Let's look at SMART, attribute No. 5 is important, if its value is below the threshold, the screw will soon die. Let's start testing the HDD. If bad blocks are found on it (on the hard drive), and quite a lot, then testing should be stopped and the computer restarted with another program: “HDD Regenerator 2011”.
There you should select “Scanning with treatment of bad blocks”
Of course, if the information is very important to you, I would recommend that you first clone the faulty hard drive to a new working one of the same or larger size. And work with a clone.
To clone, you will have to download “Hiren boot cd” and select “Mini Windows” there. The best cloning program, in my opinion, is Winhex v 12 – 15. She misses Badblocks. With a clone things will go much faster. And if the clone still won’t boot, then you will need information recovery programs.
Hard drive recovery programs
The best of them, in my opinion, are ZAR and R-Studia. First, we scan the surface, then check the boxes for the required files and restore them to a physically different disk. There is no need to restore Windows and program files. The main thing is content. If one byte in a program (executable file) is wrong, the consequences may be unforeseen. The wrong byte in a picture, document, or film is often invisible.
What if the surface is fine, but Windows won’t boot? Load “Hiren boot cd” again and select “Mini Windows”. What if all the folders and files are visible, intact, just because of a failure, system files, the boot record, or the destructive actions of viruses are damaged?
If the files are not visible, the disk appears unallocated and unformatted, then we begin to restore using ZAR or R-Studia on another computer or by installing a clean operating system with drivers on the new disk. Or maybe you are not so careless and you still have the image of six months ago or earlier with or Norton Ghost?
Then, we restore the image to a new disk, connect the faulty one with the second one, boot from the new one and try to extract information from the old one. If the volume of the new hard drive is 2–3 times larger than the faulty one, then the information can be saved to the 2nd partition.
To summarize: for recovery you will need two disks, when working with a clone (my choice) three. If you do not want to entrust your information to strangers, and the price of hard drive recovery does not suit you, you will have to spend money.
However, half of the country's computer population consists of laptop owners. I will not describe in detail what to do with a laptop hard drive and how to carry out preventive maintenance and inspection - this is a matter for professionals. Most users do not have special screwdrivers, and you should not unscrew the back cover with a kitchen knife.
But still, if you removed the back cover of the laptop and removed the hard drive from there, the best thing to do would be to connect it to the computer - all the connectors are identical and start testing and restoring, as I described above. Meanwhile, test the memory on the laptop. Of course, it is advisable to clean the contacts on memory dies. Important! Insert memory dies in the order in which they were placed, even if they are exactly the same. Same steps in BIOSE with ACHI and UEFI. Don't forget to return them to the state they were before installing the corrected hard drive.
When buying a computer, few users ask themselves how much hard drive capacity they need; they cannot predict in advance which files and how large they will be stored on the computer. Over time, the PC turns into a “file dump”. It’s a shame to delete everything, but in reality there’s not much that’s needed. However, during work or for certain needs, additional amounts of disk space are needed, which can be expanded by connecting an additional HDD or SSD drive.
Why do you need a second hard drive?
Often users want to separate the operating system, programs and user personal files. In addition, installing the system and programs on a separate fast (albeit not so capacious) SSD disk or HDD can significantly speed up system loading, improve responsiveness and increase productivity. Saving time is a significant factor.
How to connect an additional disk drive?
Any computer, even an ancient one, has the ability to connect several disks at the same time. All modern computers support the installation of drives with SATA1, SATA2, SATA3 interfaces. If your motherboard has a SATA2 interface, and the hard drive meets SATA3 specifications, then connection is possible (compatibility in connectors and signals), but the maximum performance of the drive will be limited by the motherboard interface, that is, the data exchange speed will not be higher than in SATA2.
To install an additional hard drive, you need to connect 2 connectors - power and data. All operations must be carried out with the power completely turned off. After installing the second disk and starting the computer, the new disk will be initialized, and then it will need to be formatted and partitioned (or left 1 partition). However, the additional hard drive does not always start working. Why?
Why doesn't the computer see the second hard drive?
There may be several reasons for this phenomenon. These are software or hardware failures, lack of drivers, outdated operating system, incorrect connection and setting of HDD operating parameters.
