How to make a hard drive visible in bios. We find out the reasons why the BIOS does not see the hard drive. Other problems with HDD

At the moment, the hard drive is the most popular device for storing information. However, problems arise from time to time. One of the most well-known problems is that the computer does not see the hard drive. For one reason or another, it is not detected by the system, BIOS, or device. Let's figure out why the computer doesn't read the hard drive and try to correct the situation.

Windows operating system does not see the hard drive

Symptom: The Windows operating system (XP, 7-10) does not see the hard drive, it is not displayed in Explorer. At the same time, the hard drive is successfully detected in the BIOS and on other computers.

Diagnosis: The system may not see the hard drive because the drive letter is not assigned or the file system format is not defined.

What to do:

Right mouse button on Start - Disk Management (You can go here via Win + R - diskmgmt.msc - Enter). In the context menu of the desired drive, select the command “Change drive letter or drive path.”

To format, select the Format command. Specify the volume label, file system format and click OK.

The computer (laptop) does not see the external hard drive

Symptom: The computer does not see the external hard drive when connected via USB or SATA.

Diagnosis: The USB ports may be faulty or the file system of the external HDD is incompatible with the operating system. There is no power coming from the USB cable.

What to do:

Check whether other devices, such as flash drives, are connected through this USB port. There is a possibility that the USB ports located on the front panel of the computer are simply not connected to the motherboard. Also, on laptops one of the ports may not work due to motherboard bridge errors.

Through the Disk Management panel, check whether the disk is accessible and whether it is recognized as a partitioned file space. You may need to format your hard drive to FAT/NTFS to run on Windows. If the external hard drive is still not detected, assign the drive a different letter in the same section of the control panel.

Not all USB cables are suitable for connecting a hard drive to a computer. Some of them do not have enough power to operate the remote drive. It is best to use the cable that comes with your external hard drive. Additionally, you may need to share two USB ports for connection. Therefore, if your external hard drive is not working, carefully review the documentation that came with the problematic storage device.

Bios doesn't see hard drive

Symptom: The HDD is not detected by the system (is absent as a device), and the bios does not see the hard drive. The external indicator is on. The hard drive makes clicking noises or tries unsuccessfully to “start” (the sound of the heads spinning is heard).

Diagnosis: one of the most common errors related to HDD operation. The disk has probably failed or is not connected correctly to the computer's motherboard.

What to do:

Open the system unit (after disconnecting it from the network!). Check that the power and SATA/IDE cables are securely connected to the hard drive. It's better to play it safe and disconnect/attach the cables again. Also check if these cables are damaged and if they are tightly connected to the motherboard socket (in the case of SATA/IDE). Try connecting alternative cables if available.

If the hard drive clicks and is not detected, it is likely an electronic failure or a mechanical failure of the hard drive. Only repair or warranty replacement of the hard drive will help. If there is no visible damage to the HDD or SSD and the warranty has not expired, feel free to contact the place where you sell the hard drive to replace it. Unfortunately, you will lose all data on the disk.

Question answer

I decided to replace my case with a new one. I bought the board, connected everything as it should, started it up, everything was fine for two days, but after a couple of days I turned on the PC - the computer did not see the hard drive. What I see: it turns out to me that the disk with the OS is not detected and the system offers to restart the system. I restart and everything is new. I went into the BIOS, there the sata port on which the disk with the OS is connected is not connected. I changed ports (several times), changed sata cables, it didn’t help, I used a spare one, zero results - the BIOS does not see the hard drive. I had to install the OS on another disk.

I tried to update the sata drivers, updated the BIOS (I can’t reset it, there are no jumpers or battery). Disk Management also does not see this disk. I do not know what to do. The sata ports are working properly, the cables are also working. There is power to the HDD, it spins without unnecessary noise or crackling, but the hard drive is still not displayed.

Answer. Find out the specifications of your motherboard and hard drive. Does the board support this sata standard? There may be discrepancies between different Sata versions. As a result, the hard drive does not open.

Check if the hard drive is detected on the previous motherboard or another PC. If the issue is not resolved, replace the hard drive under warranty.

