SSD only visible after connecting while PC is on

Pantar

Reputable
Apr 14, 2014
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4,510
Hi,

I just got a Samsung SSD 840 pro 256GB, and connected the power and SATA 6GB/s cable to it from my motherboard. Upon starting up my PC the SSD would not show next to my C: drive. I was worried it might be broken, and in a last attempt to get things working, I disconnected, then reconnected the SATA cable to it. Suddenly the SSD showed on my pc and it's working just fine. However, when I shut down my PC it will dissapear again the next time I start up. I have no idea if this means the SSD is malfunctioning or if it's a mistake on my part. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Greetings,

Michael
 
Solution
I would try the following steps
1) Try it on a different SATA port. Maybe it's the port.
2) Look at the BIOS. Some very strange BIOSes, usually on Dell machines, require that the port be manually enabled before you can see a drive on it. Really.
2) Grab a spare SATA drive (you have a dozen or so, right?) and try the same thing in the same port. If the known good drive and the SSD behave differently, then it is likely the SSD.
I would try the following steps
1) Try it on a different SATA port. Maybe it's the port.
2) Look at the BIOS. Some very strange BIOSes, usually on Dell machines, require that the port be manually enabled before you can see a drive on it. Really.
2) Grab a spare SATA drive (you have a dozen or so, right?) and try the same thing in the same port. If the known good drive and the SSD behave differently, then it is likely the SSD.
 
Solution

Pantar

Reputable
Apr 14, 2014
5
0
4,510


Thanks for replying! This is what happened: I switched the SSD port and now the SSD is the only drive being found by the PC. I've tried plugging my HDD in almost every other port, but still just the SSD showing now.

I went to Advanced settings/ SATA configuration in my BIOS and both drives are visible there, so the motherboard does recognize them, but just won't have them active at the same time. There is no option to activate the port, so I assume they are activated by default.

I have an ASUS p9x79 motherboard for what it's worth.

Update:

I unplugged my CD/DVD drive and changed the boot order in my BIOS, and now for some strange reason both SDD and HDD show when I start my PC up. I figured the problem was fixed, and plugged my cd/dvd drive back in but as soon as I did the SDD was gone again. Naturally, I switched back to the working setup without the disc drive. I have little need for a disc drive so I will keep it like this for now, but if anyone knows whats going on here I would really like to know.

Thanks for your help.
 

Pantar

Reputable
Apr 14, 2014
5
0
4,510


They dont dissapear from the advanced bios menu, where you can see everything that is plugged in to a SATA port. They do dissapear from the boot menu, allthough you can change the boot order in the advanced boot menu, and only the 1st drive in the boot order will appear. It's really strange, and I'm pretty sure it's the motherboard. I've had some other issues with this motherboard before, but I wont touch it anymore because I fear even more trouble if I do. Still, your 1st solution did the trick more than anything else, so thank you!