If the BIOS does not see the SSD, then this problem may have several main causes. Below we will tell you what can lead to the BIOS refusing to recognize the SSD, as well as in what cases this problem can be solved, and what needs to be done to do this.
SSD (Solid State Drive, solid-state drive or solid-state drive) is a device that implements new technology in the field of long-term storage of information for computers. Unlike a hard drive, a solid-state drive does not use magnetic plates to store information, but non-volatile memory cells, for example, NAND memory, which is also used in well-known flash drives. Thus, an SSD disk is, in essence, an advanced “flash drive”. Due to its operating principle, a solid-state drive does not have the main disadvantage of a hard drive - low reliability. This is due to the absence of fragile and shock-sensitive mechanical parts in SSDs. In addition, modern solid-state drives have high speeds for reading and writing data, significantly exceeding those of hard drives.
However, since the cost per unit of information volume on a solid-state drive is still several times higher than that of hard drives, SSDs are rarely used as the main device for storing information. In most cases, solid-state drives are installed in computers as system drives, that is, drives on which the operating system and its service files are located. In this case, the speed advantages of solid-state drives are especially useful because they allow the operating system to load and run faster.
Problems with connecting solid-state drives and their solutions
Despite the fundamentally different principle of storing information, in most cases solid-state drives use the same form factors and interfaces as traditional hard drives. Today, as a rule, it is used as an interface for connecting solid-state drives to a computer. This means that SSDs can be susceptible to the same connection issues that plague SATA hard drives. In addition, SSDs designed to connect to special Micro SATA (mSATA), M.2 or high-speed expansion slots have recently become widespread.
Let's assume that you purchased a solid-state drive, connected it to a SATA connector, installed it in the computer case, but when connected, it turns out that the drive is not detected in the BIOS. What could be the reason for such a malfunction?
Firstly, in the BIOS itself. First of all, it makes sense to check the BIOS settings, since it may turn out that the SATA controller is disabled in your computer. If this is the case, then the corresponding option must be set to Enabled. If such an operation does not help, and the disk is still not detected, then you can try resetting the BIOS to default settings. It is also worth checking whether your computer has the latest BIOS version installed? If not, then it makes sense to update it.
In addition, in many cases the problem lies in incorrect or careless connection of the SSD to the appropriate connectors inside the computer. As a rule, the same cables are used to connect SSDs as for connecting SATA hard drives, so potential problems when connecting SSDs are similar to problems when connecting hard drives (discussed in the article about the reasons why the BIOS does not see the hard drive).
Well, in the end, the problem may also lie in a physical malfunction of the solid-state drive itself. Even though it has no moving mechanical parts, this does not mean that it cannot fail. For example, the drive controller may be faulty. However, a significant disadvantage of solid-state drives is that the memory modules responsible for storing information are usually located on the same chip as the controller, so repairing the drive in this case may face serious difficulties or even be impossible.
It is worth mentioning one more specific feature, characteristic only of solid-state drives. Sometimes a situation arises when the computer’s SSD is not an additional device connected to the SATA connector, but is already present on the motherboard as a built-in storage device. In this case, the solid-state drive may not be visible in the BIOS, despite the fact that it can be detected by the operating system. Since such disks are initially intended for use as service drives for the needs of the operating system, this situation - when such a solid-state disk is not detected by the BIOS - is normal, since such a disk is, in fact, part of the motherboard.
Conclusion
Solid-state drives, or SSDs, are a promising type of storage device, and such drives are currently used in a significant portion of modern computers. Therefore, problems when connecting an SSD to a computer at this time cannot be classified as exotic malfunctions that most users have virtually no chance of encountering.
The inability of the BIOS to recognize an SSD drive can be the result of various problems, both with the BIOS settings and with the drive itself. If all the user’s attempts to restore the drive’s functionality on their own end in failure, and we can say with confidence that the drive itself is faulty, then the only way out in this case is to repair or replace it.
Epigraph
“Never trust a computer that you can’t throw out the window.”
Steve Wozniak
Two months ago I installed an SSD drive in my laptop. It worked great, but last week it suddenly died due to cell depletion (I believe). This article is about how it happened and what I did wrong.