The old computer does not see the second hard drive.
For older computers where the connection is via the IDE interface, all disk drives have jumpers to set the disk operating mode - Master (main, primary master), Slave (secondary, additional, slave). In this case, for the first one (for the old disk from which the operating system boots), you need to set the jumper to Master mode, and for the new one - to Slave mode. If 2 drives are connected with one data cable, then the Master drive should be closer to the motherboard (by connector) than the new drive.
The new computer does not see the SSD
For modern computers with SATA interfaces, the new drive may not be visible in cases where you connect an SSD drive. SSDs have built-in controllers that are not always compatible with the controllers installed on the motherboard. If the disk is not detected, you can connect it to another SATA connector on the motherboard (if it has several different controllers). Also, the new HDD may not be visible due to the incorrectly set operating mode of the hard drive controller. This mode is configured in the BIOS menu of the motherboard. For each BIOS manufacturer and motherboard model, the available operating modes and their names may differ.
The computer does not see the new HDD. How to fix?
To correct the situation when the computer does not see the second hard drive, you should check the BIOS settings, connect the drive to a different data connector and power connector. If this does not help, then other methods will come in handy.
Most often, all equipment is in good working order and correctly configured, there are just a few points that you should not forget about. The new hard drive may not have a letter assigned or may not be formatted. The computer sees the disk at the stage of testing and loading to the operating system (white letters on a black background when the PC is turned on), but there is no new disk in Windows Explorer. This happens often. In a Windows system it is very easy to fix even without using additional programs.
We format the new disk and assign it a letter - Windows 7
We go to START. Right-click on “My Computer” and select the “Manage” context menu item.
Next, go to the Disk Management section. A list of drives connected to the computer will be displayed. Each drive will be displayed by partition with corresponding letters. If the disk is new, then there is a 99% chance that it is simply not formatted.
After successful completion of the operation, the option to create a partition on a new disk will be available.
This operation can also be performed using specialized software tools for working with HDDs and SSDs - Acronis Disk Director, Paragon Partition Manager and others.
In most cases, the information above will help solve the problem of the computer not recognizing the new hard drive. If this does not help, the best solution would be to contact a specialist who will find out and eliminate the cause.
| How do you like it? - |
For many users, when a message such as “DISK BOOT FAILURE. INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER", "Operating System Not Found", "Missing Operating System" the question arises: what to do next?
Such inscriptions indicate that your computer simply does not see the hard drive. There may be several reasons for this. So, why doesn't the computer see the hard drive?
Why can't my computer see my hard drive? The most common reasons
1. The most common reason is oxidation of the contacts on the signal cable (loop) or improper contact of the hard drive power connectors (MOLEX or SATA).
To make sure that the diagnosis is correct, you need to remove the hard drive and try to run it on another hard drive.
2. The second reason may be a failure in the BOIS settings, which leads to incorrect vision of devices connected to the computer. To remedy this problem, BOIS has a reset or zero function that returns all parameters to factory settings. There are six ways to reset BOIS, four of which are available only to programmers, and two you can use yourself.
- First way. Turn off the computer's power. On the motherboard (mainboard) find the Clear CMOS jumper,
it is usually located close to the battery. Move the jumper from contacts 1-2 to 2-3, wait 15 seconds, return everything to its original position and your system is reset. After this procedure, BOIS will automatically recognize your hard drive.
- Second way. You must also turn off the power and find the CR2032 battery on the motherboard and remove it from the socket. Wait a minute for the capacitors to discharge, which will reset the BOIS. Insert the battery into its original place and turn on the hard drive.
3. If your hard drive has an IDE interface, then it has jumpers with which you can select Master, Slave.
When connecting another device, for example a CD-ROM, the jumpers on them must correspond to either Master or Slave on each device, that is, the hard drive must be Master, and the CD-ROM Slave and vice versa. Only in this case will BOIS perceive your device correctly.
4. If you connect an external drive (eSata, USB) and it is not detected by the system, then try connecting something else to this connector. If it works, but your external drive does not, then the reason is in itself.
5. Very often, due to overheating of the south bridge chip, which is responsible for the PATA and SATA controllers, which is located on the laptop motherboard, the hard drive refuses to work or does not work correctly. In this case, you need to turn off the laptop and let it cool down.
