Trouble getting Win 10 to recognize new secondary internal SSD

[yimmie1972]

Initially my PC wasn't recognizing the internal SSD drive (under This PC and Disk Mgmt) when I installed it internally via the MOBO, so I decided to test it. I had an external cable that would connect it via USB. Sure enough, it showed up in Disk Mgmt. I initialized it, formatted it (NTFS as opposed to exFat), and set up a simple partition (plan to use for gaming). It then showed up in This PC as an empty and available drive. Problem solved, right?

So I went back in and hooked it up to my MOBO again (along with the power). I only had SATA2 ports available, but from what I read SATA is backwards compatible and therefore shouldn't be an issue. The PC isn't seeing it. I have tested those same SATA ports with an old hard drive and it sees those fine. I also tried 2 different power cords, including one that I used on that same old hard drive. Nothing. Why one but not the other? Is it because years ago I might have tweaked something in the BIOS so it would automatically see that old drive from another PC?

Here is the catch: I can't access my BIOS now, so I can't check to see if it is reading it there. When I installed a GTX 970 last year it locked me out completely and I haven't been able to access it since. I probably could get back in if I swapped my old video card back in, but I fear it might cause driver issues, etc. This PC has been temperamental over the years and I am not inclined to toy with it unnecessarily. The SSD is desperately needed though because my SSD boot drive is nearly capped out. It was either that or buy a new PC.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[ArtPog]

Let's back up a moment, OK?

1. Setting aside the new SSD that you plan to use as a secondary HDD; with ONLY the present SSD boot drive connected, does the system boot & function without problems?

2. Assuming your answer is "yes" as I assume it will be - what in the world do you mean when you state you cannot access your BIOS settings? You've pressed the appropriate key required by your motherboard upon bootup to access the BIOS?

3. So what happens? A message similar to "Sorry, you're not permitted t access the BIOS"? Or a black screen? What?

4. Make/model of motherboard.

5. Assuming the system boots even after you connect the secondary SSD to the system - you're indicating that SSD is not listed in Device Manager nor Disk Management?

 

[yimmie1972]

Let's back up a moment, OK?

1. Setting aside the new SSD that you plan to use as a secondary HDD; with ONLY the present SSD boot drive connected, does the system boot & function without problems? That is correct. It boots just fine. I will also add that I also have a secondary 1 TB HDD that it picks up fine as well.

2. Assuming your answer is "yes" as I assume it will be - what in the world do you mean when you state you cannot access your BIOS settings? You've pressed the appropriate key required by your motherboard upon bootup to access the BIOS? I must have read a 100+ forum postings before I figured this out. After replacing the Radeon 7850 with a GTX 970, my boot "process" changed. Instead of the standard 10-15 sec SSD boot, it now takes about a minute. During that boot process, there is a series of 4 staggered beeps, all while the Gigabyte logo is up on the screen. Despite being up for so long, none of the "hotkeys" for accessing BIOS works. I also tried using the backdoor Windows 10 approach described on many sites, but apparently the BIOS is not UEFI. The MOBO is a Gigabyte Z77-D3H I believe (out of town at the moment so I can't confirm). Based on everything I have read, the only way to fix the BIOS access issue would be to pop the old video card back in, access the BIOS, flash the BIOS with an update that recognizes the new video card, and then reinstall the GTX 970. I found that solution a while back on the web. As my PC works fine now, I am not inclined to gamble with that mess if I don't have to.

3. So what happens? A message similar to "Sorry, you're not permitted t access the BIOS"? Or a black screen? What? As described above, The answer is nothing. The boot process simply cant be interrupted using hotkeys. It just boots to Windows regardless of everything I have read and tried.

4. Make/model of motherboard. Gigabyte Z77-D3H

5. Assuming the system boots even after you connect the secondary SSD to the system - you're indicating that SSD is not listed in Device Manager nor Disk Management? That is correct. It doesn't show up anywhere, but if I plug that same SSD in via a USB cable it shows up like any other drive. That is what confuses me the most.

Thanks again for responding. As I said, I imagine this is a bit unusual. I couldn't find anything similar to it out on the web, even though I was able to find a match for my old 4 beep problem last year.

 

[ArtPog]

So when all is said & done the basic problem you're encountering is that the SSD you've earmarked as a secondary drive is not being detected in the system when connected internally. But when it's connected as a USB external device "it shows up like any other drive". And you're able to write & access data to & from that disk, right?

Is it conceivable that the SSD is defective? You haven't indicated its make/model but the manufacturer may have a diagnostic program available that possibly may be able to test the drive even if it's not being detected in the system while connected internally. And you could test it while it's connected as a USB device. I realize the fact that the disk is detected as a USB device is some evidence that it is non-defective but it's good practice to test it anyway.

And, of course, I think you've tried various other motherboard SATA ports (including swapping to the port currently utilized by your boot drive) to connect the SSD but with the same results, right?

 

[yimmie1972]

So when all is said & done the basic problem you're encountering is that the SSD you've earmarked as a secondary drive is not being detected in the system when connected internally. But when it's connected as a USB external device "it shows up like any other drive". And you're able to write & access data to & from that disk, right?

Is it conceivable that the SSD is defective? You haven't indicated its make/model but the manufacturer may have a diagnostic program available that possibly may be able to test the drive even if it's not being detected in the system while connected internally. And you could test it while it's connected as a USB device. I realize the fact that the disk is detected as a USB device is some evidence that it is non-defective but it's good practice to test it anyway.

And, of course, I think you've tried various other motherboard SATA ports (including swapping to the port currently utilized by your boot drive) to connect the SSD but with the same results, right?

My bad on not mentioning the make and model. I have a PNY 1211 240gb SSD. I have tried multiple SATA ports. I assumed the SSD worked, since via USB I was able to format and partition it. Once I return home tomorrow evening I will plug it back via the USB and try to save something to it. I will also check to see what PNY might have from a diagnostic perspective. I know the power cord that I am using works, as I used it on another drive and it worked fine. I will try a different SATA cord too just in case the cord is bad. The USB hookup is a completely different cable that has both the power and SATA running through it.