Anybody got a fix for this?

[killakiwi]

Hi guys, I have a brand new system, everything is less than 3 months old, everything works just fine. Except...

New Asus P8Z77 V mobo, i5, GTX680.

My HDD, or lack thereof I should say.

My SSD(vertex 4) works fine, is plugged into a SATA 6GBs header on the mobo, all good.

My HDD on the other hand is brand new.WD 1TB Blue. Upon entering disk mangement and selecting to format it, it starts, but after 5 mins, my pc freezes. Totally. No Alt-ctrl-del, no task manger, nothing.

This happens everytime. This is my 3rd HDD that has given me problems, and havent actuzally had a working HDD in my pc since i built it. Everything is on my puny 128GB SSD.

Why, when trying to format my new HDD does it freeze my pc?

Thanks in advance for your wise words.

 

[Dereck47]

Have all 3 HDDs been connected to the same SATA port?
If so, try connecting it to another port.

Your motherboard has 8 SATA ports. Your Vertex 4 should be connected to one of the 2 Intel 6Gb/s ports. Your HDD should be connected to an Intel port also; doesn't matter if it's a 3Gb/s port or a 6Gb/s port.

It's also possible that your Vertex 4 is the source of your problems, so make sure it is on the current firmware version 1.5.

Your motherboard BIOS should also be on version 1205.

 

[killakiwi]

Ah, I see. So how do i update my bios? And the ssd firmware? Id have to delete all my data right?

I tried switching round the ports on the mobo, same result, even tried the asmedia one....nope. thanks dez

 

[Dereck47]

Download the OCZ Toolbox and see what your current firmware is.
If you are on version 1.3 or 1.4RC, then updating to 1.5 will delete all of your data.
If you are on version 1.4 then updating to 1.5 will not delete your data.
Here' the link to the Toolbox: http://www.ocztechnology.com/ssd_tools/OCZ_Vertex_4_and_Agility_4/

Your motherboard manual will have instructions on updating your BIOS.
Since you're not that familiar on how to update it then don't do it unless updating your SSD doesn't fix your problem.

 

[killakiwi]

ok, now i have a problem. my version is too old, so it will be destructive. Everything, including my OS runs off my SSD because my stupid HDD never works. SO how do I update my firmware when my OS is on there and everything else?

Dam, being a noob sucks...

 

[Dereck47]

Ok, then forget about updating your SSD & BIOS for the moment.
Wait for other suggestions from other Forum members. Most likely someone will have a suggestion that I haven't thought of that will work.

I forgot to ask, have you tried "Quick" formatting the HDD?

 

[rusabus]

I think it's safe to say that your issue is not being caused by drivers. Even if you had no drivers installed or the incorrect drivers installed, you shouldn't be seeing issues like this. I'd also doubt the system BIOS would be causing problems like this. Same goes for software/OS - especially with a clean load of Windows. I'd mostly suspect hardware.

You say this is the 3rd HDD with this issue. Have all 3 HDDs been the same model? I doubt there is a compatibility problem, but if you had tried multiple models with the same failure, we could rule that out for sure.

You've tried multiple ports on the MB - including the Intel and non-Intel ports and still have the problem, so we can probably rule out a motherboard issue.

At this point, there seem to be 3 likely possibilities: the SATA data cable for your hard drive, the power connector for your hard drive, or your power supply. Any of those three could possibly produce similar errors. Do you have any spare SATA cables (maybe the one hooked to your optical drive)? That would be a cheap/easy fix. You could also try a different power connector for the HDD if you've got one available, or try cleaning the power connector with a small brush (like a small paint brush) and some alcohol.

Even though a hard drive doesn't draw much power, it may be sensitive to exact voltages on your power supply. Can you post some details about your power supply? (Make/model)

--Russel

 

[smorizio]

has anyone check the firmware of the hard drive??? has the mb sata chipset set to ide or achi or raid?? it should be the default of achi. did you install the newest intel chipset driver from intel. so that the pci controller would work right. run cpu-z and see what the ram sped is running at. under the ai tools set the dram speed to xmp. try using a Hiren's BootCD 15.1 boot from the cd and see if the drive will format in dos. if it does run a few virus scan from the cd..if it fails run the smart and the wd tools to check the drive. the replacment drivers were they new from new egg or rma replacments..if there rma replacment check that the vendor did not send you the same drive back as tested fine. on the sata drive make sure no one put a jumper on the drive they dont need one.

