SSD Crashed After Power Outage - Need Help Installing New One Please

[dazzlenet]

The batteries had just died on my APS a couple of days before the power went out and my SSD crashed. It is now months later & I just got a replacement from Samsung (after getting it tested locally to insure it had died). Have been using my laptop meanwhile. I wish I had known the SSD would crash if the power went off. I wouldn't have used it until I got my new batteries installed.

Anyway, it is a Samsung 850 EVO 120GB that I had only installed Windows 7 operating system on and had the rest of my files, etc. on a 1 TB hard drive. Now, I can't remember how to go about installing Windows on the new SSD. My computer will not boot to DIOS, so I can make sure I have it set to run from DVD first. Do I need to disconnect the 1 TB hard drive & do I need to format it before installing Windows on the SSD?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Mellon Head]

If your computer won't boot into BIOS, you have a more serious problem than a messed up SSD.

Is there anything on the 1TB drive that you want to save? If so, don't format it. Install Windows to the SSD with the 1 TB drive unhooked. Once Windows is booting, you can hook up the 2 TB drive and save any files you want off of it.

Did you put programs onto the 1 TB drive? Did you move your user folders there? If not, there's probably no need to format it. If you did, you might want to consider reformatting, or deleting some of the program files folders and starting over.

 

[bigmck]

As Mellonhead said, if you can't boot to BIOS you have a problem with your PC besides the SSD. Just having a power outage should not make your SSD fail. When you say "It won't boot into Bios", do you mean you have forgotten what key to press or do you mean that there is a problem with your PC and you can not get into Bios?

 

[dazzlenet]

If your computer won't boot into BIOS, you have a more serious problem than a messed up SSD.

Is there anything on the 1TB drive that you want to save? If so, don't format it. Install Windows to the SSD with the 1 TB drive unhooked. Once Windows is booting, you can hook up the 2 TB drive and save any files you want off of it.

Did you put programs onto the 1 TB drive? Did you move your user folders there? If not, there's probably no need to format it. If you did, you might want to consider reformatting, or deleting some of the program files folders and starting over.

After removing the hard drive and trying to boot with only the SSD installed, I see that you are right - I do have a more serious problem. Where & how do I start troubleshooting? Everything was sailing right along until the power went off for about 1 minute.

My computer is a custom built gaming computer, although I don't do any gaming. A friend of my son's needed money and I bought it for a song. I do remember that to boot into BIOS all I had to do was press the DEL key.

 

[bigmck]

If your computer won't boot into BIOS, you have a more serious problem than a messed up SSD.

Is there anything on the 1TB drive that you want to save? If so, don't format it. Install Windows to the SSD with the 1 TB drive unhooked. Once Windows is booting, you can hook up the 2 TB drive and save any files you want off of it.

Did you put programs onto the 1 TB drive? Did you move your user folders there? If not, there's probably no need to format it. If you did, you might want to consider reformatting, or deleting some of the program files folders and starting over.

After removing the hard drive and trying to boot with only the SSD installed, I see that you are right - I do have a more serious problem. Where & how do I start troubleshooting? Everything was sailing right along until the power went off for about 1 minute.

My computer is a custom built gaming computer, although I don't do any gaming. A friend of my son's needed money and I bought it for a song. I do remember that to boot into BIOS all I had to do was press the DEL key.

When you boot the PC continually press the DEL key. This will ensure that you press it at the right time. Don't just hit it once. That should take you to BIOS. If it doesn't tell us what is happening. What are you seeing as you try to go to BIOS?

 

[dazzlenet]

Thanks for the info. Sorry I didn't note that I know to continually press the DEL key. I believe that if someone can point me in the right direction, or at least a starting point (in troubleshooting) I will no problem with it. I am usually the person that fixes my friend's computers, but this is the first time I've not ever been able to boot to BIOS on any PC or laptop.

This may be helpful info. The computer emits one beep when it comes on. I know that this means something, as I've dealt with one beep, two beeps, etc. in the past. I just don't remember exactly what the beep means.

 

[bigmck]

Try to boot and get into the BIOS and set your boot order for CD/DVD drive first, SSD second. Let us know if you are successful. -- Does your SSD show in the BIOS?

 

[Mellon Head]

Well, one beep is good. That usually means it's at least starting the boot sequence.

 

[dazzlenet]

Well, one beep is good. That usually means it's at least starting the boot sequence.

Thank you, that is a (one) positive so far.

Now, how do I start troubleshooting when I can't boot to BIOS? I normally use a wireless keyboard & mouse but switched to USB connected. The computer is recognizing them b/c the Mem Lock & Caps Lock lights come on & the mouse illuminates. I even tried different USB ports on the back & no lights came on then.

