Windows does not see the ssd drive. The computer does not see the SSD drive after connecting: identifying the problem and solution

The development of technology in the field of computer hardware has made it possible to achieve maximum performance and durability from any parts necessary for the operation of the device. Another issue is compatibility. It often happens that a completely new part, tested by many users, simply refuses to work properly. Or it is not located by the system at all. One of these situations is that the computer does not see the new SSD drive.

It is worth noting that this type of parts is often purchased due to the increased level of performance, reliability, low energy consumption and some other parameters. Most often it is installed as a system disk. However, even this can fail.

This material will talk about why this can happen and what to do about it.

Why might this happen?

A computer is a complex system. Therefore, in order to determine what exactly led to the appearance of this or that problem, you need to dig deep inside the system unit or laptop. And then, the answer will not always be received. In the case when the computer does not see the SSD disk, the causes of the error may be the following:

the device is missing a letter;
it has not been initialized;
there are hidden partitions on the disk;
the file system of the part is incompatible with the Windows operating system;
Often the cause may be incorrectly configured BIOS settings;
You should also not exclude the fact that if the computer does not see the M2 SSD, the media itself may be physically damaged;
The connection parts to the motherboard and the device itself may also be damaged.

Let's take a closer look at all the possible causes and ways to solve them.

The drive letter is missing

In the “My Computer” section, where all drives connected to the computer are displayed, you can always see what letter or name each of them has. However, there are times when the letter is missing and the SSD is not visible in My Computer. To solve the problem, you need to make sure that the device has a name. More on how to do this.

How to assign a drive letter?

In order to perform this operation, you must use the "Run" function.

On your keyboard, press the key combination “Win” and “R”. In the window that appears, enter the phrase "compmgmt.msc".
This will take you to Disk Management.

Right-click on the line of the required SSD. In the context menu, select the option to change the drive letter or path to it.
As soon as a new window appears, click on the “change” button.
Select a letter from the list that will not match any other letter already on the computer.
Click the "OK" button.

As a result of these actions, the problem that the computer does not see the SSD will be solved.

Device not initialized

Sometimes the following problem can occur: a completely new disk, without any damage, is not visible by the system when connected to a computer. In this case, it may appear uninitialized. So, to fix this error, you need to follow all the steps given below.

How to initialize a disk?

The solution to this problem must again begin by activating the "Run" function.

On your keyboard, press the "Win" and "R" keys. In the window that appears, enter "compmgmt.msc".
In the Disk Management program menu, find the required drive in the list on the right and right-click on it. In the pop-up menu, activate the line
Make sure the box named "Disk 1" is checked.
Place a marker near the item where MBR or GPT is mentioned. But before that you need to decide. If you have Windows 7 or earlier releases of Windows 10, you should select the Master Boot Record. If you always update the operating system to the latest version, then put a marker on the table with GUID partitions.
Once this procedure is completed, you can create a new partition on the SSD. To do this, click on the disk and activate the function to create a simple volume. After this, a specialized wizard will open.
Here you need to click on the next button.
The volume size is now specified. The options may be as follows: the volume will be equal to the size of the entire disk or it will occupy a small part of it.
Once the required volume is selected, click the "Next" button.
The next step is to assign a drive letter. This is almost the very end of the solution to the problem when the computer does not see the new SSD. It is necessary to choose so that the new letter does not coincide with the one already assigned.
Now you need to do formatting. Leave all recommended values unchanged.
Enable quick formatting option.
Click "Done".

After completing this algorithm, the problem that the computer does not see the SSD will be solved.

A hidden partition has appeared on the disk

Having a hidden SSD partition is another reason for this problem to occur. It can occur when the volume was opened using third-party programs in order to deny access to the data. To solve this problem, you will need to use the MiniToolPartition Wizard.

How to remove a hidden partition from a disk?

