Question Windows Install won’t start when SSD’s plugged in, but will for HDD

[ZOMG_Logan]

Hello everyone,

This is easily the weirdest issue I have ever had with my computer. No amount of troubleshooting has helped me whatsoever.

Essentially, I got a BSOD the other day randomly for DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL for a WPPRecorder.sys. After that happened, my OS refused to boot, and it acted as if I didn’t have an OS installed on my 1st of 2 SSDs. I tried reinstalling windows, only to find out that the installation won’t boot (and I made many USBs with up to date stuff from windows). I will just get never ending spinning dots. I figured it was probably just a dead drive. I removed it, and just kept my 2nd SSD and HDD. Same thing... and when I just had my HDD by itself the installation would open like normal.

The problem is that I do not want to format that HDD since it has a lot of valuable information on it, and the idea of putting windows back on a mechanical drive sounds horrible. I looked around the bios and I couldn’t find anything that would affect SSDs working. SATA power and data cables seem fine. The BIOS actually does recognize the brand of the SSDs too. I ended up putting the SSDs in an enclosure on a spare chrome book I have, and they seemed to be fine. I formatted one of them to see if that would help bring it to the windows installation screen but that did nothing. I’m really at a loss here, since the SSDs aren’t broken.

Here are my specs:
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X - 8 Core 16 Threads 4.4GHz

Motherboard:
Gigabyte B450M DS3H-CF

RAM:
Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DDR4 8gb (x2)

GPU:
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Mini ITX

Storage:
HP SSD S700 500gb (now formatted)
SanDisk SDSSDA240G SSD 256gb (OS is installed here)
WD WDC WD40EZRZ HDD 4TB

Power Supply:
EVGA 600BQ 80+ Bronze 600W Semi-Modular

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Can you boot from hdd and access the ssd as a second drive? If not you ssd is most likely dead.

Nobody is going to use Linux for something like that. Bad advice to a Windows user for sure

 

[ZOMG_Logan]

Ah well another stupid windows 10 error, heres my suggestion, windows 10 = retarded os, use pop linux instead, its a gaming distro of linux, if that also doesnt work then its a hardware issue, problably the ssd controller.

Btw if you switch to linux you wont regret it and you will also have more stability compared to win 10

I used a live USB of Ubuntu and Mint and it seemed to work, granted I imagine it wasn’t trying to use my hard drives then. Unfortunately Linux isn’t much of an option for me since I need all my editing software in tact.

Can you boot from hdd and access the ssd as a second drive? If not you ssd is most likely dead.

Nobody is going to use Linux for something like that. Bad advice to a Windows user for sure

I’d imagine I could boot from a HDD if I installed windows on it, the problem is I’d have to format the drive, and I got nothing to back up those 4TB of video files and miscellaneous files I need. I know the SSDs should work since they worked in the enclosure connected to my chrome book, it just seems like my desktop doesn’t like them. I know it’s not the SATA ports since the HDD works on them

 

[Deleted member 14196]

It’s most likely a defective drive

 

[ZOMG_Logan]

It’s most likely a defective drive

What are the odds that 2 SSDs would go out at the same time but work in an enclosure for another computer though?

 

[Deleted member 14196]

I would remove all of your drives and then put in one SSD and do the install. This is the preferred method because if you install windows with multiple drives installed it will put boot files on different drives. You don’t want that.

Put in one SSD and install windows to it and if it doesn’t work then you have other problems going on on your motherboard

 

[ZOMG_Logan]

I would remove all of your drives and then put in one SSD and do the install. This is the preferred method because if you install windows with multiple drives installed it will put boot files on different drives. You don’t want that.

