BIOS can see HS, but not Win 7 (not like from other posts, I hope)

OldNick · 25 Feb 2015

I have W7 Home Prem 32 bit.

I _hope_ my problem is different enough I don't get mauled for posting.

I am setting up a new machine. I have installed Windows onto the boot HDD and that seems OK.

But then I tried to add the secondary HDD, a 2TB WD. The BIOS sees the HDD, but when I fired up windows, it would not. So I went into Disk Management and it was not there either.

Then I read here about Diskpart/list disk on the installation DVD. But that has the same problem. I tried another HDD and ran diskpart. That worked fine (although I only did list disk and did not partition the HDD!)

I have tried using a different SATA port, but that does not help. As instructed, I removed all other disks for both diskpart/list disk, so that the machihbne had only one disk. I figure that this also removes any question of some sort of onterference or overload.

I have also tried different SATA cables.

In all my confusion, I am not sure, but I _think_ that the BIOS did not see the HDD a couple of times as well. Unplugging and replugging the SATAcable seemed to fix this....

So. Is there anything else? Or do I have a dodgy HDD?

Any help greatly appreciated.

jumanji · 25 Feb 2015

From your description plus the fact that another HDD showed up without any problems I may consider that the new HDD is indeed dodgy. It could well be a dry joint where the sata connector is fixed which gives an intermittent connection. I would close my eyes and return it to the vendor to get a replacement and would bother further only if such a replacement also exhibits the same problem.

When you buy a new HDD make sure that it does not have any hardware encryption . I would generally stay away from Western Digital.

OldNick · 25 Feb 2015

Thanks for that. So it's as I feared I guess

I will check out hardware encryption. I was not aware of such a thing.

Why not WD? I have used WD exclusively for many years and had nothing but good from them.