First you need to download this application to your computer. You can do this on the official website or torrent tracker.

as soon as the program has been downloaded and installed, it is launched;
Right-click on the drive you are looking for;
select the Unhide partition function in the pop-up menu;
after that, assign a letter to the hidden section and agree to apply the changes;
The last step is to check the Explorer window to see if hidden sections are displayed.

There are no partitions on the disk

Another reason why the computer does not see the SSD after connecting may be the absence of partitions. This can happen with a new drive or one that has not been used for a long time. The cause may be damage to a system file, infection with a virus, or violation of the rules for using the device.

Often, when such a situation arises, it is recommended to initialize the disk. However, there is a high chance that you will lose all the data stored on it.

How to fix missing partition error?

If the computer does not see the M2 SSD due to missing volumes, then you should again use the previously mentioned MiniToolPartition Wizard program:

After launching it, select the disk you are looking for and go to the “Check Disk” menu, activate the “Partition Recovery” line.
Here you need to select the disk scanning range. Among the options "Full Disk", "Unallocated space" and "Specified Range", select the first option and proceed further through the program.
Now you need to select a quick or full disk scan. In the first case, partitions that were hidden or deleted will be restored. The second option will scan all sectors of the previously selected range.
As soon as the scan is completed, a list of results will open in the form of found sections.
Select the ones you need and complete the operation. Afterwards you need to confirm the start of the recovery process.
As a result of these actions, the disk should appear in the Explorer menu.

BIOS program error

Another reason why the computer does not see the SSD (No. 1, 3/4) may be incorrect Bios settings. In this case, solving the problem involves analyzing several directions at once, since there are many options for why the BIOS leads to such an error.

Incorrect SATA mode or completely disabled

To fix this error, you must follow the steps below:

Enter the BIOS program. This is done when the computer starts, using a specific key.
Activate the advanced settings mode using the F7 button or the “advanced” parameter. Confirm the transition to a specific mode.
In the same tab, find the configuration of the built-in devices. Click on the Serial Port Configuration line.
In the Serial Port line, check the value of the switch. It should be "on". Otherwise, go to the parameter and install this option.

Incorrectly configured BIOS settings

This may also be the reason why the computer does not see the SSD. You can check by the system date value. If it does not correspond to the real data, then a failure has occurred. To correct the situation, you need to reset all settings:

First, the computer is disconnected from the network.
If we are talking about a stationary device, remove the wall of the system unit. If the problem occurs on a laptop, unscrew the bottom cover.
There is a small battery on the motherboard, near which there is a CLRTC toggle switch.
Switch it to position 2-3 and wait half a minute. Then return it back to 1-2.
You can also simply remove the battery itself and return it to its place after the same period of time.

Cable damage

Another possible problem could be a damaged SATA cable. To make sure your guesses are correct or unreliable, you need to check all connections between the drive and the motherboard. All wires should lie flat and without strong bends. They can cause internal damage to the cable. And if this happens, then it should be replaced.

To connect SATA devices without problems, it is recommended to use cords that are longer than one meter.

Damage to the drive itself

If all the above methods did not have any effect and the computer does not see the SSD drive after connecting, you should carefully inspect it for any external damage. If there are none, you should return the device under warranty (if it is new). Many stores check returned items, so you can find out if the problem is with the disk or part of your computer.

If the SSD is old enough, you should take care of replacing it as soon as possible.

First you need to define a hard drive. A hard drive or “hard drive”, also known as HDD, is used to save data. All computer files are located here (there are only minor exceptions). It contains Windows 10, as well as all the information. Thus, if the hard drive is not displayed, information from it will also be unavailable.

HDD diagnostics

If the system does not detect the hard drive, then you need to determine the reason.

Find out: the problem is in the hard drive itself or in the operating system.

You need to connect the hard drive to the system unit. If the device is successfully detected, there may be a problem in the software, otherwise the hard drive is defective.

Working with the software

If, after updating Windows 7/8.1 to Windows 10, the operating system no longer sees the second hard drive, then below are the best steps to fix the problem. This instruction will also help if the user has installed an HDD or SSD in the system unit, but only the BIOS sees it and does not display the operating system explorer. And if the BIOS does not show it, then you need to analyze the correctness of the equipment connection.