My hard drive (external) cannot be opened, Windows writes: “The disk structure is damaged. Reading is impossible.” I clicked on “Deep Scan Recovery”, but the problem disk is not there, it is present on my computer and I wrote what it says. Tell me what to do if the system does not see the external hard drive.

Answer. The computer does not see the external hard drive due to reading errors. You can fix them using the standard chkdsk utility (Properties - Tools - Checking the disk for file system errors). Go to Disk Management and check if Windows has detected the file system. If necessary, assign a different letter to the file volume or, as a last resort, format the HDD.

I have a 2TB HDD, I used to work with an IMac. And now I connect it to a Windows laptop and this laptop does not see the hard drive. What can be done to save the information on the hard drive and make it so that the laptop can see it?

Answer. You can make a disk image using Acronis True Image and then perform recovery operations on the image. Since a hard drive that previously worked in MacOS is not detected, it makes sense to check whether this drive opens in this operating system (you need to test Mac OS devices with the ability to connect an HDD).

To read the HFS file system (standard for Mac OS) under Windows, use, for example, the HFS+ for Windows® 11 program from Paragon.

The WD10EALX hard drive was no longer detected by the BIOS after the motherboard burned out. But when connected, you can hear the engine starting to spin. It is necessary to reanimate the disk, preferably so that it becomes detectable (it is advisable not to erase the remaining data). Why does bios not see the hard drive, how to fix it and how much will the repair cost?

Answer. Mechanical failure of the hard drive is unlikely to be corrected. Firstly, this can only be done in special laboratories, and secondly, repairs will cost several hundred dollars. Unfortunately, you will not be able to recover data from your hard drive.

Not long ago I borrowed an extra 500GB HDD (WD Blue 500GB) from a friend. When connecting to my computer, I encountered the following problem: the hard drive is visible in the BIOS, but the BIOS defines it as 0MB. When I try to install the OS on a hard drive, the installer does not see it. If you run the OS from another hard drive and leave this one connected, it will not be visible even on the disk layout. What should I do if I don’t see the hard drive in the BIOS with the correct size?

Answer. To figure out why the computer does not see the hard drive, you must first check whether it is detected on a different configuration. If your friend’s HDD opens and the bios shows the correct information, the issue is specifically in the configuration of your computer. Check the technical specifications of your computer's motherboard to see if the connection protocol used by the hard drive supports it.

If you connect a hard drive as a second storage device, conflicts may also occur. We recommend disabling the AHCI mode for SATA in the BIOS (see the SATA MODE parameter).

The hard drive is slow, that is, Windows does not boot from it, but the BIOS sees it. When I try to transfer it to another PC as an additional one, the same situation occurs (the computer hangs on the Windows logo). I tried to format it from a bootable flash drive in Party Magic, but it starts to see the hard drive only after a minute. 20, but I’m generally silent about doing anything with it. Essentially, the hard drive does not work normally. Please tell me what could be the reason for such a glitch, how can I check?

Answer. We would recommend using one of the utilities to check your hard drive for possible “jambs” and reading errors: TestDisk or HDD Health (see above). It is likely that the operating system does not see the hard drive due to the presence of bad sectors. Also, as mentioned above, you can connect the HDD to another computer and check the hard drive for errors using standard Windows tools or the TestDisk application.

Below is a list of the main problems due to which BIOS does not recognize a SATA hard drive. To find out the true cause of the malfunction, you need to carry out sequential diagnostics of all interconnected components of the computer to determine if they are working properly.

• The hard drive is not set as enabled in the BIOS.
• Serial ATA drivers are installed incorrectly or not installed at all.
• The data cable is damaged or not connected.
• The disk drive does not spin.
• The jumpers on the drive housing are set incorrectly.
• The hard drive itself is faulty.

First you need to make sure that the device you are testing is enabled in the BIOS. To do this, you need to enter the settings - at the very beginning of the operating system startup, press the F2 or Del key. Depending on the modification of the system, there may be different options. What exactly do you need to click to enter the BIOS settings? A message appears briefly at the bottom of the screen when you turn on the computer. If you miss the period, you will have to turn off the computer again and wait until you enter the settings.