 

[killakiwi]

hi again guys.

So i tried swapping out all the cables, tried different ports on the mobo and still same issue.

It will start to format, and then freeze, like 5 mins in....

SATA chipset set to ACHI.

format in DOS? dude, i think that is way past my techno skills.... im a noob.


I think they sent me back the same drive withthe 2nd one, but this one, the 3rd, was only built on the 2nd July, its new. Weird huh....

The firmware on my SSD is out of date, dunno if it matters, but all my stuff, my OS included is on it. so how do i update it? Should i just wipe everything and start again?

Fresh install of everything?

 

[killakiwi]

hi again guys.

So i tried swapping out all the cables, tried different ports on the mobo and still same issue.

It will start to format, and then freeze, like 5 mins in....

SATA chipset set to ACHI.

format in DOS? dude, i think that is way past my techno skills.... im a noob.


I think they sent me back the same drive withthe 2nd one, but this one, the 3rd, was only built on the 2nd July, its new. Weird huh....

The firmware on my SSD is out of date, dunno if it matters, but all my stuff, my OS included is on it. so how do i update it? Should i just wipe everything and start again?

Fresh install of everything?

 

[ShadyHamster]

heres an idea, unplug the ssd from the system and plug just the HD in, then try formatting the HD through the windows installation setup.

 

[killakiwi]

ah. my OS is on the SSD.

How would i do what you said with no OS...

Just unplug the ssd and turn it on and see what happens or what?

WHat would happen if i unplugged ssd and just turned it on with only the hdd plugged in? no OS, nothing?

 

[killakiwi]

so i just turn it on like a brand new system and try to insall windows on it? ok, will do when i get home from work, cheers man

 

[ShadyHamster]

well dont actually install windows on it, just go as far through the windows setup until you reach the part where you choose what harddrive to install it to, then format the drive from there, or you could just click next, windows will automaticly format the drive before starting to install then you could simply just restart the pc once it starts coping over the files then turn it off to plug the ssd back in. sorry should of explained it better lol.

 

[killakiwi]

oh, ok, well that kinda makes sense. so none of the above will destroy anything?

 

[ShadyHamster]

the worst thing that can happen is that pc freezes while attempting to format the HD and you're back to square one.

 

[killakiwi]

does anyone here live in Hamburg, Germany and want some money to come fix this ***....?

 

[dingo07]

My wife's family lives there... I'll be on the next flight!

I would check Device Manager for issues before going any further. Click START button in Windows, right-click COMPUTER and then click MANAGE - then click Device Manager and see if there's any red X's or yellow exclamation points. If you have any, then you need to update the drivers an/or reinstall them for that device.

 

[voodooking]

First and formost. What is the make and watttage of your power supply? You may just need more power.

Keep in mind that updating your firmware may be really important and it might just be esaier to start over from scratch and redo everything. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you don't. My Vertex 3 runs great without the update. But for now, lets just start with the power supply.

 

[JoeMomma]

I don't know if this will work but try d/l this drive utility Acronis True Image from Western Digital.
That is their method for formatting.
Also all drives are shipped pre-formatted.
You should never have to format unless you want to wipe an old drive.
But your failed attempts might mean you HAVE to format now.
Very important - If you are using Windows 7 you must format using NTFS. FAT16 or FAT32 will not work.

Also try Control panel>Admin tools>Computer Management>Storage>Disk Management.
Right-click to Activate and set the Partition size, then format.

if all that fails, I just read this yesterday.
PC World (USA) WIndows Fixes - February 2012

 

[ShadyHamster]

I don't know if this will work but try d/l this drive utility Acronis True Image from Western Digital.
That is their method for formatting.
Also all drives are shipped pre-formatted.
You should never have to format unless you want to wipe an old drive.
But your failed attempts might mean you HAVE to format now.
Very important - If you are using Windows 7 you must format using NTFS. FAT16 or FAT32 will not work.

Also try Control panel>Admin tools>Computer Management>Storage>Disk Management.
Right-click to Activate and set the Partition size, then format.

if all that fails, I just read this yesterday.
PC World (USA) WIndows Fixes - February 2012

over the last 8 or so years ive been buying computer parts ive never had a drive come preformatted
unless its a recent change in the last 6months?
only drives i know that have come preformatted are externals.