“Turn on” the second hard drive correctly

You need to press the + R keys to bring up the “Run” menu and type diskmgmt.msc. Next press Enter. The Windows 10 Disk Management utility will launch. At the bottom of the window there will be an area where the drives are listed; examine the following information about them:

“There is no data. Not initialized” - this will be written if the physical hard drive or SSD is not displayed;
Are there parts of the disk where it says “Not distributed”? This is when there is no partition on the virtually partitioned space;
In the absence of the above, the RAW partition and NTFS or FAT32 partitions are displayed; they are not visible in Windows and the volume letter is not assigned. You need to right-click on it and click “Format” (if RAW) or “Assign letter”.
Right-click on the name of the area and click “Initialize”.

In the menu that appears, determine the partition structure - MBR (in Windows 7) or GPT (GUID). For Windows 10, GPT is better.

Next, you need to right-click on the unallocated part and select “Create a simple volume”.

Follow the step-by-step instructions for creating a volume: select a letter, determine the file system (preferably NTFS) and the number of gigabytes of space. If you do not specify how many gigabytes there will be, then it will take up all the unallocated space.

Once you complete these steps, the second drive will appear in Windows 10, ready for use.

Using the command line to make the second disk visible

This option is provided for information only and is not recommended. If you do not have a positive result after completing the steps above and if you do not know the essence of the steps below, then it is strongly recommended not to use them.

You need to display a command line with administrator rights, then enter the following commands in sequence:

diskpart
list disk

Write down on a piece of paper or remember the number of the disc that is not displayed (hereinafter referred to as X). Execute the command select disk X by pressing the Enter key.

If the second hard drive is not visible, then use the following commands. Carefully! The files will be erased! If you need to save files on a partition that is not displayed, you cannot perform the above steps. So, we sequentially enter the commands in the console:

clean (removes all files);
create partition primary (it is possible to set size=S, the size of the partition in MB, if multiple partitions are required);
format fs=ntfs quick
assign letter=D (we write - D).

More complex operations can be done using the command line, but it is recommended to use it only if you have the necessary knowledge in this area. You should also save the necessary information in advance before doing this.

An alternative way to the built-in capabilities of Windows is to use special applications for partition recovery.

If the BIOS does not see the SSD, then this problem may have several main causes. Below we will tell you what can lead to the BIOS refusing to recognize the SSD, as well as in what cases this problem can be solved, and what needs to be done to do this.

SSD (Solid State Drive, solid state drive or solid state drive) is a device that implements new technology in the field of long-term storage of information for computers. Unlike a hard drive, a solid-state drive does not use magnetic plates to store information, but non-volatile memory cells, for example, NAND memory, which is also used in well-known flash drives. Thus, an SSD disk is, in fact, an advanced “flash drive”. Due to its operating principle, a solid-state drive does not have the main disadvantage of a hard drive - low reliability. This is due to the absence of fragile and shock-sensitive mechanical parts in the SSD. In addition, modern solid-state drives have high speeds for reading and writing data, significantly exceeding those of hard drives.

However, since the cost per unit of information volume on a solid-state drive is still several times higher than that of hard drives, SSDs are rarely used as the main device for storing information. In most cases, solid-state drives are installed in computers as system drives, that is, drives on which the operating system and its service files are located. In this case, the speed advantages of SSDs are especially useful because they allow the operating system to load and run faster.

Problems with connecting solid-state drives and their solutions

Despite the fundamentally different principle of storing information, in most cases solid-state drives use the same form factors and interfaces as traditional hard drives. Today, as a rule, it is used as an interface for connecting solid-state drives to a computer. This means that SSDs can be susceptible to the same connection issues that plague SATA hard drives. In addition, SSDs designed to connect to special Micro SATA (mSATA), M.2 or high-speed expansion slots have recently become widespread.