Find the hard drive that is not detected on one of the settings screens and look at what is written next to it. Automatic detection must be specified. If it says Off. (Off) you need to switch to automatic detection. This problem is typical in cases where a newly installed hard drive with a SATA connection is not detected.

Motherboard drivers not loaded

Problems with driver installation most often occur in cases where Windows OS is installed on a disk drive that is used as the main boot drive. Then the Bios does not see the SATA hard drive due to problems with the drivers.

To correctly download and install drivers, perform the following manipulations:

1. Load the Windows distribution into the DVD drive tray. After this, disconnect the computer from the power supply.
2. Insert the SATA hard drive and connect it. Turn on your computer.
3. During the installation process, you will need to press the F6 key at the appropriate moment to start the driver installation process. During the normal course of the system installation, a screen will briefly appear stating that in order to install the system normally, you need to download the missing drivers: “Press F6 if you need to install a 3rd party driver.” Try not to miss the moment, otherwise you will have to start all over again.
4. After a while, an interface for loading drivers for the SATA controller will appear. Press the S key to continue installation.
5. To download the drivers, you will need disks with installers; this must be found and downloaded in advance on the Internet, on the website of the manufacturer of the motherboard that is installed on your computer.

Data cable fault

Open the system unit and carefully inspect the cables connected to the motherboard and hard drive. If there is visible mechanical damage, this is the problem. Data cables are easily bent and broken, which leads to a lack of contacts in the connections. It is advisable to check the cable by replacing it with a known working analogue.

Seagate technical services note that for normal operation of the devices, the length of the SATA cable does not exceed one meter. SATA cables often simply fall out of the connectors due to vibration of the computer during operation. Check the reliability of the cable connection to the SATA ports.

When connecting loops, be guided by the following conditions:

• The blue connector must connect to the motherboard controller.
• The gray connector is used to connect a Slave – an auxiliary hard drive.
• The black connector is for the Master – the main drive.

If the cable assignment order is mixed up, it confuses the BIOS and leads to device identification errors.

The disk does not rotate

The hard drive will not be found if it is not receiving power and is not spinning. It is impossible to see the rotation of the disk externally; one can only rely on indirect signs.

With the power off, open the system unit, then turn on the computer and listen. Taking precautions, try touching the side wall of the hard drive. If vibration is felt, the disk is rotating.

If nothing is clear, try turning the drive's power cable on and off and comparing the sound. To check the functionality of the power cable, connect it to a DVD drive, where you can accurately see whether the disc is spinning or not.

It is also useful to check whether the installed power supply supplies sufficient power? It is quite possible that as the system unit is upgraded, power consumption has increased significantly and now there is simply not enough current to maintain the required performance of the equipment.

To make sure that the device being tested is working properly, remove it from the system unit being tested and install it on a known-good computer. If it doesn’t work, the hard drive itself is faulty.

The BIOS tools include a function for testing connected drives for functionality. Run the test and see the results. If any disk is faulty, it will be clear after the test.

Incorrect installation of jumpers on the drive housing

First you need to check whether the jumpers on the Master-Slave attribute are correctly distributed. If both devices have the same settings, the BIOS will not be able to detect them correctly.

A diagram of the correct location of jumpers is drawn on the drive housings. Set them according to the required priority for selecting disks in the BIOS.

If the disk is not detected even by the BIOS, you will have problems loading the OS

The hard drive is the most important element in the structure of a computer, responsible for the operation of software and storage of information. Without this technical element, the computer is unlikely to give you access to all the functionality that is possible in this device, so hard drive failure becomes a serious problem. But it is quite difficult to break a hard drive unless you apply physical force to it. In most cases, the bios does not see the hard drive, and it is because of the system bios that many users cannot comfortably use the capabilities of the hard drive.

So, why doesn't the BIOS see the hard drive? System bios is a special utility that configures the motherboard. It is the bios that is responsible for such functions as recognizing equipment, the order in which the equipment starts up, and ensuring the functionality of all elements of the computer. And if the BIOS does not see the hard drive, then there may be various reasons for this: starting from the quality of the external media itself and ending with various errors that arise when the equipment fails and the user’s inattention.