Put in one SSD and install windows to it and if it doesn’t work then you have other problems going on on your motherboard

That’s the thing though. Both SSDs don’t work, even when they are plugged in solo. I’m almost afraid to buy another SSD since it might have the same problem, unless somehow an M.2 one works

Basically to get the installation software started:
SSD 1 plugged in by itself = no load
SSD 2 plugged in by itself = no load
SSD 1 and 2 plugged in = no load
SSD 1 and 2 and HDD plugged in = no load
HDD plugged in by itself = load

 

[idkwhattonamethisacc]

That’s the thing though. Both SSDs don’t work, even when they are plugged in solo. I’m almost afraid to buy another SSD since it might have the same problem, unless somehow an M.2 one works

Basically to get the installation software started:
SSD 1 plugged in by itself = no load
SSD 2 plugged in by itself = no load
SSD 1 and 2 plugged in = no load
SSD 1 and 2 and HDD plugged in = no load
HDD plugged in by itself = load

Well it looks like your mobo crapped out so go ahead and replace it with an b450 or x470 if you can find one for cheap, if that still doesnt work than idk what to suggest because something is very wrong,
Also what do you use this system for? Video editing or gaming? If you do more heavy productive work and lighter gaming i would reccomend building a dual e5 2678 v3 system, it will have 24 cores and much cheaper than a fancy 3950/5950x, and it also supports ddr3 so you get a pretty good combo tho i only reccomend it to the ones that are more advanced, know how to use vms and have decent knowledge of these xeon systems, it will game decently especially when you turbo unlock it.

 

[ZOMG_Logan]

Well it looks like your mobo crapped out so go ahead and replace it with an b450 or x470 if you can find one for cheap, if that still doesnt work than idk what to suggest because something is very wrong

I guess I’ll keep fiddling around with it and hope I can figure something out. With the pandemic going on, replacing parts isn’t exactly in the budget for at least a month or 2. This of course happened after I had to get a bunch of car work done. If anyone has anymore suggestions until I can acquire a new motherboard I’m all ears

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Have you tried simply calling the manufacturer for support? And I wouldn’t use SanDisk drives for anything. Get quality SSDs like Samsung or Crucial. Also 256 GB is not big enough for a Windows drive because once it does an update your drive is full and you will have problems. I recommend at least 500 GB for an OS or larger. With the age of your hardware I can’t believe that you have motherboard problems at this point

 

[USAFRet]

Of course the problem was retarded windows 10 just as i suspected, but if the problem doesnt go away then replace the mobo because it may have crapped out on you

This sounds more like a hardware issue.

 

[USAFRet]

I would instead opt for intel optane, go get a 32 or 64 gig optane and stick it into a m.2 sata slot or m.2 that is compatible with both nvme and sata, and to get it working on amd or older intel than get primocache, its pretty good but you will have to pay around 50$ for a liscense, also high capacity ssds are expensive so thats why id opt for 64 gig intel optane with 4tb hdd instead of a 4tb ssd array

Optane?
Why?

 

[USAFRet]

Gives similar performance to a full ssd system and you can just shove 10tb of hdd space in your sysem without having to pay over 1000$

It has its uses.
But no, an Optane module would not give 10TB of spinning drive the same performance as 10TB of actual solid state space.

Unless, of course, you have some test results that might show this.

 

[USAFRet]

I would instead opt for intel optane, go get a 32 or 64 gig optane and stick it into a m.2 sata slot or m.2 that is compatible with both nvme and sata, and to get it working on amd or older intel than get primocache, its pretty good but you will have to pay around 50$ for a liscense, also high capacity ssds are expensive so thats why id opt for 64 gig intel optane with 4tb hdd instead of a 4tb ssd array

An Optane module does not go into an M.2 SATA port.

 

[USAFRet]

And now, let's get back to helping the OP actually fix his system.
Rather than going off with completely off topic recommendations.

 

[ZOMG_Logan]

Have you tried simply calling the manufacturer for support? And I wouldn’t use SanDisk drives for anything. Get quality SSDs like Samsung or Crucial. Also 256 GB is not big enough for a Windows drive because once it does an update your drive is full and you will have problems. I recommend at least 500 GB for an OS or larger. With the age of your hardware I can’t believe that you have motherboard problems at this point

I’ll give Gigabyte a call when they open up. I feel like the motherboard is the only logical option after all this troubleshooting. Hopefully they honor a warranty or something

This sounds more like a hardware issue.

All signs are pointing to that, though it’s a very odd one

 

[USAFRet]

All signs are pointing to that, though it’s a very odd one

Just to verify, these are all SATA III drives, correct? No M.2 on the SSD?

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Well it may very well be the motherboard as suspected but working with their support you will be sure to know instead of guessing

 

[Inductor]

Try following the instructions here using a cd or bootable flash drive.

