Can't format second SSD

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

  1. Posts : 10
    Windows XP and 7
       #1

    Can't format second SSD


    My system...
    MSI 890fxa-gd70 motherboard
    AMD Phenom II X6
    16 gig ram from Corsair
    5970 video card

    My hard drives
    2 samsung 840 pro 120 gig. Brand new fresh out of the box.

    Problem...
    Windows will partition the second SSD but will not format.

    Here is what I can/cannot and did do...
    BIOS is set to ACHI and recognizes both drives, I see them when it goes through the checks.
    I can partition both drives on install but it will not format the second drive, only the one that I'm installing windows on.
    After install in the device manager, Windows will see the second SSD, will create a partition, but will not format. I ran the manager as an administrator.
    I can install windows on both drives as long as I take the other out of the loop.
    I can secure erase, partition, and format that second drive using "Parted Magic" and windows will see and recognize it when I boot the system. If I delete partition and try to format in windows(wanted to see if it would format,) it will again create the partition but not format.
    After using "Parted Magic" again and created a partition and formated, I tried to load a game to the drive, it will work at installing for a short bit but then hang up the install. I was trying to install "Empire:Total War" and while it was thinking, I fell asleep and when I woke up, it was still stuck where it was when I fell asleep.
    I tried changing SATA ports, the order that they are on, cables, case slots(wasn't sure if maybe they were bad connectors) and nothing is allowing me to format that second drive.
    BIOS is up to date.

    I don't know what I'm missing.
      My Computer


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

    Please post a picture of your disk management
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 10
    Windows XP and 7
    Thread Starter
       #3

    whs said:
    Please post a picture of your disk management
    Ok. Will have to do that when I get home from work, so in about 8 hours.
      My Computer


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

    OK, then I'll catch it tomorrow.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 10
    Windows XP and 7
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Here is my screenshot. It has the partition but not formatted.

    My disk is also listed differently than when I installed. The disk with windows was disk 0 when I first installed and it was disk 1 that it would not format. Not sure why but it got changed to disk 1 when I changed around the connection. I'm not sure if that makes a difference and that was one of my first thoughts which is why I messed around with where the connection is made.

    Sorry I wrote the first post while I was at work. I hoped that a tidbit of information would allow me to bang on my computer with some success when I got home from work. I'm off till friday morning so I can screenshot other stuff if needed.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Can't format second SSD-hdscreenshot.png  
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 12,364
    8 Pro x64
       #6

    CreativeAnarchy said:
    I can install windows on both drives as long as I take the other out of the loop.
    So both drives can be formated to NTFS as long as the other drive is not connected?

    How long did you try the "odd drive" as the Main OS drive for?

    After installing Win on the second drive, did you attach the other drive again?




    After using "Parted Magic" again and created a partition and formated,
    Was it was formatted to NTFS?

    Since you attempted the game installation, it was obviously assigned a drive letter. (E:\ But how far did you get into the installation? By 'thinking' I'm assuming the installer couldn't start since the partition is not NTFS. )



    ***

    The physical sata ports 1-6 (white) are all the same chipset, so there "shouldn't" be any issue there.

    Ports were swapped, as were the cables - so they can be ruled out for now.

    Both drives will format and install Windows separately. Not an automatic "dud drive"


    ***

    Try this:

    run the command prompt as administrator

    type Diskpart
    type List Volume (You should see all your Hard drives and partitions, ranging from Volume 0 upwards+drive letters)

    Find the empty drive (should be Volume X Fs=RAW. Basically as long as it's not the drive that says boot/system)

    type List Disk (You should see your empty drive - in this case Disk 0 - Basically double checking its the empty drive )
    type Select Disk 0 (or the empty disk)
    type attributes disk clear readonly
    type Clean
    type Create Partition Primary
    type Select part 1
    type format fs=ntfs quick
    type assign letter E:\ (or whatever you want for the drive)


    If you encounter an error at any of the stages, please post a screenshot of the cmd prompt window+error
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 10
    Windows XP and 7
    Thread Starter
       #7

    smarteyeball said:
    CreativeAnarchy said:
    I can install windows on both drives as long as I take the other out of the loop.
    So both drives can be formated to NTFS as long as the other drive is not connected?

    How long did you try the "odd drive" as the Main OS drive for?

    After installing Win on the second drive, did you attach the other drive again?

    After using "Parted Magic" again and created a partition and formated,
    Was it was formatted to NTFS?