Despite the fact that there are not many software elements provided in the BIOS, they often go wrong, especially when an inexperienced user decides to figure it out personally. The hard drive can also produce errors, but they can only be technical, and if you are sure that the external drive is safe and sound, then you should turn to the bios utility itself to solve the problem. Reasons for ignoring the hard drive:

• incorrect connection of elements;
• problems with jumpers;
• problems with ;
• Hard drive failure.

Incorrect connection of elements

First, to solve the bios problem, you should rule out physical problems related to the connection. It is recommended to carefully review the correct location of all wires (in this case, cables), the correctness of their connections depending on the requirements of the motherboard itself, and the integrity of the connection elements. Even small bends and grooves located in the connection sockets and on the cables themselves can cause a failure due to which the utility does not see the hard drive.

If the hard drive is connected correctly and no defects are noticed, you should pay attention to other equipment in the computer. Incorrect connection of other hardware may cause a failure in the BIOS. Be sure to check whether the cooling system (cooler) in the power supply is working: overheating of this technical element can cause a lack of energy for the equipment, which simply will not turn on.

After you check all the technical elements for connection and make sure that they are in the correct location and integrity, you should move on to the next stage of checking, due to which the bios does not see the hard drive.

Jumper problems

Jumpers are special sockets that allow you to connect equipment via special wires and cables.

The hard drive has a sufficient number of jumpers, so they must be checked.

To do this, you don’t need to be a professional: a violation of the structure of the jumper or its absence is visible to the naked eye. A broken jumper prevents the BIOS from sending a software signal to the hardware.

With a broken jumper, it is possible that the BIOS sees the hard drive. This situation indicates that the hard drive is working, but is not transmitting signals, so you should carefully examine each jumper. They are located at the base of the connection to the hard drive through special wires, as well as on the base of the motherboard, where you connect the hard drive.

If you find a distorted, scratched or missing jumper on a brand new hard drive, then you should contact the store where you purchased the equipment to replace it. If you find a defective jumper on the motherboard, you need to contact a specialized service, where they will solve this problem for you. The same option is suitable if a defective jumper has formed on your outdated hard drive.

Problems with settings in the system utility

In bios, minor failures in the structure of its software very often occur. This happens due to the fact that the BIOS often has to process a huge flow of information and endure hardware failures. Even viruses can cause glitches in bios. Therefore, to make sure the bios is working correctly, it’s worth checking the settings. This can be done using the keyboard shortcut “Alt + F...”. The second button must correspond to the command that is specified when the computer boots. It can be found on the initial download window.

After you have entered bios, you should immediately go to the Integrated Peripherals menu and check whether the functionality that allows you to see the hard drive is enabled. The functionality itself is called Advanced. In it you should go to the Onboard Devices Configuracion tab. Opposite the Onboard IDE Controller line (depending on the motherboard, the name may be different; the analogue of this line is called Marvell IDE Controller) you will see the status - Disabled (disabled) or Enabled (enabled). Accordingly, if the functionality is disabled, you need to enable it. If after the operation the bios does not see the hard drive, you can. This procedure is carried out by removing the battery from the system board. It has a round shape and silver color, it can be immediately recognized. Turn off the computer, then remove the battery, then wait 20 minutes, then put it back. The next time you start the computer, the settings will be restored to factory status. Therefore, each element of the utility will work normally. Do not be afraid that the settings will go wrong and the computer will no longer recognize the equipment. The drivers are remembered when reset, so there will be no problems.

Hard drive malfunction

If, after long checks and manipulations, the bios does not see the hard drive, you should sound the alarm: most likely, the problem is in the media itself. And the first thing you should try is to connect the hard drive to another computer. If the other device also does not see the equipment, then the media is broken. If the computer still sees the hard drive, it means you did something wrong. It’s worth trying to carry out the operation on several computers; if the bios does not see the equipment on any of them and the media itself does not show activity when connected, it’s time to contact the service.

There is also another variant of hardware recognition error, which consists of an excess of viruses on the hard drive. When, after prolonged work, you discover that the bios does not see your hard drive, you should turn it off for a while, reset the system utility settings, and the next time you start it, format it using a special disk with the necessary software (usually this can be done using a standard Windows disk).

