How to get the HDD info back to BIOS, please?

[DiaNo]

PC : Acer aspire M5700,
OS : Windows 7 Pro. 32b.
CPU: Intel Core2 Quad CPU，
RAM: DDR2 800 SDRAM 4G，
GPU: Removed & use on board Intel® G45，
PSU: Liteon 6301-08Ak, replaced by RM650x for testing.
MB : G45T AM2 V:1.0 motherboard，
HDD: WD600BEVS Scorpio 60GB

The HDD is burnt. Try to install OS on another HDD, Toshhiba MK 1032GSX. Windows installer finds no HDD
because there is not HDD info in the BIOS.

How to get the HDD info back to BIOS, please?


Thank you.

 

[auntjemima]

Well, when you say the drive is "burnt", do you mean literally or it just stopped working?

The way I see it is this. You have a drive that, for now, I am going to assume was no longer working. You replace it and the BIOS and windows do not see it.

That tells me you have either a bad SATA cable, as you have two drives with issues, both drives are bad (which does happen) or a bad power cable to that drive.

Suggestion? Try another power and SATA cable on the new drive. If it then finds it, I would hook back up the original drive to the new cables and see if it boots into windows.

 

[DiaNo]

Well, when you say the drive is "burnt", do you mean literally or it just stopped working?

The way I see it is this. You have a drive that, for now, I am going to assume was no longer working. You replace it and the BIOS and windows do not see it.

That tells me you have either a bad SATA cable, as you have two drives with issues, both drives are bad (which does happen) or a bad power cable to that drive.

Suggestion? Try another power and SATA cable on the new drive. If it then finds it, I would hook back up the original drive to the new cables and see if it boots into windows.

Thank you.


"Well, when you say the drive is "burnt", do you mean literally or it just stopped working?"
It is literally burnt. There was a "pa" burst & smell of burning metal & the HDD was burning hot.

"That tells me you have either a bad SATA cable, as you have two drives with issues, both drives are bad (which does happen) or a bad power cable to that drive."
The SATA cable is good. It is now used on another HDD.
Both HDDs are good. The one, before burnt, is the HDD running OS of this PC. The one to replace the burnt one is a HDD just taken out of another PC.
A bad power cable? I do not know for sure. But, I suspect it. This is what happened:
1.The PC, Acer aspire M5700, had some start issues. Did not start normally. (https://hardforum.com/threads/power-sw-pins-not-always-have-power.2022698/).
2. The original PSU, Liteon 6301-08Ak, was replaced with a Corsair RM650x for testing. 3
3. Then is was suggested that the motherboard, G45T AM2 V:1.0, could be the cause of the issues.
4. Bought a used G45T AM2 V:1.0 and replaced the original one.
5. Everything reassembled on the newly bought motherboard and RM650x installed, the PC would not start. It would strat without HDD connected. But would not start with HDD connected to anyone of the 4 SATA power connectors. I had the HDD connected to one of the 3 SATA power connectors for ODD, yes, the PC started normally and ran for many hours just like a normal PC doing everything.
6. Then, I had the HDD connected back to one of the 4 SATA power connectors, the 2nd one from the PSU, and tapped on the on/off switch, "pa" a burst sound and a smell and the HDD was burning hot, it was literally burnt.
7. Had another HDD formated on another PC and connected it to one of the ODD connectors and tried to install OD on this HDD. Windows installer found no driver.
8. Checked BIOS. There was no info of the HDD which was connected on one of the 3 ODD connectors.

This is why I ask how to restore HDD info back to BIOS.

 

[auntjemima]

Thank you.


"Well, when you say the drive is "burnt", do you mean literally or it just stopped working?"
It is literally burnt. There was a "pa" burst & smell of burning metal & the HDD was burning hot.

"That tells me you have either a bad SATA cable, as you have two drives with issues, both drives are bad (which does happen) or a bad power cable to that drive."
The SATA cable is good. It is now used on another HDD.
Both HDDs are good. The one, before burnt, is the HDD running OS of this PC. The one to replace the burnt one is a HDD just taken out of another PC.
A bad power cable? I do not know for sure. But, I suspect it. This is what happened:
1.The PC, Acer aspire M5700, had some start issues. Did not start normally. (https://hardforum.com/threads/power-sw-pins-not-always-have-power.2022698/).
2. The original PSU, Liteon 6301-08Ak, was replaced with a Corsair RM650x for testing. 3
3. Then is was suggested that the motherboard, G45T AM2 V:1.0, could be the cause of the issues.
4. Bought a used G45T AM2 V:1.0 and replaced the original one.
5. Everything reassembled on the newly bought motherboard and RM650x installed, the PC would not start. It would strat without HDD connected. But would not start with HDD connected to anyone of the 4 SATA power connectors. I had the HDD connected to one of the 3 SATA power connectors for ODD, yes, the PC started normally and ran for many hours just like a normal PC doing everything.
6. Then, I had the HDD connected back to one of the 4 SATA power connectors, the 2nd one from the PSU, and tapped on the on/off switch, "pa" a burst sound and a smell and the HDD was burning hot, it was literally burnt.
7. Had another HDD formated on another PC and connected it to one of the ODD connectors and tried to install OD on this HDD. Windows installer found no driver.
8. Checked BIOS. There was no info of the HDD which was connected on one of the 3 ODD connectors.

This is why I ask how to restore HDD info back to BIOS.

Thanks for the detailed information.

A lack of drive information in the BIOS means that the board is not detecting a hard drive. There are only three causes. The drive isn't receiving power, the drive is bad or the drive isn't able to provide data (via sata).

There isn't much more that it could be, besides the burnt drive possibly causing damage to the motherboard.

Since the replacement board didn't initially work and you had to make changes to do so, could your old board still be functional with the new steps and you could boot in with that and test?

Although, that could very well fry your old board as well. At this point you have a power issue somewhere that I would sort out before I keep hooking up more hard drives.

 

[DiaNo]

Thanks for the detailed information.

A lack of drive information in the BIOS means that the board is not detecting a hard drive. There are only three causes. The drive isn't receiving power, the drive is bad or the drive isn't able to provide data (via sata).

There isn't much more that it could be, besides the burnt drive possibly causing damage to the motherboard.

Since the replacement board didn't initially work and you had to make changes to do so, could your old board still be functional with the new steps and you could boot in with that and test?

Although, that could very well fry your old board as well. At this point you have a power issue somewhere that I would sort out before I keep hooking up more hard drives.

Thank you.

"The drive isn't receiving power,"
The drive receives power.

"the drive is bad"
The drive is good.

"or the drive isn't able to provide data (via sata)."
Maybe this is the reason BIOS has no info of the HDD because it is connected to the connector for ODD, not for HDD. Does this sound right?

"There isn't much more that it could be, besides the burnt drive possibly causing damage to the motherboard."
If so, this is realy, realy bad. The motherboard was built in 2006 or 2007. Very difficult to find one.

"Since the replacement board didn't initially work and you had to make changes to do so,"
I did not make any change on the purchased motherboard. The only change I did was: disconnecting the HDD from the SATA power connector for HDD & connecting the HDD to the SATA power connector for ODD.

"could your old board still be functional with the new steps and you could boot in with that and test?"
I doubt. Had bad times with that board.

 

[DiaNo]

Changed PSU and had HDD connected to SATA power connector for HDD. Still, Windows installer could find no driver of the HDD. Still, BIOS did not recognize the HDD. Tried to reseed the BIOS by taking the CR2032 for 30 minutes and put it back in again. No help.