Rebooting Computer doesn't show hard drive

[ArcticWolf]

When I restart my computer, my E drive doesn't show up. In the Event Viewer, it shows a Critical error when I restart it. It says "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly." The only hard drive that has this problem is the Western Digital 7200rpm 5TB one. It is currently set as drive "E:".
Source: Kernel-Power
Event ID: 41
Task Category: (63)

Computer Specs:
CPU: Intel i7 6850k
Motherboard: MSI Godlike Gaming Carbon
GPU: EVGA 1070 FTW
RAM: Hyper X Fury DDR4 2400 8GB (2x4GB)
OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
PSU: Corsair AXi 1200 Digital
Hard Drives:
Samsung 850 Evo 250 GB (x3)
Western Digital Black 7200rpm 1TB
Western Digital Black 7200rpm 5TB

 

[Chicano]

Install Hard Disk Sentinel and see what's the 5TB HDD's condition. http://www.hdsentinel.com/

Run a disk check from a command prompt window opened as Administrator typing "CHKDSK E: /R"

 

[ArcticWolf]

Install Hard Disk Sentinel and see what's the 5TB HDD's condition. http://www.hdsentinel.com/

Run a disk check from a command prompt window opened as Administrator typing "CHKDSK E: /R"

How would I run the "CHKDSK E: /R"? It asks me to dismount the drive, my E: drive is what most of my drivers are on as well as programs. It says it could be scheduled to check the volume on the next restart, but the E: drive doesn't show up when my computer is restarted. Also, I have checked that the motherboard doesn't show that the SATA port, the E: drive is currently occupying, is in use when I restart the computer. This was checked in the BIOs.

As for the Hard Disk Sentinel, it says that everything is 100% and that the Performance and Health is Excellent.

 

[Chicano]

Does Hard Disk Sentinel report bad disk sectors?..
1. No bad sectors found will be reported in a green background,
2. if the number of bad sectors is insignificant they will be reported in a green background
3. and if the number of bad sectors is important they will be reported in a red background as shown in the image.

With 100% in both performance and health, there should not be bad sectors detected... if this is the case, it would indicate a minor issue with partition E probably due to a file system issue rather than a bad sector issue.. but you would still have to run a chkdsk to repair the file system... so accept to have drive E checked on the next restart.

Another trick that might work is changing the drive letter from the Disk Manager; Click the start button left of the taskbar > Right click on Computer > Next select Manage > Disk Management > right click on drive E > Change Drive letter and path.
On Windows 10, it's click on Start button > left click on File Explorer > More > Manage > Disk Management > Change drive letter and path > Change > select the letter > Accept. Select any letter from far ahead in the alphabet, something like W, X, Y, Z... if this doesn't work, start chkdsk and agree to run it on the next restart. To run chkdsk as Administrator, Start button > Accessories > right click on Command Prompt > Run as Administrator.

If the partition doesn't fail to be recognised from there on, you can change the drive letter to one closer to the group of letters being used but not to E again. You can assign letter E to another partition and use that released partition's letter to former E partition.

If the partition (E now with another letter) keeps failing to be recognised, you may have to merge it with an adjoining partition to solve whatever Windows error that's causing it. You could also remove the files in it to another partition or HDD, and format this partition and once done, move back the files you removed from it, but you may want to postpone that and leave it empty for a while to make sure the recognition issue is gone.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, @ArcticWolf!

I'm sorry to hear about your issues with the WD Black! I'd recommend you try swapping the SATA cable and the SATA port where it is connected to the motherboard to see if that will help the system recognize it properly and boot normally. It's also highly recommended to backup all important data from the drive somewhere off-site before you proceed with the troubleshooting of the storage.
I'd also advise you to run the QUICK and EXTENDED tests from WD's Data LifeGuard Diagnostic for Windows. The utility will be able to let us know what is the SMART status and the health state of the drive, much like the tool that @Chicano mentioned.