 

[bigmck]

Well, one beep is good. That usually means it's at least starting the boot sequence.

Thank you, that is a (one) positive so far.

Now, how do I start troubleshooting when I can't boot to BIOS? I normally use a wireless keyboard & mouse but switched to USB connected. The computer is recognizing them b/c the Mem Lock & Caps Lock lights come on & the mouse illuminates. I even tried different USB ports on the back & no lights came on then.

When you plug in your USB Keyboard, you have to be sure it is plugged into a motherboard USB and not a USB card you might have installed. If you have any ports on the front of your PC, use one of them. You can not boot into BIOS from a USB Card or a wireless Keyboard.

 

[dazzlenet]

Thanks. What common reasons cause BIOS not to boot?

 

[bigmck]

Thanks. What common reasons cause BIOS not to boot?

That would be a hard question to answer. Were you able to get into your BIOS by tapping on the Delete key?

 

[dazzlenet]

Thanks. What common reasons cause BIOS not to boot?

That would be a hard question to answer. Were you able to get into your BIOS by tapping on the Delete key?

I tried hooking up a different monitor that isn't HDMI and I still can't get it to boot to BIOS by consistently hitting the DEL key. Any suggestions what to do next?

 

[bigmck]

Thanks. What common reasons cause BIOS not to boot?

That would be a hard question to answer. Were you able to get into your BIOS by tapping on the Delete key?

I tried hooking up a different monitor that isn't HDMI and I still can't get it to boot to BIOS by consistently hitting the DEL key. Any suggestions what to do next?

What USB port is your keyboard hooked to? Is it one on a USB Card, one at the front of your PC or in another place?

 

[Layback Bear]

Your motherboard probably doesn't see USB 3.0 so make sure your keyboard is plugged into the rear Black 2.0 USB port.
Their should be two of them.
Their are also two Blue USB ports on the back of your computer. Don't use them for now.

If you have a Ps/2 keyboard that should work also.

Instead of pressing the Delete key try tapping on it quickly to get into the bios.

Do you have the motherboard manual??

You might need it for instruction to use the jumper method to reset the bios to default.
I have experience loss of power messing up the bios and reset to default solved the problem.

 

[dazzlenet]

Your motherboard probably doesn't see USB 3.0 so make sure your mouse/keyboard is/are plugged into the rear Black 2.0 USB port.

Their should be two of them. Their are also two Blue USB ports on the back of your computer. Don't use them for now.
Instead of pressing the Delete key try tapping on it quickly to get into the bios.

Do you have the motherboard manual??
You might need it for instruction to use the jumper method to reset the bios to default.
I have experience loss of power messing up the bios and reset to default solved the problem.

I have the mouse/keyboard plugged into the rear. The motherboard is MSI A75MA-G55. I downloaded the manual. There are instructions with this information:

JUMPER: Clear CMOS Jumper: JBAT1

There is a CMOS RAM onboard that has a power supply from an external battery to
keep the data of system configuration. With the CMOS RAM, the system can automatically
boot OS every time it is turned on. If you want to clear the system configuration,
set the jumper to clear data.

Is this what I need to do, set the jumper to clear data?

OKAY!!! I got it to boot to BIOS by taking the battery out for about a minute and turning it on. Now I have questions that likely go under a different topic about how to add the hard drive that has data on it from the previous installation of Windows on the SSD that crashed. For now, I am installing Windows on the SSD.

 

[Layback Bear]

Somewhere in the section it should say something about setting bios to default.

You would not want to completed clear the bios that would cause serious damage.

 

[dazzlenet]

Somewhere in the section it should say something about setting bios to default.

You would not want to completed clear the bios that would cause serious damage.

I read every page of the manual and could not find anything about setting BIOS to default. It seems that what I did do caused the system to boot to BIOS but after connecting my hard drive it is not recognized in the boot sequence of BIOS, but is listed on the MAIN page under SATA Port4 as WDC WD1003FZEX (1000.2GB). How do I get it to show in the boot list. I would like to access my files on it, or format it if necessary. Also, before connecting the hard drive the details of my CD/DVD was listed on the boot sequence page and now it isn't listed in detail.

 

[dazzlenet]

Update on BIOS: On the BOOT page when I click on Hard Disk Drive BBS Priorities another page comes up with this listed: 1st Boot SATA: Samsung SSD 2nd Boot: SATA: WDC

Wonder why this isn't showing up on the previous page? Maybe I need to update the BIOS by downloading the latest update? Not sure.

 

[bigmck]

Put your old HDD in and see if you can boot from that before you do anything to the BIOS. If it won't boot, what are you seeing when trying to boot?