HDD shows up in BIOS but not in Windows.

Inceptionist

Journeyman
I've got friend's PC for the purpose of checking what's wrong with it. So I cleaned it and ran Memtest on RAM first, no issues with that.

Then I scanned the HDD (Seagate Barracuda 500 GB) for issues with UBCD. It gave me no errors. But the problem is that it is not detected by Windows. It however, shows up in BIOS.

Also, there's a click sound from HDD after every two seconds.

What might be the issue?
 

Flash

Lost in speed
1.Check whether the HDD is appearing in Disc management; If the drive letter is not assigned in here, it won't be visible in Win Explorer.
2.If detected --> sometimes, partitions may be lost thereby halts the drive from showing up, then try Partition Find and Mount — free partition recovery software
 
OP
Inceptionist

Inceptionist

Journeyman
1.Check whether the HDD is appearing in Disc management; If the drive letter is not assigned in here, it won't be visible in Win Explorer.
2.If detected --> sometimes, partitions may be lost thereby halts the drive from showing up, then try Partition Find and Mount — free partition recovery software

The HDD is formatted without any partitions and it doesn't show up in the storage management.
[MENTION=126812]whitestar_999[/MENTION] That's why I'm worried.
 

RBX

In the zone
I too have a a 500GB Barracuda which makes clicking sound. Sometimes it shows up in Windows and works absolutely fine, but sooner or later it starts making clicking sound and disappears. I have run various tests on it and haven't found a problem. I was suggested to try a different SATA cable (which I haven't tried yet), you should try if you haven't already.
 
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whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
The best way to find out if you need a new sata cable is by looking at ultraDMA CRC error count in S.M.A.R.T. values(run crystaldisk info free portable zip version which doesn't need to be installed).A faulty sata cable cause ultradma crc value to increase continuously.In fact post a screenshot of crystaldisk info here(use imgur).
 

RBX

In the zone
The best way to find out if you need a new sata cable is by looking at ultraDMA CRC error count in S.M.A.R.T. values(run crystaldisk info free portable zip version which doesn't need to be installed).A faulty sata cable cause ultradma crc value to increase continuously.In fact post a screenshot of crystaldisk info here(use imgur).

*i.imgur.com/eWUcHBs.png
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
Values seems fine so i am guessing problem with mechanical sub-systems of hdd is the reason for ticking sound.btw 11506 counts for 6066 hours of operation is a bit high,do you turn on & off you hdd quite often.
 

RBX

In the zone
Values seems fine so i am guessing problem with mechanical sub-systems of hdd is the reason for ticking sound.btw 11506 counts for 6066 hours of operation is a bit high,do you turn on & off you hdd quite often.

No, I don't even keep it connected. I think it's because when it starts clicking, it keeps connecting and disconnecting.
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
What do you mean by you don't keep it connected?Storing hdd for a long time(say 7-8 months without operation) is not recommended.
 

RBX

In the zone
What do you mean by you don't keep it connected?Storing hdd for a long time(say 7-8 months without operation) is not recommended.

I use it to store anime, and do use it once in a while to copy stuff over to my laptop, otherwise it stays disconnected because I can connect at most two SATA devices to my PSU (was a really bad choice by my dad - both cabinet and PSU), and I use 2x 1TB.
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
any psu can support 4-5 sata devices,don't you use ide-sata power connector available for ~20-30 in local pc shops.
*ep.yimg.com/ay/directron/ide-to-sata-power-adapter-4pin-ide-to-15pin-sata-oem-3.gif
 

RBX

In the zone
any psu can support 4-5 sata devices,don't you use ide-sata power connector available for ~20-30 in local pc shops.
*ep.yimg.com/ay/directron/ide-to-sata-power-adapter-4pin-ide-to-15pin-sata-oem-3.gif

Yes, I know, but I didn't bother because HDD kept getting disconnected. I even disconnected the optical drive because I don't use it much.
The cabinet is quite small, and already cluttered, so I try to connect only what is necessary.
 

RBX

In the zone
This with some changes in HDDs - *www.digit.in/forum/pc-components-c...-guide-2011-q4-65.html?highlight=#post1514032
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
According to this psu is 250w which is bad for an i5 system,tell your dad to get a good 400w psu as soon as possible.
*tech.firstpost.com/product/cases/piano-126-specification-320612.html
I suspect this is also the reason for your hdd issue.
 

RBX

In the zone
I've been wanting to get a new PSU for a while, but I'm afraid it's not that simple. The space in cabinet is too limited, a new PSU won't fit in the space of previous.
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
Are you sure?even my 7-8 years old intex mid tower cabinet could accommodate branded psu.If sure then spend 500-600 extra & get some cheap intex mid tower cabinet.
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
All ATX psu are same standard size so any psu should fit but you can check it in any local pc shop by testing with some 500w local psu.This one has only (12V*18A)=216 Watt on 12V rail(most essential as it provides power to cpu,hdd,graphics card,remaining rails are mostly for non-essential stuff like usb & some mobo function etc so their power doesn't count much as max load is on 12V rail) so it is really bad for your system.
 
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