Give these steps a try and let us know how they go.
SuperSoph_WD

 

[ArcticWolf]

Hard Drive Sentinel reported no bad sectors. I am currently running CHKDSK and it has been stuck at 9% for over 5 hours now. Also, if I change the E: drive letter, wouldn't that affect some of my programs that I already have installed? I will also try out WD's Data LifeGuard Diagnostic for Windows after the CHKDSK is complete.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

I suspect that the issue is most probably coming from the connection to the drive, rather than the drive itself, @ArcticWolf. That's why I'd recommended you swap the SATA cables/ports first, rather than running more tests on the drive.
Changing the drive letter of an internal hard drive will wipe all the data you have currently stored on it, so it would most definitely affect everything you have as a content on the HDD. I'd definitely not advise you to do that, unless you want to wipe the drive.
After the CHKDSK has completed, try swapping the SATA cable and the port where this problematic WD Black is connected. Then, running the diagnostic tool would be a good idea.

Keep us posted!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[ArcticWolf]

I suspect that the issue is most probably coming from the connection to the drive, rather than the drive itself, @ArcticWolf. That's why I'd recommended you swap the SATA cables/ports first, rather than running more tests on the drive.
Changing the drive letter of an internal hard drive will wipe all the data you have currently stored on it, so it would most definitely affect everything you have as a content on the HDD. I'd definitely not advise you to do that, unless you want to wipe the drive.
After the CHKDSK has completed, try swapping the SATA cable and the port where this problematic WD Black is connected. Then, running the diagnostic tool would be a good idea.

Keep us posted!
SuperSoph_WD

I've already tried wiping the drive before. I already switched out the SATA cables as well as the ports. I don't believe it's the drive also, could it be something to do with the power since it's giving me a critical warning in the event viewer? Also, there were no problems with the hard drive after the CHKDSK was ran.

 

[Chicano]

I suspect that the issue is most probably coming from the connection to the drive, rather than the drive itself, @ArcticWolf. That's why I'd recommended you swap the SATA cables/ports first, rather than running more tests on the drive.
Changing the drive letter of an internal hard drive will wipe all the data you have currently stored on it, so it would most definitely affect everything you have as a content on the HDD. I'd definitely not advise you to do that, unless you want to wipe the drive.
After the CHKDSK has completed, try swapping the SATA cable and the port where this problematic WD Black is connected. Then, running the diagnostic tool would be a good idea.

Keep us posted!
SuperSoph_WD

Nope, sorry but you're wrong, changing or even temporarily removing the drive letter will not wipe the data stored in a drive/partition. Removing the drive letter makes a drive inaccessible while it doesn't have a drive letter, but that's all.
I have done both; change storage drive letters and remove letters to reorganize them many times and never have lost my data. If that were a fact it would be an easy and quick way to wipe a drive when selling a computer... but we know wiping one takes special software and time. The only drive that will be affected though not wiped and only possibly done remotely, is the system drive/partition for obvious reasons.. (registry data will not change and general system failure would be caused).

 

[Chicano]

Hard Drive Sentinel reported no bad sectors. I am currently running CHKDSK and it has been stuck at 9% for over 5 hours now. Also, if I change the E: drive letter, wouldn't that affect some of my programs that I already have installed? I will also try out WD's Data LifeGuard Diagnostic for Windows after the CHKDSK is complete.

Drive E is storage not programs... your programs should be on drive C unless you specifically installed them on E. It may also affect programs if you have data on drive E that's linked to programs... and is such case you could move the data contained on drive E and move it to another drive which you can reassign letter E... it doesn't matter where the drive letter is as long as the registry data points to it.

I've already tried wiping the drive before. I already switched out the SATA cables as well as the ports. I don't believe it's the drive also, could it be something to do with the power since it's giving me a critical warning in the event viewer? Also, there were no problems with the hard drive after the CHKDSK was ran.