6. The hard drive should not be subjected to shock or other mechanical stress. Otherwise, it may suffer mechanical damage such as scratches on the magnetic surface. Since the heads of the hard drive move over the disk at a very short distance, any impact can cause the heads to come into contact with the disk, resulting in scratches and further use of the disk.
When to turn to specialists?
Let's take a closer look at the last case. If the hard drive works, but uncharacteristic sounds are heard during its operation: clicks, howls (unstable speeds), rubbing, then this is a physical problem that can be solved using programs such as Victoria or mHDD. You can only use them if you are very confident in what you are doing. Otherwise, you will only make things worse, leaving no chance of recovering information from the hard drive. Then you need to contact a service point, where its specialists will carry out free diagnostics and, if possible, repair the disk or, if there are malfunctions, carry out restoration work. After all, for any user, the information stored on this disk is most important.
What to do if the operating system does not see the hard drive?
In some cases, when the hard drive does not recognize the hard drive for a trivial reason: a poorly fitting USB or a mismatch between the USB 1.1 and 2.0 protocols. Some users, having no experience in repairing hard drives, try to disassemble the hard drive themselves. At the same time, having no idea that their assembly is carried out in sterile conditions that do not allow the presence of dust and fingerprints, which leads to a true malfunction. Since the gap between the disk and the head is equal to several microns, any speck of dust can lead to a scratch that completely disables the disk.
Based on all the problems listed above, when the computer does not recognize the hard drive, first of all, it is worth trying all the attempts available to the average user. Otherwise, you may lose both the hard drive and all the data on it.
If all the information listed above did not help you, contact the service, because you know why the computer does not see the hard drive and you know how serious it is...
In contact with
Question from a user
Hello.
Not long ago I bought a new computer (I ordered it with 2 hard drives). In order not to pay for installing Windows, I decided to do it myself, everything seems to work. But I go to “My Computer” - and I see only one drive (“C:\”) on which the system itself is installed, and the second is not there. Is it not working, or am I missing something?
By the way, when installing the system I saw two disks that could be selected for Windows. It's strange somehow...
Michael (note: contacts are worn out)
Good day!
If you were able to select both disks for Windows when installing it, then the disk is probably now invisible in Explorer due to the fact that it is not formatted (this happens all the time with new PCs/disks). As a rule, it is enough to open the special. utility in Windows "disk management" (or third-party analogues) and format it.
Below in the article I will show you how to do this step by step, and also give a number of other reasons. So...
The drive is not formatted
The most common reason: Explorer simply does not display an unformatted drive that it cannot recognize (and to which you, in principle, cannot write anything yet) . To view all “visible” and “invisible” drives connected to the computer by Explorer, you need to run the utility "disk management" .
To open it:
- press a combination of buttons Win+R;
- enter the command diskmgmt.msc to line "Open" ;
- click OK (screenshot below).
Screenshot: How to open Disk Management
Next, you will see a list of drives: usually new drives are marked “black” (as an unallocated area, see the screenshot below). To bring them into a “working” state: right-click on the unallocated area and select from the menu "Create Simple Volume" .
Note!
If your drive is not displayed in Disk Management, I recommend that you see if the PC was able to detect it at all. More details about this in the article below.
By the way, the created volume must be format (when formatting, most often the NTFS file system is chosen. You can see the difference between file systems).
Important! Formatting will delete all data on the drive.
Disk management - format the drive
I note that after formatting the disk becomes visible in “My Computer” (“This Computer”).
ADDITION!
In addition to the standard Disk Management utility in Windows, you can use special programs for working with hard drives. For example, AOMEI Partition Assistant, Acronis Disk Director, MiniTool Partition Wizard, etc. They are also capable of “displaying” all disks connected to the PC and formatting them.
Drive letter conflict
By default, Windows automatically assigns a specific letter to all connected drives, say, “Drive D:\” or “Drive E:\”, etc. But sometimes it happens that there is an “overlap” and the letters match (for example, the hard drive letter may match some) . Because of this, it is possible that your drive will not appear (even if it is formatted).
