Windows won't detect HDD.

[Amoninuse]

I have tried two different hard drives, and whenever I boot either Windows 10 (from flash drive) or Windows 8 (disk), they will never detect any drives. I can, however, see them in BIOS.
Any help would be deeply appreciated, I have spent countless hours trying to figure this out.


Edit: Okay, I ordered a new SATA cable and it actually did end up fixing the problem. I never would have guessed it to be such a simple solution. Thanks!

 

[puttynene]

1. Disconnect the power cable from the computer tower.
2.Press and hold the power button for at least 15 seconds to remove the residual power.
3.Open the computer cover.
4.Reseat (disconnect and reconnect) the Hard Drive connections (both SATA and power connectors) and check if the computer boots. If the computer works fine the issue is fixed, otherwise follow the next step.
5.Connect the Hard Drive to other SATA ports on the motherboard. If the Hard Drive is detected, one of the SATA ports on the motherboard is bad. If the Hard Drive is still not detected follow the next step.
6.Try a different SATA cable and see if the Hard Drive is detected. If the Hard Drive is detected, the problem is with the SATA cable and has to be replaced. Else, follow the next step.
7.If possible, check the HHD by connecting it to another computer. If the HHD works fine in another computer, the motherboard is bad and needs replacement. If the Hard Drive is not detected in another computer also, you need to replace the Hard Drive.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, Amoninuse!

@puttynene gave you some awesome troubleshooting steps to find the source of the issue.
I'd recommend you to check Disk Management as well and see if the HDD is properly detected there. If you want to install Windows on one of the HDDs, you should definitely unplug the other drive until the installation is completed. Otherwise you'd encounter an OS confusion which would result in various booting issues. Switching the SATA cables and ports might help you rule out some potential roots of the problem.

Another thing you should try is resetting BIOS by re-seating the CMOS battery or resetting the jumper on the mobo. This will get your BIOS settings back to factory defaults, so make sure you know how to re-configure them afterwards: http://www.wikihow.com/Reset-Your-BIOS

Hope this helps you. Keep us posted!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[Amoninuse]

1. Disconnect the power cable from the computer tower.
2.Press and hold the power button for at least 15 seconds to remove the residual power.
3.Open the computer cover.
4.Reseat (disconnect and reconnect) the Hard Drive connections (both SATA and power connectors) and check if the computer boots. If the computer works fine the issue is fixed, otherwise follow the next step.
5.Connect the Hard Drive to other SATA ports on the motherboard. If the Hard Drive is detected, one of the SATA ports on the motherboard is bad. If the Hard Drive is still not detected follow the next step.
6.Try a different SATA cable and see if the Hard Drive is detected. If the Hard Drive is detected, the problem is with the SATA cable and has to be replaced. Else, follow the next step.
7.If possible, check the HHD by connecting it to another computer. If the HHD works fine in another computer, the motherboard is bad and needs replacement. If the Hard Drive is not detected in another computer also, you need to replace the Hard Drive.

I have already tried pretty much everything from 1-5, but I hesitate to believe the SATA cable or mobo is bad because the HDDs are detected fine in the BIOS. Would it still detect them even if the motherboard/SATA cable is broken?

Edit: I have also run Linux on this computer via flash drive before. Would that rule out the motherboard being broken? If so, the SATA cable is probably the issue, as I used it to seat both of my hard drives individually when troubleshooting. Or at least, I hope as much, because that is an easy fix.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, Amoninuse!

Actually a faulty SATA cable or the power cable can cause this issue. The HDD gets detected in BIOS but is not supplied with enough power to be properly recognized by the OS. Definitely give the new SATA cable a try! If your system still struggles afterwards, then we should look for the source of the issue in some other component.

Keep us posted though!
SuperSoph_WD