Let's assume that you purchased a solid-state drive, connected it to a SATA connector, installed it in the computer case, but when connected, it turns out that the drive is not detected in the BIOS. What could be the reason for such a malfunction?

Firstly, in the BIOS itself. First of all, it makes sense to check the BIOS settings, since it may turn out that the SATA controller is disabled in your computer. If this is the case, then the corresponding option must be set to Enabled. If such an operation does not help, and the disk is still not detected, then you can try resetting the BIOS to default settings. It is also worth checking whether your computer has the latest BIOS version installed? If not, then it makes sense to update it.

In addition, in many cases the problem lies in incorrect or careless connection of the SSD to the appropriate connectors inside the computer. As a rule, the same cables are used to connect SSDs as for connecting SATA hard drives, so potential problems when connecting SSDs are similar to problems when connecting hard drives (discussed in the article about the reasons why the BIOS does not see the hard drive).

Well, in the end, the problem may also lie in a physical malfunction of the solid-state drive itself. Even though it has no moving mechanical parts, this does not mean that it cannot fail. For example, the drive controller may be faulty. However, a significant disadvantage of solid-state drives is that the memory modules responsible for storing information are usually located on the same chip as the controller, so repairing the drive in this case may face serious difficulties or even be impossible.

It is worth mentioning one more specific feature, characteristic only of solid-state drives. Sometimes a situation arises when the computer’s SSD is not an additional device connected to the SATA connector, but is already present on the motherboard as a built-in storage device. In this case, the solid-state drive may not be visible in the BIOS, despite the fact that it can be detected by the operating system. Since such disks are initially intended for use as service drives for the needs of the operating system, this situation—when such a solid-state disk is not detected by the BIOS—is normal, since such a disk is, in fact, part of the motherboard.

Conclusion

Solid-state drives, or SSDs, are a promising type of storage device, and such drives are currently used in a significant portion of modern computers. Therefore, problems when connecting an SSD to a computer at this time cannot be classified as exotic malfunctions that most users have virtually no chance of encountering.

The inability of the BIOS to recognize an SSD drive can be the result of various problems, both with the BIOS settings and with the drive itself. If all the user’s attempts to restore the drive’s functionality on their own end in failure, and we can say with confidence that the drive itself is faulty, then the only way out in this case is to repair or replace it.

The computer does not see the SSD— a solid-state drive, compared to a hard drive, has such advantages as a high level of performance and reliability, low power consumption, lack of noise, and much more. Therefore, more and more users are choosing SSD as their system one. When connecting such a drive, you may find that it is not detected by the system or is not even displayed in the BIOS. This may look like a missing disk in Explorer, Windows settings, or in the BIOS boot selection list.

Causes of SSD connection problems

Problems with displaying the SSD in the system can occur for reasons such as a missing drive letter or initialization, the presence of hidden partitions, and a file system incompatible with Windows. At the same time, this may occur due to incorrect BIOS settings and physical damage to the disk itself or one of the connection elements between the motherboard and the SSD.

Reason 1: The disk is not initialized

It often happens that The computer does not see the SSD drive and is not initialized when connected to a computer and, as a result, it is not visible in the system. The solution is to perform the procedure manually according to the following algorithm.

1. Press “Win+R” simultaneously and enter compmgmt.msc in the window that appears. Then click "OK".

2. A window will open where you should click “Disk Management”.

3. Right-click on the desired drive and select “Initialize disk” in the menu that opens.

Next, make sure that the “Disk 1” field is checked, and place a marker next to the item that mentions MBR or GPT. “Master Boot Record” is compatible with all versions of Windows, but if you plan to use only current releases of this OS, it is better to select “Table with GUID partitions”.

5. After completing the procedure, you should create a new partition. To do this, click on the disk and select “Create simple volume”.

6. The “New Volume Creation Wizard” will open, in which we click “Next”.

7. Then you need to indicate the size. You can leave the default value, which is the maximum disk size, or select a smaller value. After making the necessary changes, click “Next”.