Description of the environment
- User: Web developer. That is, such things as virtual machines, eclipse, and frequent updates of repositories are in use.
- OS: Gentoo. That is, the world is often “reassembled.”
- FS: ext4. That is, a journal is being written.
So, the story begins in April, when I finally got around to copying the partitions to a 64GB SSD broom, purchased back in September. I deliberately do not tell the manufacturer and model, because I haven’t really figured out what happened yet, and it doesn’t really matter.
What did I do to make it work longer?
Of course, I studied numerous publications on how to take care of SSD drives. And this is what I did:- Put noatime for partitions, so that when accessing a file, the record of the last access time is not updated.
- I increased the RAM to maximum and disabled swap.
S.M.A.R.T.
Three days before the fall, I was preoccupied with the question: how do I know how much happiness I have? I tried the utility smartmontools, but it displayed incorrect information. I had to download Datasheet and write a patch for them.After writing the patch, I dug up one interesting parameter: average_number_of_erases/maximum_number_of_erases = 35000/45000. But after reading that MLC cells can only withstand 10,000 cycles, I decided that these parameters did not mean exactly what I thought they meant, and I gave up on them.
Chronicle of the Fall
Suddenly, inexplicable things began to happen while working, for example, new programs did not start. Out of curiosity, I looked at that same S.M.A.R.T. parameter, it was already 37000/50000 (+2000/5000 in three days). It was no longer possible to restart; the file system of the main partition could not be read.I started from the compact and started checking. The check showed a lot of broken nodes. During the repair process, the utility began testing for bad sectors and marking them. It all ended the next day with the following result: 60GB of 64GB were marked as bad.
Note: In SSD hard drives, a cell is considered broken if new information cannot be written there. Reading from such a cell will still be possible. Using this, run the utility badblocks in read-only mode, it is unlikely to find anything.
I decided to run the flashing utility, because it not only flashes, but also reformats the disk. The utility started formatting, groaned and reported that the reasonable permissible number of bad sectors had been exceeded, and that there were failures, so it was not possible to complete the formatting.
After this, the disk began to be identified as a disk with a very strange name, model number and size of 4GB. And, in the future, no one sees it except for specialized utilities.
I wrote a letter in support of the manufacturer. They recommended that I reflash it, and if it doesn’t work, then return it to the seller. The warranty is still 2 years old, so I'll give it a try.
I conclude this section with thanks to Steve Wozniak, who taught me how to make periodic backups.
What happened
To be honest, I don’t know myself. I assume the following: S.M.A.R.T. I didn’t lie and the cells were indeed worn out (this is indirectly confirmed by the backup that I made two days before the fall; when unpacking it showed that the creation dates of some files had been reset). And when checking for bad sectors, the disk controller simply allowed all cells to be marked as bad, in which the permissible number of write cycles was exceeded.What to do if you have an SSD
Windows
Install Windows 7, everything is optimized for such disks as much as possible. Also install a lot of RAM.MacOs
Most likely, only those computers that will be immediately sold with SSD are optimized.FreeBSD
Install 9.0. Read tips for Linux, think about what you can do with them.Linux
- Install kernel 2.6.33, which has optimization for such disks in the form of the TRIM command.
- Increase memory so you can safely disable swap.
- Set for mounted partitions noatime.
- Used a copy-on-write file system or an unjournaled file system (for example ext2).
At the moment, copy-on-write FS is quite difficult to use. ZFS currently only works through FUSE. And nilfs and btrfs swear when mounting that their format has not yet been finalized.
- Turn on NOOP IO Scheduler it will allow you not to perform unnecessary useless actions for the SSD.
- Conceptually correct, but it will not help the disk much - transferring temporary files to tmpfs.
- For systems that write intensively to the log, it should be stored in a different location. This is mainly true for servers for which the log server can be raised without any problems.
- Get S.M.A.R.T. utilities that correctly display the state of the SSD disk, so that you can periodically monitor the disk.
- Just spare the disk. And for the gentushniks, this additionally means not “reassembling the world.”
Questions for the habra community
- Is it really possible to kill MLC cells in 2 months? Of course, I understand that I didn’t spare the disk, but I didn’t do anything supernatural, I just worked as usual.
