Installing secondary HDD on Vista desktop - drive not recognised in Disk Mgt

googler

Just need a reality check from the PC techs, make sure I'm not missing something obvious.

Installing secondary HDD on OH's PC, which is a Dell Inspiron. Currently a 250Gb primary, so ordered another 250Gb WD SATA.

Physically install HDD in bay, connect power cable (on same harness as primary, with matching power connector, so obviously the connector intended for this bay.

Connect data cable to spare slot on motherboard; these are colour coded, primary HDD in a black one, optical drive in a white, leaving one spare of each colour, so insert data cable into black, and other end to HDD.

Power on, login, and all online advice says the HDD should be found in Disk Management, and I should format it. But it doesn't show up.

Currently trying the data cable in a white mobo slot, but not hopeful that will make a difference.

New drive is a SATA III, but all advice I've found suggests that should integrate with SATA II and I seamlessly ....

There's a PC world close by, so if white socket doesn't work, it'll be try another cable, then try the HDD in the SATA caddy that I have to eliminate whether or not each of those is faulty ...

Am I missing anything?

googler

There's a jumper panel, but all advice suggests that jumpers are only required when installing the drive in a server environment, and that it should be left alone for PC applications.

DavidFx

Is the new drive appearing on the BIOS splash screen? - or open the BIOS during boot and see if it's listed
If not take the cables from the optical drive (if SATA) and connect to the new HDD - if recognised in BIOS then the drive is OK

If Optical drive is not SATA then use existing HDD connection to the new HDD

Once you have proven the drive works, then use the spare power connection with the existing HDD (proves the power is present on the spare power connection) and then use the spare SATA cable on the existing HDD drive (proves the cable is OK).

If this all checks out then the problem must be at the motherboard end.

Figment

DavidFx wrote: »

Is the new drive appearing on the BIOS splash screen? - or open the BIOS during boot and see if it's listed
If not take the cables from the optical drive (if SATA) and connect to the new HDD - if recognised in BIOS then the drive is OK

If Optical drive is not SATA then use existing HDD connection to the new HDD

Once you have proven the drive works, then use the spare power connection with the existing HDD (proves the power is present on the spare power connection) and then use the spare SATA cable on the existing HDD drive (proves the cable is OK).

If this all checks out then the problem must be at the motherboard end.

Whilst in the BIOS, check the SATA Channel the new drive is attached to is enabled.

googler

In the BIOS, another online source suggested changing 'HDD smart' to disabled, and enabling SATA 2 & 3.

It's already set to disabled, but all the SATAs are greyed out, and I've yet to see a way to access them.

The drive serial of the primary drive is against SATA 0, the optical drive on SATA 1, and both 2& 3 say 'None'

googler

Ah, this might be it - in the BIOS, withh HDD Smart disabled...

Step 2:!Advanced / Integrated Peripherals / Serial-ATA Configuration;
set the!SATA controller to SATA 1+2 - this activates the other 2 SATA ports

Trying just now, will report back

googler

googler wrote: »

Ah, this might be it - in the BIOS, withh HDD Smart disabled...

Step 2:!Advanced / Integrated Peripherals / Serial-ATA Configuration;
set the!SATA controller to SATA 1+2 - this activates the other 2 SATA ports

Trying just now, will report back

This worked, got unallocated new drive in disk management now.... Just need to format it.

Thanks!

-TangleFoot-

You can probably turn SMART back on - it's a potentially useful source of information.

Verb

diskmgmt.msc

Type the above in the cmd prompt and give the new drive a letter.

i.e DVD drive is normally (D:)

Lucero_2

-TangleFoot- wrote: »

You can probably turn SMART back on - it's a potentially useful source of information.

but mostly woefully inaccurate