SSD & HDD Both Failed?


  1. jcg
    Posts : 3
    Windows 7 Premium 64bit
       #1

    SSD & HDD Both Failed?


    Hi Guys,

    Looking for some advice. Apologies if this is in the wrong place.

    I built a completely new rig for myself around 16 months ago and the only real problem I have had (up until now) was an assumed power surge that fried the onboard sound on the MoBo necessitating me addiding a sound card.

    My Build:
    Case - Corsair Carbide 500R
    MoBo - Asus Maximus V GENE Z77
    CPU - Intel Core i5 3570K
    Memory - 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR3
    GPU - EVGA GTX 670 2GB
    PSU - Corsair TX750
    Cooling - Arctic I30
    SSD - Crucial M4 128GB (Running OS)
    HDD - Seagate Barracuda 2TB
    Sound Card - Asus Xonar DGX 5.1
    Optical Drive - Pioneer DVDRW
    OS - Windows 7 Premium

    ---------------------------------

    The Problem:
    A week ago I decided to undertake some much needed cable management (something I had neglected since I first built the rig). I took all the necessary precautions (that i am aware of) - unplugged all peripherals, turned off and unplugged power supply, worked with an anti staic wrist strap (I must admit that I did forget on occasion that I had unclipped the wire).

    I unplgugged everything from the MoBo other than the CPU and Cooler, gave everything a quick blast with an air duster, organized and routed the cables properly and then plugged everything back in.

    Everything seemed to be working fine, the computer booted as it should.

    Then, a couple of days ago, I went to open a program I have saved to the HDD but instead of popping open I got a message saying that the drive where this program is saved wasn't attached. I went to 'My Computer' and sure enough the only drive showing was the SSD.

    I figured there must be a loose connection somewhere, so I booted down and proceeded to open up the case and make sure everything was secure and where it should be. After I decided all was as okay I booted back up but this time...nothing. The motherboard BIOS screen flashed past as normal but that was followed by a black screen telling me to plug in a drive and then hit enter. So at this point it seems the MoBo is not recognising the HDD or the SSD.

    ---------------------------------

    What I Have Tried:

    To begin with I started uplugging the sata and power cables and then refitting them, all just to double check that I hadn't left anything loose. No fix.

    I went into the Boot menu in BIOS and all that was showing was the optical drive. The SATA config menu in BIOS showed no devices present.

    I then got online with my old computer and started to google my problems but found no threads dealing with the specific issues I am experiencing.

    I then did some cross testing.

    I took the HDD from my old PC and attached it to my new PC using the New Sata cables and I got my new PC to sucesfully boot albeit Windows Vista wanted to go through a startup repair.

    I took the SSD from my new PC and plugged it into my old PC. Old PC would not boot and asked for a drive to be inserted. BIOS showed no drives attached.

    I took the HDD from my new PC (no OS installed) and plugged that into my old PC. No boot and the BIOS again showed no drives attached.

    ---------------------------------

    This has all left me scratching my head. If it is the drives that have failed what are the chances that both the SSD and HDD would kick the bucket at near enough the same time. What would cause the drives to fail in the first place? Have I completely missed an obvious step?

    Thank you for taking the time to read and for any help you may be able to offer. Please accept my apologies for a lengthy post but I felt it best to supply as much info as possible.

    Jack
      My Computer


  2. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #2

    This is indeed strange. I would check whether the disks work from a USB caddy (on another working system) to check whether the disks work at all or whether they are toast.
      My Computer


  3. jcg
    Posts : 3
    Windows 7 Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks for your reply WHS,

    I should probably mention that the HDD doesn't even spin up.

    I am not familiar with a 'USB Caddy' is this something I can pick up cheap?
      My Computer


  4. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #4

    Here are some cheap ones in the US. But I would not know about the UK.

    Newegg.com - $0 - $10, hdd enclosure

    I actually prefer this type because it works with 2.5" and 3.5" disks.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153066
      My Computer


  5. jcg
    Posts : 3
    Windows 7 Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Thanks that's great. I think I can spare the cash on one of those.

    Although logic is telling me they are FUBAR I still can't help but hope that they still have life in them.

    Surely modern pc components are surge protected? Especially expensive corsair PSUs.
      My Computer


  6. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #6

    The caddies are always nice to have. I use half a dozen (on different PCs) and buy bare bone disks as externals - is cheaper. One USB3 caddy I use to run Windows 8 and a few Linux distros from a SSD. Works really well.

    Portable OS - Carry your OS on an External Drive

    Here is how it works - example Windows 8.

    VMware Player - a Windows 8 Demo
      My Computer


 

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