- Is this a warranty case?
UPD: The disk I had was Transcend TS64GSSD25S-M.
UPD2: There are very good reviews in the comments about Intel and SAMSUNG SSDs. In addition, people are surprised how you can kill an SSD with a broom so quickly. Believe me, I was perplexed in exactly the same way. However, it is possible that this is a hastily tailored SSD series and can be killed quickly.
UPD3: In the comments and the adjacent article they suggest that my disk is on a JMicron controller, that is, there is no cache and “if they needed to change 4kb of data in a random place, they had to erase the whole 64-512kb block each time.” I can add that I saw my own disc on sale in Germany in March. So everyone has a chance to get into trouble.
P.S. In the meantime, I put down the old broom and look towards the Hitachi SSD or Intel X25-M.
UPD4: The manufacturer admitted that there was a problem with the controller and returned the money.
UPD5: I moved to Intel X25-M 80G, I’m happy as an elephant.
When connecting an SSD drive, the computer may not only work incorrectly with it, but may not even detect it in the BIOS. To resolve this issue, you need to configure some of its parameters.
The main reason why the computer does not see the SSD drive is an incompatible file system with the installed version of Windows. In addition, the reason may be the absence of a disk name, an error in starting its initialization process, hidden partitions, and others.
If, when connected, the SSD disk is not perceived by the computer, you must manually carry out the initialization process itself. To do this, the user needs to open the command line through the “Start” menu or press the “Win + R” key combination. Next, enter the command “compmgmt.msc” and apply the operation.
In the list of drives, you need to select the SSD drive and call the context menu. In the list of operations you need to select “Initialize disk”.
The user will be presented with an initialization menu where parameters can be changed if necessary. In all other cases, all values should be left at default.
Once the procedure is successful, you can begin creating volumes. To do this, select the disk again, call up the context menu by clicking the second mouse button and select “Create a simple volume”.
After applying this operation, the “Create a New Volume Wizard” will open. Click on the next button and indicate the size that will be used for the file system. The operating system assigns the maximum allowed size by default, but you can change it if necessary.
For correct operation of the system and the SSD disk, you must assign a letter to it, but keep in mind that this letter must be different from the name of existing disks. By default, the system automatically assigns an available letter, but the user can always change it.
After setting the disk name, it should be formatted. To do this, in the partition formatting menu, you need to select the file system, cluster size, volume label and check the box next to the “Quick format” function. Then we move on to the next step.
Once the formatting procedure is successfully completed, you can complete the process of creating a new volume and click on the “Finish” button.
If the disk is connected correctly, but the system does not display it, the reason may be that the disk name is missing. To correct this situation, you need to go to the “Disk Management” tab, as already described above.”
Then you need to select the connected drive, call up the context menu using the second mouse button and select “Change drive letter or drive path.”
As soon as the procedure is applied, the disk will begin to be displayed correctly in the system and will become available to the user.
If the disk was previously used on another computer, it may not appear in “My Computer” when connected to another. The reason for this may be physical damage, errors in system files, tables, viruses, and so on.
Also, the disk may appear in the “Disk Management” menu, but be “Unallocated Area” in the system. Formatting and creating new volumes can lead to complete loss of data on the disk memory.
To avoid this, you should use special software to restore partitions and restore the functionality of the SSD itself. For example, you can use "
A solid-state drive, compared to a hard drive, has such advantages as a high level of performance and reliability, low power consumption, lack of noise, and much more. Therefore, more and more users are choosing SSD as their system one. When connecting such a drive, you may find that it is not detected by the system or is not even displayed in the BIOS. This may look like there is no disk in "Explorer", Windows settings or in the BIOS boot selection list.
Problems with displaying the SSD in the system can occur for reasons such as a missing drive letter or initialization, the presence of hidden partitions, and a file system incompatible with Windows. At the same time, this may occur due to incorrect BIOS settings and physical damage to the disk itself or one of the connection elements between the motherboard and the SSD.
Reason 1: The disk is not initialized
It often happens that a new disk is not initialized when connected to a computer and, as a result, it is not visible in the system. The solution is to perform the procedure manually according to the following algorithm.
