Why the computer does not see the drive

Despite the high reliability of modern computing systems, the following questions are often asked at the forums: "Why does the computer not see the drive? What should I do? "Perhaps this problem will exist until such devices are finally pushed to the backyard of history by more technological solutions.

Picking up a screwdriver ...

Every user who encounters a situation where the computer does not see the drive, must realize that it is not the first. There is a high probability that there is nothing catastrophic in such a breakdown, the PC's working capacity can be easily restored. According to statistics, only a small part of those who had the computer stopped seeing the drive, were forced to seek help from service centers or spend money on the purchase of a new device. The majority managed to eliminate the breakdown on their own within 10-15 minutes. It is important to remember that panic and negative attitude are the worst helpers. Do not forget about the need to work with a motherboard that uses the current version of BIOS. This firmware can be downloaded from the site of the motherboard manufacturer and stitched with a special application.

Philosophy of breakdowns

The reasons why the computer does not see the drive are divided into two categories: hardware and software. For troubleshooting the first type, you must have access to the inside of the system unit. Of course, if it is sealed with a warranty sticker, then you will have to use the services of a service center. Often there are also program failures caused by a malfunction of control applications: they can and must be eliminated in any case. Let's start with the second.

Allowed channel

The overwhelming majority of modern disk drives work out of the box, that is, the user only needs to purchase the device, place it inside the system unit (in the case of the classical version) and connect two lines to it: power supply and interface cable. After the operating system is booted, the new component will be automatically recognized, drivers installed and access will be available. But sometimes a simple connection is not enough, and the system does not even see the fact of joining new equipment. The frustrated user in this case turns to the support service with the question "why the PC does not see the drive".

And the reason for the failure in the work may be in incompatible BIOS settings of the computer. To restore efficiency in this case, it is necessary to press the Del button immediately after the power supply, which will lead to the launch of the utility for configuring the parameters of the motherboard. Here, the user needs to find an information window (usually "Main"), which indicates the detected disk devices. If there is no drive name in the list, you need to go to the Storage Configuration section and set all ports to Enable, then proceed to Exit Option and save the changes. Each device connects to its port, respectively, if the use of the channel is prohibited, detection will be impossible. Therefore, if the computer does not see the DVD drive, it is necessary to make sure that this parameter of the BIOS is not prohibited.

AHCI or IDE

Sometimes the drive in the list of detected BIOS devices is present, but it does not exist in the operating system. In this case, the cause of the failure may be the unsupported channel operation mode. In the "Main" section there is a "SATA Mode" item, which can be set to IDE or AHCI mode. For the lack of failures, it is necessary that the motherboard fully support the new equipment, otherwise work is possible only with a number of restrictions. In particular, if the computer does not see the drive, then you can try switching the SATA Mode to a different mode. Please note that after this, you may need to reinstall the operating system.

Summarizing the program failures, we can say that with these problems, the most important thing is to carefully check the BIOS settings and set the correct parameters. The cardinal solution is to reset all settings to the factory state. This can be done either by closing two pins on the motherboard (their location is specified in the instruction manual) or by using the Load Optimized Defaults item in the BIOS.

Port mismatch

All modern disk drives are designed to work with the SATA interface. Obsolete PATA is almost never found, and USB is the prerogative of external solutions. Although motherboards also support a serial bus for a long time even at the chipset level, that is why there should not be problems, many owners of new computer systems, as they once did, are asking "why the computer does not see the drive". So, sometimes connecting the SATA connectors on the mainboard and the device with the appropriate loop can not lead to the desired result. And all is simple: on modern boards now install two types of SATA ports: the second and third versions. Many operating systems without installing an additional driver can not work with a newer standard, hence the problem. If the user connects the SATA-2 drive to the version 3 port, but the control package does not install, then the operation is not guaranteed. This is despite the fact that the developers declare compatibility "top-down". In practice, this is only partly true. Thus, if the computer does not see the drive, you need to make sure that its connection is made to the SATA2 port on the motherboard. If it does not, install the drivers for SATA3.

Interface cable

A bundle with a motherboard always comes with at least one serial cable. Usually it is used by the owner to communicate the hard disk and the board, but for all other devices such cable is purchased separately. The problem is that now various companies deliver their products to the market - from eminent to little-known Chinese. Accordingly, the quality also differs. Even such a simple thing as a SATA cable can malfunction, adding to the owner of gray hair. Low-quality conductors inside the cable, insufficiently strong contact plates, violation in the place of soldering: is it any wonder why the computer does not see the drive?

Necessity or excess?

Some SATA cables on the plugs contain special metal straps, with the help of which, after connecting to the connector, the possibility of spontaneous partial extraction is minimized. But the classic solutions that do not have such functionality, in some cases, lose contact with the device, why the question arises "why the computer does not see the drive."
With these problems, it makes sense to replace the interface cable. Well, if it is without fixatives, then it must be done. All self-respecting manufacturers know this nuance and deliver to the market a little more expensive, but reliable solutions.

Port Fault

One of the common causes of drive failure is the SATA failure on the motherboard. As it is not surprising, but if one of the connectors has stopped working normally, the neighbors often function without failures. Therefore, in case of such a breakdown, it is necessary to open the case of the system unit, find a loop coming from the device to the board and reconnect it to any other neighboring SATA. Note that this feature does not mean the physical failure of the port, and the problem can be in the compatibility of the drive with the board.

Problem disk

And, finally, one of the most "popular" reasons, because of which the long search for an answer to the question "why the computer does not see the drive" begin - this is an unreadable disk, forgotten in the device. Perhaps, each owner of the computer system came across compacts that did not want to be read on this drive. When you try to open the drive, the drive hums, unwinds, brakes, and in every way refuses to work with the sample. If such a problematic media is left in the drive at the time the computer is turned on, then the device may not be available after being downloaded to the operating system.