Well, hardware issues pertaining to the HDD don't seem to be the problem... copy and paste here the Event Viewer critical warning. Guess I didn't mention it but I have experienced this problem on a HDD that failed months later, but it already had some bad sectors and registered lower than normal health on HD Sentinel... I had the problem repeatedly and changing the drive letter solved it everytime... but your HDD seems to be in perfect condition so it must be a Windows issue... the Event Viewer warning should provide a clue.

 

[ArcticWolf]

Hard Drive Sentinel reported no bad sectors. I am currently running CHKDSK and it has been stuck at 9% for over 5 hours now. Also, if I change the E: drive letter, wouldn't that affect some of my programs that I already have installed? I will also try out WD's Data LifeGuard Diagnostic for Windows after the CHKDSK is complete.

Drive E is storage not programs... your programs should be on drive C unless you specifically installed them on E. It may also affect programs if you have data on drive E that's linked to programs... and is such case you could move the data contained on drive E and move it to another drive which you can reassign letter E... it doesn't matter where the drive letter is as long as the registry data points to it.

I've already tried wiping the drive before. I already switched out the SATA cables as well as the ports. I don't believe it's the drive also, could it be something to do with the power since it's giving me a critical warning in the event viewer? Also, there were no problems with the hard drive after the CHKDSK was ran.

Well, hardware issues pertaining to the HDD don't seem to be the problem... copy and paste here the Event Viewer critical warning. Guess I didn't mention it but I have experienced this problem on a HDD that failed months later, but it already had some bad sectors and registered lower than normal health on HD Sentinel... I had the problem repeatedly and changing the drive letter solved it everytime... but your HDD seems to be in perfect condition so it must be a Windows issue... the Event Viewer warning should provide a clue.

I already did a system restore because the previous Windows installation had a memory leak as well as this issue. The system restore fixed the memory leak, but not this issue. And I mainly direct most of the downloads to the E: drive since that's the drive I mainly use for my storage.

Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Event ID: 41
Task Category: (63)
Level: Critical
Keywords: (70368744177664),(2)
Description:
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.

 

[Chicano]

Windows Kernel event ID 41 error "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first"
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2028504
Microsoft Support describes the error as possibly caused by either of the five usual causes listed below... I can't think how either would be related to the hiding HDD partition. Give the article a read to see if you find any coincidence that may help diagnose the cause.

Usual causes:

From Support Microsoft.com:
1. Overclocking: Disable overclocking to see whether the issue occurs when the system is run at the correct speed.
2. Check the memory: Verify the memory by using a memory checker. Verify that each memory chip is the same speed and that it is configured correctly in the system.
3. Power supply: Make sure that the power supply has enough wattage to appropriately handle the installed devices. If you added memory, installed a newer processor, installed additional drives, or added external devices, such devices can require more energy than the current power supply can provide consistently.
4. Overheating: Check whether the system is overheating by examining the internal temperature of the hardware.
5. Defaults: Reset the system back to the system defaults to see whether the issues occur when the system is running in its default configuration.

 

[barbrgra90]

Try to reset your BIOS to its default setting. Also check with another PC whether your HDD is working there or not. Make sure you have a complete backup of your data after accessing it. Good luck.

 

[ArcticWolf]

I already tried resetting my CMOS and nothing has changed. I'm going to try to do a clean install of Windows again.

 

[ArcticWolf]

After many clean installations and file transfers, it turns out it was the hard drive that was bad. I did a clean installation and installed all of the applications and drivers one by one on and restarted the computer after each one of them to see if it was one of the application's or driver's fault. I performed this on the 5 TB hard drive and it showed the drive wasn't mounted after the first application installation. I did this to the 1 TB hard drive and all the applications and drivers were installed successfully. The 5 TB hard drive was able to restart perfectly fine if there was nothing installed on it, but once there was any data added to it, it would fail at every restart. It would display the critical log (in the starting statement) in the event viewer every time I restarted and the hard drive was unmounted (In Disk Management and in BIOs). It seems that you were on the right track all along, Chicano. Thank you for showing me the tools to check my hard drives. I will be using them for future reference. Sorry for not trying this solution sooner, I've been busy with school. Thank you for the help everyone I greatly appreciate you taking the time out of your day to help me! I will try to contact Western Digital and get this hard drive replaced.