- Press simultaneously "Win+R" and in the window that appears, enter compmgmt.msc. Then click "OK".
- A window will open where you need to click "Disk Management".
- Right-click on the desired drive and select from the menu that opens "Initialize disk".
- Next, make sure that in the field "Disc 1" check the box, and place a marker next to the item mentioning MBR or GPT. "Master Boot Record" compatible with all versions of Windows, but if you plan to use only current releases of this OS, it is better to choose "Table with GUID partitions".
- After completing the procedure, you should create a new partition. To do this, click on the disk and select "Create Simple Volume".
- Will open "New Volume Wizard", in which we press "Further".
- Then you need to specify the size. You can leave the default value, which is the maximum disk size, or select a smaller value. After making the necessary changes, click "Further".
- In the next window, agree with the proposed volume letter option and click "Further". If desired, you can assign another letter, the main thing is that it does not coincide with the existing one.
- Next you need to perform formatting. Leave the recommended values in the fields "File system", "Volume Label" and in addition we enable the option "Quick Format".
- Click "Ready".
As a result, the disk should appear in the system.
Reason 2: Missing drive letter
Sometimes the SSD does not have a letter and therefore does not appear in "Explorer". In this case, you need to assign a letter to it.
After this, the specified information storage device is recognized by the OS, and standard operations can be performed with it.
Reason 3: Missing partitions
If the purchased disc is not new and has already been used for a long time, it may also not appear in "My computer". The reason for this may be damage to the system file or MBR table due to a crash, infection by a virus file, improper operation, etc. In this case, the SSD is displayed in "Disk Management", but his status is "Not initialized". In this case, it is usually recommended to perform initialization, but due to the risk of data loss, it is still not worth doing.
In addition, a situation is also possible in which the drive is displayed as one unallocated area. Creating a new volume as usual may also result in data loss. The solution here may be to restore the partition. To do this, you need certain knowledge and software, for example, MiniTool Partition Wizard, which has the appropriate option.
This should help solve the problem, but in a situation where there is no necessary knowledge and the necessary data is on the disk, it is better to turn to professionals.
Reason 4: Hidden section
Sometimes an SSD is not visible in Windows due to the presence of a hidden partition. This is possible if the user has hidden the volume using third-party software to prevent access to the data. The solution is to restore the partition using disk software. The same MiniTool Partition Wizard copes well with this task.
After this, hidden sections will appear in "Explorer".
Reason 5: Unsupported file system
If after performing the above steps the SSD still does not appear in "Explorer" It's possible that the disk's file system is different from FAT32 or NTFS, which Windows works with. Typically, such a drive appears in the disk manager as an area "RAW". To fix the problem, you need to follow the following algorithm.
Reason 6: Problems with BIOS and hardware
There are four main reasons why the BIOS does not detect the presence of an internal SSD.
SATA is disabled or has the wrong mode
Incorrect BIOS settings
The BIOS will also not recognize the drive if the settings are incorrect. This can be easily checked by the system date - if it does not correspond to the true one, this indicates a failure. To eliminate it, you need to reset and return to standard settings according to the sequence of actions below.
Alternatively, you can remove the battery, which in our case is located next to the PCIe connectors.
Data cable faulty
The BIOS will also not detect the SSD if the CATA cable is damaged. In this case, you need to check all connections between the motherboard and the SSD. It is advisable not to allow any bends or pinching of the cable when laying. All this can lead to damage to the wires inside the insulation, although externally the material may look normal. If there is any doubt about the condition of the cable, it is better to replace it. When connecting SATA devices, Seagate recommends using cables less than 1 meter in length. Longer ones can sometimes fall out of the connectors, so be sure to check that they are firmly connected to the SATA ports.
Failed SSD
If after carrying out the above procedures the disk is still not shown in the BIOS, most likely there is a manufacturing defect or physical damage to the device. Here you need to contact a computer repair shop or SSD supplier, first making sure that there is a warranty.
Conclusion
In this article, we looked at the reasons for the absence of a solid-state drive in the system or in the BIOS when it is connected. The source of such a problem can be either the condition of the disk or cable, or various software glitches and incorrect settings. Before proceeding with the fix using one of the listed methods, it is recommended to check all connections between the SSD and the motherboard and try replacing the SATA cable.
