New HDD not showing up in Bios, Disk Management, or My Computer

csk32below

Commendable
Jun 23, 2016
4
0
1,510
I bought a Seagate 4 TB hard drive. It is spinning just fine. It does not show up in BIOS, Disk management, or My Computer. I have Windows 10 and an Asus Maximus Hero VII. I have also heard of this being an issue with other people, I just can't find any information on a solution.

Thanks for the help.
 
Solution
Hey there again, csk32below!

Have you tried resetting BIOS after the SATA controller & Chipset driver updates? I'd recommend you to do so. I'd also suggest you check how the HDD appears in another computer, if you haven't tried this already. Another way to troubleshoot the drive would be to connect it externally via a SATA-to-USB cable with an AC adapter or a docking station/enclosure. Check how it will get recognized from there and see if you will be able to detect it properly in Disk Management then.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
SuperSoph_WD
Welcome to the TH community, csk32below!

I'd advise you to change the SATA cable connecting the new 4 TB HDD and also check how it will get recognized if you plug it to another SATA port on the motherboard. I'd also make sure everything is physically connected properly and there are no loose cables. If you have access to another computer, I'd suggest you try to connect the HDD there and see how it will get detected there. A simple BIOS reset might also work. If it doesn't, you should probably check your motherboard manufacturer's official website for any SATA controller & chipset driver updates. While on it, check for any BIOS version updates as well.

Keep me posted with the troubleshooting!
SuperSoph_WD
 

csk32below

Commendable
Jun 23, 2016
4
0
1,510
Thank you for the quick response! So far I have done everything you mentioned except for SATA controller and chipset driver updates. I am starting those right now.
Thanks,
 
Hey there again, csk32below!

Have you tried resetting BIOS after the SATA controller & Chipset driver updates? I'd recommend you to do so. I'd also suggest you check how the HDD appears in another computer, if you haven't tried this already. Another way to troubleshoot the drive would be to connect it externally via a SATA-to-USB cable with an AC adapter or a docking station/enclosure. Check how it will get recognized from there and see if you will be able to detect it properly in Disk Management then.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
SuperSoph_WD
 
Solution

John_VanKirk

Distinguished
Hi there,
If it is now visible in the BiOS, in Win-10, next look in Disk Manager to see that it is seen by the OS. Click on Properties to see if it says "this device is working properly". Also make sure no yellow or red alert icons are there.

Next go to Disk Management and see if it is listed in the graphical area in the lower section of DM. If the Disk Status in Not Initialized, Initialize it. Did you set the new HDD as an MBR drive style or GPT? The MBR will only show the drive as 2.2 TB rather than the full size. If GPT, the full size is usable. Without anything on the drive at this point, you can RtClk and convert it to a GPT partition style as long as there are no partitions on it. Or using an MBR style, you can partition it into two or more partitions with a size < 2.2 TB each.

Then once you add a drive letter to it, and a "friendly name" it will be visible in the File Explorer as a mass storage device - ready for action!
 
One of the first troubleshooting steps a user should undertake when encountering a problem affecting the disk drive is to ascertain the health of the disk, ideally with the manufacturer's drive diagnostic program. So download Seagate's SeaTools diagnostic software to check out whether you may be dealing with a defective drive.