How to Repair Windows Bootloader Problems (If Your Computer Won’t Start)

If your Windows PC is throwing an error message at you before it even begins to load Windows, it’s possible that the boot sector on your system partition is damaged, corrupted, or has missing files. Here’s how to troubleshoot those problems.

www.howtogeek.com

 

[Jasvin1]

Hello everyone,

This is easily the weirdest issue I have ever had with my computer. No amount of troubleshooting has helped me whatsoever.

Essentially, I got a BSOD the other day randomly for DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL for a WPPRecorder.sys. After that happened, my OS refused to boot, and it acted as if I didn’t have an OS installed on my 1st of 2 SSDs. I tried reinstalling windows, only to find out that the installation won’t boot (and I made many USBs with up to date stuff from windows). I will just get never ending spinning dots. I figured it was probably just a dead drive. I removed it, and just kept my 2nd SSD and HDD. Same thing... and when I just had my HDD by itself the installation would open like normal.

The problem is that I do not want to format that HDD since it has a lot of valuable information on it, and the idea of putting windows back on a mechanical drive sounds horrible. I looked around the bios and I couldn’t find anything that would affect SSDs working. SATA power and data cables seem fine. The BIOS actually does recognize the brand of the SSDs too. I ended up putting the SSDs in an enclosure on a spare chrome book I have, and they seemed to be fine. I formatted one of them to see if that would help bring it to the windows installation screen but that did nothing. I’m really at a loss here, since the SSDs aren’t broken.

Here are my specs:
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X - 8 Core 16 Threads 4.4GHz

Motherboard:
Gigabyte B450M DS3H-CF

RAM:
Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DDR4 8gb (x2)

GPU:
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Mini ITX

Storage:
HP SSD S700 500gb (now formatted)
SanDisk SDSSDA240G SSD 256gb (OS is installed here)
WD WDC WD40EZRZ HDD 4TB

Power Supply:
EVGA 600BQ 80+ Bronze 600W Semi-Modular

Your ssd is dead same thing happened to me I had to get it replaced...

 

[ZOMG_Logan]

Just to verify, these are all SATA III drives, correct? No M.2 on the SSD?

Everything is SATA 3

Try following the instructions here using a cd or bootable flash drive.

How to Repair Windows Bootloader Problems (If Your Computer Won’t Start)

If your Windows PC is throwing an error message at you before it even begins to load Windows, it’s possible that the boot sector on your system partition is damaged, corrupted, or has missing files. Here’s how to troubleshoot those problems.

www.howtogeek.com

Unfortunately I can’t do a lot of these options with the SSD plugged in since the installation media doesn’t boot up

Your ssd is dead same thing happened to me I had to get it replaced...

The SSDs work in an enclosure on a separate computer though.

 

[Inductor]

Everything is SATA 3


Unfortunately I can’t do a lot of these options with the SSD plugged in since the installation media doesn’t boot up


The SSDs work in an enclosure on a separate computer though.

If that's the case, your only alternative seems to DBAN the SSD. But since DBAN doesn't support SSD, you need a different program. Your other files are on the HD, so that's fine.

 

[idkwhattonamethisacc]

Your ssd is dead same thing happened to me I had to get it replaced...

How can 2 ssds die at the same time????? That would be pretty unlucky but the only definitive way to test is if you ask your friend that does have a desktop a favor to unplug all of their existing storage and change it with your storage, that will rule out possibility for crapped out mobo, but that is IF you have a friend that has a desktop, literally the only help i can give since im only experienced in lga 775 and junk hardware and have decided to stop crap shooting wayyy off on my answers

 

[USAFRet]

How can 2 ssds die at the same time?????

Using the wrong modular cable from a PSU
Using a junk PSU

But that does not seem to be the case here, because the drives apparently function in an external enclosure.
Leading to a dead motherboard.

 

[ZOMG_Logan]

After some further troubleshooting, I was able to get a bit father. I used Gparted on another computer and formatted one of the SSDs. Instead of making it NTFS, I just did unallocated space. Now I am able to get into the windows installation fine and the SSD shows up. The problem is, when I format it there (to what I assume is NTFS but it doesn’t say) it hangs again. It doesn’t freeze, I just get an hourglass and I don’t think it’s actually doing anything.

Now I’m thinking my computer just doesn’t like NTFS drives. Any ideas?