8. In the next window, agree with the proposed volume letter option and click “Next”. If desired, you can assign another letter, the main thing is that it does not coincide with the existing one.

9. Next you need to perform formatting. Leave the recommended values in the “File system” and “Volume label” fields and, in addition, enable the “Quick format” option.

10. Click “Done”.

As a result, the disk should appear in the system.

Reason 2: Missing drive letter

Sometimes an SSD does not have a letter and therefore does not appear in Explorer. In this case, you need to assign a letter to it.

1. Go to Disk Management by repeating steps 1-2 above. Right-click on the SSD and select “Change drive letter or drive path.”

2. In the window that appears, click on “Change”.

3. Select a drive letter from the list, and then click “OK.”

After this, the specified information storage device is recognized by the OS, and standard operations can be performed with it.

Reason 3: Missing partitions

If the purchased drive is not new and has already been used for a long time, it may also not appear in My Computer. The reason for this may be damage to the system file or MBR table due to a crash, infection by a virus file, improper operation, etc. In this case, the SSD is displayed in “Disk Management”, but its status is “Not initialized”. In this case, it is usually recommended to perform initialization, but due to the risk of data loss, it is still not worth doing this.

In addition, a situation is also possible in which the drive is displayed as one unallocated area. Creating a new volume as usual may also result in data loss. The solution here may be to restore the partition. To do this, you need certain knowledge and software, for example, MiniTool Partition Wizard, which has the appropriate option.

1. Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard, and then select “Partition Recovery” from the “Check Disk” menu after specifying the target SSD. Alternatively, you can right-click on the disk and select the item of the same name.

2. Next, you need to select the SSD scanning range. There are three options available: "Full Disk", "Unallocated Space" and "Specified Range". In the first case, the search is performed across the entire disk, in the second - only on free space, in the third - on certain sectors. Leave “Full Disk” and click “Next”.

3. The next window offers two scanning mode options to choose from. The first - "Quick Scan" - recovers hidden or deleted partitions that are contiguous, and the second - "Full Scan" - scans every sector of a specified range on the SSD.

4. After scanning the disk, all found partitions are displayed as a list in the results window. Select all the required ones and click “Finish”.

5. Next, confirm the restoration operation by clicking on “Apply”. After this, all partitions on the SSD will appear in Explorer.

This should help solve the problem, but in a situation where there is no necessary knowledge and the necessary data is on the disk, it is better to turn to professionals.

Reason 4: Hidden section

Sometimes an SSD is not visible in Windows due to the presence of a hidden partition. This is possible if the user has hidden the volume using third-party software to prevent access to the data. The solution is to restore the partition using disk software. The same MiniTool Partition Wizard copes well with this task.

1. After launching the application, right-click on the target disk and select "Unhide Partition". The same function is launched by selecting the line of the same name in the menu on the left.

2. Then assign a letter to this section and click “OK”.

After this, the hidden sections will appear in Explorer.

Reason 5: Unsupported file system

If, after following the steps above, the SSD still does not appear in Explorer, the drive's file system may be different from the FAT32 or NTFS that Windows works with. Typically, such a drive appears in the disk manager as a “RAW” area. To fix the problem, you need to follow the following algorithm.

1. Launch Disk Management by repeating steps 1-2 from the instructions above. Next, click on the required partition and select the “Delete volume” line.

2. Confirm the deletion by clicking “Yes”.

3. As you can see, the volume status has changed to “Free”.

Reason 6: Problems with BIOS and hardware

There are four main reasons why the BIOS does not detect the presence of an internal SSD.

SATA is disabled or has the wrong mode

1. To enable it, go to the BIOS and activate the advanced settings display mode. To do this, click on the “Advanced” button or press “F7”. In the example below, all actions are shown for the UEFI GUI.