To fix this, simply manually change the assigned drive letter. To do this you need to open "Disk Management" (a little higher in the article it is described how this is done) and right-click on the disk name, for example, "Local D"(see example below) - select from the menu "Change drive letter or path..." .
After changes, restart your PC.
Is the hard drive visible in BIOS/UEFI?
It also happens that the disk is not visible anywhere: neither in Explorer, nor in “My Computer,” nor in “disk management,” nor in any special settings. programs for formatting drives.
In this case, you must first make sure whether the drive is visible in BIOS|UEFI. It's just that if it doesn't appear in the BIOS, then you won't see it in any Windows program...
To help!
If you don’t know how to enter BIOS/UEFI, then here is a short instruction on this topic:
In addition, usually when purchasing a laptop/PC, it comes with technical support. documentation (it also shows how to enter the BIOS and configure it).
In most cases, in modern BIOS versions information on drives is immediately visible (you don’t even need to open any partitions). See if the disk model, its capacity, and serial number are displayed.
Is the disk visible in UEFI (its model, size, etc.). In the screenshot the arrow shows the hard drive (Storage) - its model has been determined, i.e. the disk is “detected” (clickable)
What to check first
If the disk model is not defined in the BIOS (or it is not visible at all that the disk is connected), then going to Windows and trying to configure it is pointless. Most often, the problem lies in the hardware.
Outgoing contacts
First, turn off the computer and check all the cables and contacts of the disk. The most common cause of "invisibility": poor contact between the contact tracks of the disk and the cable.
By the way, if you have a used disc, take a closer look at these “tracks” to see if they are covered with dust or have become acidic. It is advisable to carefully clean them with an eraser (eraser, see screenshot below).
If you have a PC (and not a laptop, where there is no “choice”), try connecting the drive to other cables (often, when one of the cables is “loose” and does not provide a reliable connection).
Lack of nutrition
Another very common problem when connecting a second/third drive to the system is lack of power. Typical office system units suffer more from this, in which, for the sake of economy, inexpensive low-power power supplies are installed. As a result, when an additional drive is connected to the system, there may simply not be enough power for it.
How to recognize/define this?
- monitor the operation of the disk (a characteristic feature of this operation): if there is a lack of power, the disk can be detected normally, but as soon as data begins to be written to it, an error occurs and it “disappears”, becomes invisible (after a while it may “appear” again).
- you can try running the HWMonitor utility and look at the voltage surges under load: if there are “dips” of 5%-7% (or more) - the power supply clearly cannot cope;
- the easiest way: use a special device to connect the disk to a USB port (they are simply called BOX for HDD). Moreover, BOX can be of different configurations (with and without power supply): You need one that has its own power supply! If a disk with a power supply works normally, but without it it constantly “disappears” - there is a problem with the power supply.
Try connecting the drive to USB/another PC
The easiest way to check the operation of the disk (as already recommended above) is to use special. BOX. With its help, you can connect the disk to a regular USB and see how it works.
Pay attention to the BOX design: there is nothing complicated about it. As a rule, all you need to do is insert a disk into a box with a compartment, close it, connect the disk to USB and the power adapter using cables, and turn it on.
Where can I buy such a thing? In any computer store. If you're not in a hurry, you can order for pennies in Chinese online stores:
BOX for connecting the drive to a laptop/PC
You can also use another PC/laptop to recheck the disk.
To help!
How to connect a hard drive from a laptop to a computer -
Disk hardware failure
If no tricks allow you to “see” the disk, it is possible that it has simply become unusable. By the way, there are statistics that 0.1% -0.3% of disks are damaged and become unusable during “long” transportation (especially in our country, where it’s not uncommon for boxes with drives to be thrown and abandoned during unloading) . Add to this a possible manufacturing defect... Therefore, even a relatively new disk can fail, and there is nothing all that surprising in this...
If the drive is under warranty, just replace it. By the way, if you are dealing with an external HDD, do not rush to throw it away. The fact is that you can try to restore some of them: and this can often be done at home. I provide a link to the article below.
External hard drive repair at home // attempt to restore functionality -
For additions on the topic - a separate merci...
That's all for now, good luck!