If, after all the operations performed, the system utility does not see the hard drive, no matter how hard you try to fix it, then it is better to contact the service, where they can tell you the exact problem and think about its solution.

One of the common problems that computer owners have is the situation when the hard drive is not recognized by their device. It is found on both new PCs and old ones. In this case, the age of the hard drive does not matter, as well as whether it is external or internal.

The first thing to do is to determine the cause of the problem. Sometimes the solution is very simple and the user can fix the problem on his own and get his PC running smoothly.

There are many problems due to which the hard drive is no longer identified by the device. In most cases, this occurs in the following situations:

• The hard drive is new and is connected for the first time via a parallel (IDE) or serial (SATA) interface.
• The cable or connecting wires are damaged.
• The BIOS settings are incorrectly set or it is broken.
• The power supply has low power.
• An ineffective cooling system has been installed.
• HDD damaged.

This suggests that you should first diagnose the device to identify the cause of the problem and fix it.

If the HDD is connected for the first time, the operating system may not have detected it. It may well be absolutely serviceable, but at the same time it will not be shown in the list of local drives.

To fix this, you will need to launch the “Run” dialog box by holding down the Win and R keys, type the command “compmgmt.msc” and click the “Ok” button to execute it.

In the console that appears, you need to select the “Disk Management” section.

In the window that opens, you need to pay attention to the column in the middle. All hard drives connected to the device are displayed here, including the conflicting one. If so, then the problem is the wrong letter designation.

In order to fix it, you need to right-click on the HDD and select the command that allows you to change the drive letter, and then click on “Change” in the window that appears.

All that remains is to select any letter and complete the process using the “Ok” button.

In order for the hard drive to work flawlessly in Windows, it should be formatted in the NTFS format.

This is done as follows.

• Hold down the Win and R keys to open the Run dialog box. Using the “compmgmt.msc” command, you need to go to “Computer Management”, and from there to the “Disk Management” section.
• On the problematic hard drive, you need to right-click and click “Format” in the list of commands that opens.
• In the window that appears, you need to select a new format - NTFS and start the process using the "OK" button.

BIOS does not see the hard drive - setting

Sometimes a situation may arise when the order in which the system loads devices is incorrectly set in the BIOS.

In order to change it, you need to go to the BIOS.

During startup, the computer indicates which key is responsible for this action. As a rule, this is Del or F2. This button must be pressed and held while the PC starts.

Navigate through tabs in the BIOS using the arrow buttons, and select using the Enter key.

To change the boot order of connected devices, select the Boot tab. Here you need to set the connected hard drive to the priority place (depending on the version, it is designated as 1st Boot Priority or First Boot Device). To save your changes and return to the Windows boot screen, press F10 and then Y to confirm your actions.

To make it easier to correct the error, I advise you to watch the video instructions:

If everything is done correctly, the download will start from the required device.

SATA operating mode

It is not uncommon for the BIOS to not have a suitable operating mode set for the IDE interface.

The solution is the following.

• Using the F2 or Del buttons, pressed when turning on the device, you must enter the BIOS.
• Now you need to find a setting, which, depending on the BIOS version, may be called SATA Operation or OnChip SATA Type, possibly Configure SATA As. It will be located in the Main or Advanced tabs, another option is Integrated Peripherals.
• In the found line, you need to set the value to IDE or Native IDE, press the F10 button to save the new settings and exit the BIOS to the OS boot screen, and then confirm your actions by pressing the Y key.

BIOS does not show hard drive

If the BIOS does not see and, accordingly, does not detect the connected hard drive, this may indicate incorrect settings or a failure in them.

As a rule, incorrectly set settings are the result of erroneous actions by the computer owner. The failure that occurs can indicate many things, from power outages to viruses that have infected the operating system installed on the device.

To determine what actually happened, you need to pay attention to the system date. If it is installed incorrectly, this indicates a failure has occurred.

You can fix this problem by resetting all settings to factory settings or, in other words, resetting the BIOS.