2. Confirm the entry by clicking “OK”.

3. Next, find Built-in Device Configuration in the “Advanced” tab.

6. If there is still a problem with the connection, you can try switching the SATA mode from AHCI to IDE or vice versa. To do this, you should first go to the “SATA Configuration” section, located in the “Advanced” tab.

Incorrect BIOS settings

The BIOS will also not recognize the drive if the settings are incorrect. This can be easily checked by the system date - if it does not correspond to the true one, this indicates a failure. To eliminate it, you need to reset and return to standard settings according to the sequence of actions below.

1. Disconnect your PC from the network.

Data cable is faulty

The BIOS will also not detect the SSD if the CATA cable is damaged. In this case, you need to check all connections between the motherboard and the SSD. It is advisable not to allow any bends or pinching of the cable when laying. All this can lead to damage to the wires inside the insulation, although externally the material may look normal. If there is any doubt about the condition of the cable, it is better to replace it. When connecting SATA devices, Seagate recommends using cables less than 1 meter in length. Longer ones can sometimes fall out of the connectors, so be sure to check that they are firmly connected to the SATA ports.

Failed SSD

If after carrying out the above procedures the disk is still not shown in the BIOS, most likely there is a manufacturing defect or physical damage to the device. Here you need to contact a computer repair shop or SSD supplier, first making sure that there is a warranty.

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at the reasons for the absence of a solid-state drive in the system or in the BIOS when it is connected. The source of such a problem can be either the condition of the disk or cable, or various software glitches and incorrect settings. Before proceeding with the fix using one of the listed methods, it is recommended to check all connections between the SSD and the motherboard and try replacing the SATA cable.

The computer does not see the SSD drive after connecting

When connecting an SSD drive, the computer may not only work incorrectly with it, but may not even detect it in the BIOS. To resolve this issue, you need to configure some of its parameters.

The main reason why the computer does not see the SSD drive is an incompatible file system with the installed version of Windows. In addition, the reason may be the absence of a disk name, an error in starting its initialization process, hidden partitions, and others.

If, when connected, the SSD disk is not perceived by the computer, you must manually carry out the initialization process itself. To do this, the user needs to open the command line through the “Start” menu or press the “Win + R” key combination. Next, enter the command “compmgmt.msc” and apply the operation.

In the list of drives, you need to select the SSD drive and call the context menu. In the list of operations you need to select “Initialize disk”.

The user will be presented with an initialization menu where parameters can be changed if necessary. In all other cases, all values should be left at default.

Once the procedure is successful, you can begin creating volumes. To do this, select the disk again, call up the context menu by clicking the second mouse button and select “Create a simple volume”.

After applying this operation, the “Create a New Volume Wizard” will open. Click on the next button and indicate the size that will be used for the file system. The operating system assigns the maximum allowed size by default, but you can change it if necessary.

For correct operation of the system and the SSD disk, you must assign a letter to it, but keep in mind that this letter must be different from the name of existing disks. By default, the system automatically assigns an available letter, but the user can always change it.

After setting the disk name, it should be formatted. To do this, in the partition formatting menu, you need to select the file system, cluster size, volume label and check the box next to the “Quick format” function. Then we move on to the next step.

Once the formatting procedure is successfully completed, you can complete the process of creating a new volume and click on the “Finish” button.

If the disk is connected correctly, but the system does not display it, the reason may be that the disk name is missing. To correct this situation, you need to go to the “Disk Management” tab, as already described above.”

Then you need to select the connected drive, call up the context menu using the second mouse button and select “Change drive letter or drive path.”

As soon as the procedure is applied, the disk will begin to be displayed correctly in the system and will become available to the user.

If the disk was previously used on another computer, it may not appear in “My Computer” when connected to another. The reason for this may be physical damage, errors in system files, tables, viruses, and so on.

Also, the disk may appear in the “Disk Management” menu, but be “Unallocated Area” in the system. Formatting and creating new volumes can lead to complete loss of data on the disk memory.

To avoid this, you should use special software to restore partitions and restore the functionality of the SSD drive itself. For example, you can use "