The problem where the hard drive is not detected by the computer is quite common. This can happen to a new or already used, external or built-in HDD. Before you try to fix the problem, you need to figure out what caused it. Usually, users themselves can fix difficulties associated with the hard drive - to do this, just follow the instructions and act carefully.
There are several common situations that can cause a hard drive to fail to perform its function. This applies not only to a disk connected to the computer for the first time - one day the main HDD may stop working, making loading the operating system impossible. These reasons may be:
- First connection of a new drive;
- Problems with the cable or wires;
- Incorrect BIOS settings/failure;
- Weak power supply or cooling system;
- Physical failure of the hard drive.
In certain cases, you may encounter the fact that the BIOS sees the hard drive, but the system does not. Accordingly, a less experienced user may have difficulty diagnosing and fixing the problem. Next we will analyze the manifestation and solution of each of them.
Reason 1: Connecting the drive for the first time
When a user connects an external or internal hard drive for the first time, the system may not see it. It will not appear among other local disks, but it is physically fully functional. This is easy to fix and should be done as follows:
Even if the utility "Disk Management" does not see the equipment, use alternative programs from third-party developers. Our other article at the link below describes how to format using special applications designed for advanced work with HDDs. Use Method 1, which covers working with different software.
Reason 2: Invalid format
Sometimes the disc does not have an item "Change drive letter or drive path...". For example, due to a mismatch in the file system. To work properly on Windows, it must be in NTFS format.
In this case, it must be reformatted to make it accessible. This method is only suitable if the HDD does not contain information, or the data on it is not important, because all data will be deleted.
Reason 3: Uninitialized HDD
A new and unused hard drive may not work immediately when connected. The hard drive does not initialize on its own, and this process must be done manually.
The disk will be initialized and ready to use.
Reason 4: Damaged connectors, contacts or cable
When connecting external and internal hard drives, you need to be careful. The external HDD may not function due to a damaged USB cable. Therefore, if there are no visible reasons why it does not work, then you should take a similar wire with the same connectors and connect the drive to the computer. An internal hard drive can also have this problem - the cables have failed and need to be replaced for the drive to work.
Often, simply reconnecting the SATA cable to a different connector on the motherboard often helps. Since there are usually a sufficient number of them, you will need to connect the SATA cable to another free port.
Due to inattention or insufficient experience, the user may incorrectly connect the hard drive inside the system unit. Check the connections and make sure the pins are not coming loose.
Reason 5: Incorrect BIOS settings
The computer does not see the system disk
The BIOS may not be set to an IDE-compatible operating mode.
BIOS does not recognize the hard drive
Usually, even if the BIOS does not detect the hard drive, it is due to incorrect settings or their failure. Incorrect settings appear as a result of user actions, and failure can occur for various reasons, ranging from power outages to viruses in the system. This can be indicated by the system date - if it is not accurate, then this is a direct indicator of a failure. To fix it, you need to do a full reset and return to factory settings.
Outdated BIOS
When you try to connect a new drive to a too old computer with the same BIOS, you sometimes cannot avoid problems. This is due to software incompatibility and outdated control files. You can try to update the BIOS firmware manually and then check the HDD visibility.
Attention! This method is intended exclusively for experienced users. You will perform the entire process at your own peril and risk, since if you do it incorrectly, you can lose the functionality of your PC and spend a lot of time restoring its functioning.
Reason 6: Insufficient power or cooling
Listen to the sounds coming from the system unit. If you hear the buzzing sounds of cycle changes, then the culprit is most likely a weak power supply. Act according to the circumstances: replace the power supply with a more powerful one or disconnect a device of secondary importance.
If the cooling system does not work well enough, then due to overheating the disk may periodically cease to be detected by the system. This most often happens when using a laptop that usually has weak coolers that do not do their job properly. The solution to the problem is obvious - purchasing more powerful cooling.
Reason 7: Physical breakdown
Due to various reasons, the hard drive may fail: shock, fall, impact, etc. If the above methods did not help, then you should try connecting the HDD to another computer. If it is not detected by it, then, most likely, this cannot be corrected at the software level, and you will have to find a service center for repair.
We looked at the main reasons why a hard drive does not start. In fact, there may be more, since it all depends on the specific situation and configuration. If your problem has not been resolved, then ask questions in the comments, we will try to help you.