data cable
-Using different (never used) SATA Power cable
-Trying both "SATA1" and "SATA2" ports on my PSU with both cables (SATA3 is in use and working fine)

After trying all these troubleshooting steps, I thought I had shorted my MOBO. It wouldn't post at all even after removing the SSD.
Finally, after resetting CMOS, removing GPU, etc. (didn't actually help) and removing one of my RAM sticks, the PC booted fine after BIOS reset. I haven't gone any further, but I'm going to assume that either this RAM stick is now shorted, or the actual RAM slot on my MOBO is shorted.

Any ideas or anything I may have missed on this damn Samsung SSD before I RMA it? Am I missing something as far as compatibility, or does this have something to do with the fact that I already have two M.2 drives installed? I'm afraid to even plug this thing back into my box.
Thanks in advance!

 

[boju]

The sata power cable you used strictly belongs to the psu that's in the system?

Never mix different cables the psu didn't ship with. Pinouts vary and high risk of shorting components.

 

[1TheBusDriver]

The sata power cable you used strictly belongs to the psu that's in the system?

Never mix different cables the psu didn't ship with. Pinouts vary and high risk of shorting components.

Well, this then may very well boil down to a huge user error 😁

I had absolutely no idea. I have a few PSUs laying around and I just grabbed a cable from one that wasn't in the attic.

Thank you so much, I'm going to give it another go with the correct dang cable! I'll report back.

 

[1TheBusDriver]

@boju Well, I've now hooked it up with the correct cable, and my computer boots fine. Woo!
I did compare the ends of both SATA power cables, and sure enough, they are pinned differently. Ya live and ya learn.

Now though, I'm not seeing the drive pop up within Disk Management.
Did I blow the drive or blow the SATA2 and 3 rails on my PSU? lol
(No smell from the drive or the PSU)

 

[boju]

I suspect the drive got fryed, would attempt to rma.

There isn't a uniformed standard when it comes to psus/cables (except extender cables) and there's usually no caution on the matter in documents/manuals. Manufacturers assuming we all know easily sets people up to fail.

 

[1TheBusDriver]

@boju Thanks for your help, really saved me on this one!

I'll report back once I get a new drive. Though, if I had a spare blank SSD, I'd probably try that first.

 

[boju]

Np, hoping for better luck.

I edited my post above.

 

[boju]

Should've mention earlier, depending which mode M2 slot 1 is set to, if Sata, Sata port 1 is disabled. I should have looked up your Micron SSD. I do see Micron 256GB M2 Sata models, if it is Sata not Pcie Nvme, try a different port 2, 3 or 4. M2 slot 2 if set to 4x, Sata ports 5&6 are also disabled.

See manual page 46.

So it's possible your psu saved the ssd and the reason it isn't showing up is sata port 1 is disabled if M2.1 ssd is sata type. But if sata 2 was tried already with the appropriate power cable then yeah it's most likely dead.

 

[1TheBusDriver]

@boju Yeah so I was actually aware that M.2s can disable certain SATA data ports on the mobo, I was reading the manual for the Z270E Gaming and saw that it will disable port 1, which I can't even access with my GPU installed anyway. The only ports I have access to (that the SATA cable will actually physically fit in with my configuration) are 5 and 3 (I think). I've tried both, to no avail.

Does it make a difference that I have TWO M.2 drives installed? Would that perhaps disable another SATA port, or are they using up all my PCI lanes?
Do SATA data ports even work off of PCI lanes?

New drive should be here tomorrow or Wednesday, so if I have time, I'll try it and see what happens.
Kudos to Amazon's return policy!

 

[boju]

Depends which M2 drives and modes used.

M2.1 can run either Sata or Pcie. In Sata mode, Sata data port 1 is disabled.

M2.2 only runs Pcie ssds. 4x mode, Sata 5&6 disabled. 2x mode can still use these data slots

From manual chapter 3 - 3.6.7

M.2_1 Configuration: [Auto][SATA mode][PCIE mode]
[Auto] Auto-detects the M.2 device mode. If a SATA device is detected,
SATA6G_1 will be disabled.
[SATA mode] Only supports M.2 SATA devices. Please note that SATA6G_1 port cannot
be used in this mode.
[PCIE mode] Only supports M.2 PCIE devices.

M.2_2 PCIe Bandwidth Configuration: [X2][X4]
[X2] Run at X2 mode with SATA6G_56 enabled.
[X4] Run at X4 mode for higher performance with SATA6G_56 disabled.

The specifications on Asus site under storage, they have the M2.2 slot listed first. That's what makes it confusing. I think that's what *2 is supposed to mean.

ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING | Motherboards | ASUS Australia

ROG Strix Z270 ATX Gaming motherboards deliver top performance and style with Aura Sync, Dual M.2, Intel LAN, Wi-Fi, USB 3.1. (Successor to Pro Gaming)

www.asus.com

 

[1TheBusDriver]

@boju Well, got the new drive and popped it right in, didn't change anything as far as where it was plugged in (still plugged in to SATA3) and voila! Formatted it, and I've finally got a working E: drive!

Thanks again for all your help! Guess the first drive I got is fried, I wonder how that happened, lol!

Rough experience, definitely my fault, but I've learned a lot here and I'm happy with that.

 

[boju]

Sweet 👍

So did you have the ssd in another port prior to sata 3 or was it in 3 already and just needed to format it to get it working?

 

[1TheBusDriver]

I plugged it into SATA 3 (data/mobo side) where I left it last. I think SATA 3 or 5 would have worked.

Hope that answers your question!

 

[boju]

Yeah kinda. Anyway, if you want to use slots 5&6, set m2.2 pcie bandwidth of 2x. If you ever decide to upgrade boot drive (Micron), get a pcie nvme ssd like the Evo so sata 1 can be used.

 

[1TheBusDriver]

Haha sorry.

Gotcha! Thanks for the tip! I'll probably just upgrade one of the existing non-boot drives, I try to keep that Micron clear of anything but the OS and other little things to keep its read/write sequences down... maybe to help it live a little longer.