 

[Shenmue]

I have the same issue with my 5TB HDD got a new one changed ports and wires still the same thing happens. Maybe I need a 1000w power supply? Happened when there was data and happened when I got the new one. Everytime after restart it disappears. Should I just get a 2TB and partition it differently?

 

[Chicano]

I have the same issue with my 5TB HDD got a new one changed ports and wires still the same thing happens. Maybe I need a 1000w power supply? Happened when there was data and happened when I got the new one. Everytime after restart it disappears. Should I just get a 2TB and partition it differently?

It's obviously not a hard drive issue... it may be bad SATA port, bad data cable, (try different SATA port and data cable), may be the BIOS SATA Controller setting. And if the BIOS detects the HDD normally, it could be a Windows issue IF this is the Boot HDD, and if you cloned Windows from the 5TB HDD to the new HDD, in which case a Windows error would be moved to the new HDD.

The PSU wattage would only be a consideration if it's a very low wattage, it it has other issues, if it has a bad connection to the motherboard or HDD.

 

[Shenmue]

Well I have found out my issue it is the USB. I have an external storage 8TB Seagate HD (comes with our power supply) and when I unplug it my 5TB internal HDD shows up normally when resetting and all that.

So what is the problem? I cannot send the motherboard for a new one as it is too late. So I'm thinking it has to be the power supply.

When I connect a new usb camera logitech c922 my computer spazzes out and all usb connections keeps Disappearing and reconnecting until I remove the webcam.

The camera seems fine and the old webcam works like a charm I am thinking it is the power current they pull.

I am getting a 1000 watt power supply because I am getting a good feeling that the 850w ain't cutting it. If that doesn't work...then I am pretty much assed out with a new mother board that doesn't even work properly.

 

[Chicano]

You may need to reassign a drive letter to the USB HDD and USB camera... sometimes when you connect these devices, they can automatically use a letter that's already in use and the previous drive using the letter disappears. Manually assign drive letter to USB HDD and USB Webcam.. use letters from the last in the alphabet (X, Y, Z) or at least letters that have not been used before... (M, N, or O >>).. and if you don't have a Floppy Drive, A and B should also be available. The HDD issue may be solved this way and with the Webcam drive leters should stabilize but the instability may be caused by a different issue. My guess is that the old Webcam works normally because it may be using it's specific software but the new webcam may need it's own app and drivers... IF they came in the package in a CD/DVD disk, or they may be available for download at the Logitec product page > Support > Downloads... another possible cause may be a webcam virus that may not affect the old Webcan if it's so basic a virus can't affect it in a noticeable way. Scan your computer for virus (installed antivirus) and malware (Malwarebytes) and if nothing is found, try a specific antivirus search for "Webcam Virus" and results will come up with specific Webcam scanners. If nothing comes up, see if you can try a different available PSU to diagnose your's so you don't have to buy one and if it turns out bad, use a PSU calculator to buy any tier 1 to 3 PSU in the wattage you need and not necessarily a 1000-Watter.
You may also want to see if a BIOS reset has any effect before spending any amount on PSU or Mobo, as BIOS corruption can resemble hardware issues so get that out of the way before proceeding with hardware replacements.

How to reset the BIOS
https://www.bing.com/search?q=how+to+hard+reset+the+BIOS&FORM=EDGNNC

PSU tier list 2.0
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

PSU Calculator
https://www.bing.com/search?q=psu+calculator&form=EDGNTC&qs=AS&cvid=5812af6d23d6474699a32f722c6e581a&pq=psu