    Since you attempted the game installation, it was obviously assigned a drive letter. (E:\ But how far did you get into the installation? By 'thinking' I'm assuming the installer couldn't start since the partition is not NTFS. )

    ***


    Try this:

    run the command prompt as administrator

    type Diskpart
    type List Volume (You should see all your Hard drives and partitions, ranging from Volume 0 upwards+drive letters)

    Find the empty drive (should be Volume X Fs=RAW. Basically as long as it's not the drive that says boot/system)

    type List Disk (You should see your empty drive - in this case Disk 0 - Basically double checking its the empty drive )
    type Select Disk 0 (or the empty disk)
    type attributes disk clear readonly
    type Clean
    type Create Partition Primary
    type Select part 1
    type format fs=ntfs quick
    type assign letter E:\ (or whatever you want for the drive)


    If you encounter an error at any of the stages, please post a screenshot of the cmd prompt window+error
    I didn't think to hook up both after installing the OS to both disks. I was focused on if the disk was good or a brick so that idea didn't cross my mind.

    In Parted Magic, I formated to NTFS. It didn't have any problem with both disks hooked up. When I loaded windows, it detected the device and gave it a drive letter. The game started to write to the disk. When I looked at the disk while it was installing, it had a little bit of space being taken up, only about 17k but it was trying to do something with it.

    Here is my screenshot running in command. There is an I/O error. 2 other attachments are the event log. The event in the first screenshot is just the same as the rest that are below it and there are 8 of them total. The second event log screenshot is the only one that is different.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Can't format second SSD-hdscreenshot.png   Can't format second SSD-eventview1.png   Can't format second SSD-eventview2.png  
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 4,751
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit - Build 7600 SP1
       #8

    I don't know if this is what you downloaded or not, but give it a try. Best Free Partition Manager Freeware and free partition magic for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista and Windows XP 32 bit & 64 bit. MiniTool Free Partition Manager Software Home Edition. In addition to making Paritions, it will also Format.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 12,364
    8 Pro x64
       #9

    With regards to that VDS error, have a look here near the bottom of the page in the error section.

    This section in particular:
    Resolution: If the event log entry states "The driver detected a controller error on \Device", the problem is likely your storage controller on your mainboard. Check your hard drive connections and reload your storage conroller driver. If the event log entry states "VDS fails to write boot code on a disk during clean operation. Error code: 80070015@02070008", the hard drive itself has failed.

    I assume you've installed all the necessary motherboard drivers? Especially the storage controller drivers? (No warning symbols in Device Manger etc)

    If you haven't, do so now.

    If you have, then it does look the drive itself may actually be faulty after all. Or worse - the motherboard itself is damaged.

    (Although if the drive was faulty, I'm surprised it allowed Windows to install or let itself be formatted with Parted Magic)
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 10
    Windows XP and 7
    Thread Starter
       #10

    smarteyeball said:
    With regards to that VDS error, have a look here near the bottom of the page in the error section.

    This section in particular:
    Resolution: If the event log entry states "The driver detected a controller error on \Device", the problem is likely your storage controller on your mainboard. Check your hard drive connections and reload your storage conroller driver. If the event log entry states "VDS fails to write boot code on a disk during clean operation. Error code: 80070015@02070008", the hard drive itself has failed.

    I assume you've installed all the necessary motherboard drivers? Especially the storage controller drivers? (No warning symbols in Device Manger etc)

    If you haven't, do so now.

    If you have, then it does look the drive itself may actually be faulty after all. Or worse - the motherboard itself is damaged.

    (Although if the drive was faulty, I'm surprised it allowed Windows to install or let itself be formatted with Parted Magic)
    I have been thinking that it is the motherboard but not sure what else I could do to it, thought I would run down the windows path to fix before replacing hardware. I'm sure all my drivers are up to date. When I used parted magic and windows detected the drive, it did search out and load a driver but it still didn't work correctly. I've not had a problem with windows needing me to load in a driver actually, it typically finds what it needs. I have had to update but usually everything I've done is plug and play.

    This is actually a replacement when I had to RMA the first. I had gotten these drives last month and one turned out to be a brick so I had to RMA and got this replacement. It is new, not refurbished. It is possible that I could get 2 bad drives in a row but I would think that would be a very rare case.

    Very first time I loaded the drives after I got them, it went well as a RAID set up, not my intention to raid, just forgot to swap to the ACHI when I removed the platters. No problems with it working when it was set to raid.

    It has no problems when I plug into the SATA7 port, there is 1 port on the motherboard different than the SATA6 bank and it is listed as sata7 but the info in the manual on it was it was only sata2 compatable and didn't support the ACHI abilities. Found out it didn't support the ACHI through the Magician software when it showed my drive not having the higher command functions.

    I'll bang around my motherboard and see if I can do anything. I don't want to buy a new one at the moment.
      My Computer


 
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:15.
Find Us