To do this, you will need to turn off the computer, unplug the power cord from the outlet, and then look at the motherboard and find a jumper labeled Clear CMOS installed on the three-pin connector.

This jumper in the working position is installed on contacts 1 and 2; it must be removed and placed on contacts 2 and 3, then wait 20-30 seconds and return to the initial position.

The second way to reset the BIOS to its original state is to find the battery installed on the motherboard and remove it. You can put it back in its original place no earlier than half an hour later.

Therefore, if your computer does not detect a connected hard drive, it is recommended that you run diagnostics on the device for possible problems. In some cases, the problem that arises is not significant and the user is quite capable of dealing with it on his own, without resorting to expensive specialists.

Good day everyone, dear readers! In this article I will try to explain why the BIOS does not see the hard drive - as well as ways to solve this problem, I will tell you in my article.

This problem, when the hard drive is not detected by the computer, is the most common. It occurs on both old and new computers. This also happens with new and old, external and built-in HDDs.

First, of course, you need to find out the cause of this problem. Sometimes users can solve everything on their own and get things working with Windows and the laptop’s hard drive.

Why can't my computer see my hard drive?

Let me note right away that there are several reasons why a hard drive refuses to perform its functions. These reasons include:

1. For the first time, a new sata or ide drive was connected;
2. There were problems with the cable or wires;
3. Perhaps the BIOS is not configured correctly or is completely out of order;
4. Weak power supply;
5. Low cooling system;
6. The hard drive itself has failed.

Yes, you need to diagnose it, and only then solve the problem. Let's say that an inexperienced user will probably have some difficulties with this. Let me help you, and together we will figure out what and how.

First connection of the hard drive

If this is your first time connecting a screw, then most likely the system simply did not see it. Yes, physically it is in working condition, but it is not displayed among local disks.

In order to fix this problem, you need to press Win and R on your keyboard, write compmgmt.msc and select “Ok”.

Find and select "Disk Management".

In the window that appears in the middle, all your connected drives will be identified, including your problematic hard drive. As a rule, it is such because the assigned letter is incorrect.

Find the required drive and right-click on it, and then select “Change drive letter or drive path...”.

A window will open in which you will have to click on the “Change” button.

Now select the desired letter and select "OK".

Wrong format

For normal functioning of the disk in Windows, the NTFS format is required.

Just as in the instructions above, go to “Disk Management”, that is, repeat the previous first two steps. After that, right-click on the disk and select “Format”.

Select the file system – NTFS, and click “OK”.

BIOS does not see the hard drive - setting

In some cases, the BIOS may set the wrong priority for boot devices. When booting the PC, press F2 (or Del). Which key needs to be pressed will be indicated when the PC starts. By pressing the desired key, you will enter the BIOS.

Please note that due to differences in BIOS versions, the names of menu items here and below may differ slightly.

Find the "Boot" tab. Use the arrows to control. In the list of boot devices, set your HDD to first place (1st Boot Priority/First Boot Device).

Press F10 to save and exit and then press Y to confirm. After this, the PC will boot from the device you set.

SATA operating mode

Often, users do not have an operating mode in their BIOS that is compatible with the IDE. To make the change, you need to go into the BIOS, select Main, Advanced or Integrated Peripherals and find the SATA Operation, Configure SATA As, or OnChip SATA Type setting.

Select IDE or Native IDE, press F10 and enter Y.

BIOS does not show hard drive

If the BIOS cannot detect your hard drive, then most likely it is due to incorrect settings or failures.

Incorrect settings appear due to user actions, and failure can occur for various reasons. So, starting from power outages and ending even with system infection. The system date may indicate this - if it is not accurate, then you have undoubtedly experienced a failure. To fix this problem, you need to reset all settings.

Find the Clear CMOS jumper on the motherboard.

Change the jumper from contacts 1-2 to 2-3, hold them for 20-30 seconds and then return them to their original position. Besides, there is another way. Find the motherboard in the system unit and remove the battery from it.

You will need to return it back in 25-30 minutes.

Conclusion

Now you know what to do if the BIOS does not see the hard drive. I hope you were able to solve your problem, thank you all for your attention, and don’t forget to ask any questions in the comments!