Solid-state drives appeared not so long ago and are sensitive devices to BIOS settings and versions, firmware and connections. Often the systematic problem of BSOD can be corrected on your own.
Common problems and their solutions
While the computer is running, idle or running an application, the computer crashes into BSOD (Blue Screen of Death);
When the computer starts, the message appears: “NTDL is missing press Control + Alt + del and restart,” although yesterday everything worked fine;
When the computer starts, the SSD is not displayed in the list of visible drives (including in the BIOS).
So, let's start in order.
Step one
This is trivial, but quite often the problem can arise due to the fact that the interface cable/motherboard connector has been damaged, or the device has come into conflict with others. Therefore, try to make a list of simple actions:
Check the connection of the interface cable to the motherboard and SSD connector. Reconnect the device (newfangled cables with metal latches do not guarantee 100% connection, even if you heard a click, and even more so with regular ones);
Use another SATA cable, (“tested” change to new, new to “tested”), especially if it was somehow twisted, wrapped, and so on;
Try connecting the device to nearby SATA ports;
Remove the solid-state drive from the 2.5″\3.5” bay;
Make sure that the motherboard BIOS is set to AHCI mode for the controller to which the drive is connected;
Try disabling third-party SATA\eSATA\IDE controllers in the motherboard BIOS menu, and subsequently other drives (hard drives, optical drives), leaving the SSD as the only connected drive;
If the system was transferred to an SSD using special software, which can often be found included with some drives, move the system again, from scratch;
Update controller drivers for Windows (Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver or AMD AHCI Driver, or for a third-party controller);
Install Windows 7 (if you had Windows XP).
Step two
You need to make sure that the motherboard BIOS is up to date. Usually the version is indicated when the computer starts, in shells like UEFI - often written directly into them. In the Windows operating system, you can download, for example, a small and free CPU-Z utility, open the “Motherboard” section and see the BIOS version there.
Attention!: When looking for BIOS updates, download them ONLY from official sites, ONLY for your motherboard model.
Step three
It is highly desirable that the SSD be connected to the native SATA ports of the motherboard. Each motherboard has native ports, that is, supported by the existing set of logic, and also, on a number of devices there are additional SATA ports implemented by third-party controllers. Make sure that the SSD is connected to exactly the right ports; they usually differ in color and have a priority sequence number (SATA_1, SATA_2) in case they are implemented by additional controllers or operate at lower interface speeds; on the contrary, they are at the end of the list (SATA_5, SATA_6).
To find out exactly which connectors belong to what, look for this information in the user manual of your motherboard; if you do not have a paper version of the manual, you can always download it from the vendor’s official website in electronic format.
Step four
Many users keep an eye on new firmware released for semiconductor drives because they often improve performance, but do not forget that the main reason for the release of new firmware is to eliminate errors in the SSD controller logic. So it's also worth making sure your SSD has the latest firmware.
Attention!: When looking for firmware updates for SSDs, download them ONLY from official sites, ONLY for your SSD model. Please also keep in mind that this can (and most likely) completely destroys all information stored on the SSD.
Step five and final
If you have already done all of the above, double-checked, rearranged, updated a hundred times, but the problem remains, it is worth looking for information on the SSD manufacturer’s website, after all, who better than him should be aware of all the problems associated with his products. Moreover, it would be preferable to read foreign vendor forums on this topic. The fact is that this situation indicates the following probable reasons:
The problem is that your computer is incompatible with a specific SSD;
Some problems known to the manufacturer, which he is, of course, working on fixing;
Manufacturing defects.
Despite the fact that all technologies strive for standardization and unification, SSD is still a young storage system, so there are cases from the “should work, but doesn’t” series. The motherboard controller (especially if it is old) cannot work correctly with the solid-state drive controller and enters into conflicts, which is why failures occur. In this case, as well as in the case of a defect, all that remains is to check the device on a completely different computer or laptop. In those cases when the problem is more or less widespread, the developers try to solve it as quickly as possible and post specific tips on how to fix problems on their forums.
