[SOLVED] Primary Sata Drive No Longer in Bios/CP Wont Boot

drpp62 · 03-17-2008, 12:14 PM

I am not sure if I blew my drive or what, but I have two sata WD drives, one is a 500gb and the other a 300gb. The motherboard is a brand new XFX 780I. It has been working fine, but yesterday, Vista Home 32 bit locked up. The only thing I could do was perform a manual reboot.

When it came back on, it gave me a "could not find ntrdl, press control alt delete to reboot" command. I did so, and clicked on the bios as this had happened b/f when the 300gb drive had been designated as the boot drive. When this happened then, I changed the order and selected it to boot from the 500gb drive first and all was well. This time though, when I went into bios, the 500gb drive is no longer listed. I tried the search for hard drive option, but still no hard drive. As a result, I can no longer boot the computer as the Vista Windows is on the 500gb drive. I can't even reinstall Vista and start over, as the drive doesn't even appear as being there.

Did this cold reboot blow the drive? Any suggestions. Thanks.

Edit: By the way, I did not look inside yet as I had to go to work. I know it could be as simple as a cable coming undone or something, but it just seems odd that all was working just fine and then after the cold reboot, it stopped. Even if a drive is corrupt or damaged, wouldn't it still be detected in the bios, even if it doens't work?

**Deleted090308** · 03-17-2008, 03:40 PM

Hi, welcome to TSF.

Yes, the drive should be detected in BIOS.

Get rid of static electricity by touching a radiator or bare metal on the computer case.
Then unplug the computer from the wall outlet and open the case.

Replace the SATA cable going to the 500GB drive.
Try using another power plug for the drive.

What are the system specifications - CPU, PSU, video etc?

drpp62 · 03-17-2008, 03:45 PM

I will give it a try when I get home. I am hoping that just maybe the cable or the power became loose or disconnected. Although I am less than optimistic, as I wasn't rooting around in there and it shouldn't have. My system specs are:

Q6600 2.4ghz (running at 3.6ghz with aftermarket CPU cooler)
2x8800gt sli
780i motherboard
700w powersource
4gb RAM
Vista Home 32 Bit

Thanks.

**Deleted090308** · 03-17-2008, 03:48 PM

SATA cables have a tendency to become loose.

What brand/model is the PSU?

drpp62 · 03-17-2008, 04:09 PM

Thanks for your continued help. The power source is a Ultra 700, not the best but still middle of the road in the type of quality.

Let me ask you this: You stated that it should show up in BIOS. Is this the case even if the drive went bad? Would it show up and just say something to the effect of "inoperable"? I have never had a drive go bad b/f so I am unfamiliar with the process.

**Deleted090308** · 03-17-2008, 04:18 PM

It's, of course, possible that the drive is bad (or "zapped") - but your description points at a connection/power problem, IMHO.

drpp62 · 03-17-2008, 10:28 PM

Well it seems your advice worked. While none of the plugs appeared to be out. I did fiddle with them and pushed them in and next time through, the hard drive was found. Thanks again for your help.

**Deleted090308** · 03-18-2008, 02:50 AM

Glad you got it fixed.

Post back here if it disappears again.

03-17-2008, 12:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
drpp62 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Vista Home 32 Bit	[SOLVED] Primary Sata Drive No Longer in Bios/CP Wont Boot I am not sure if I blew my drive or what, but I have two sata WD drives, one is a 500gb and the other a 300gb. The motherboard is a brand new XFX 780I. It has been working fine, but yesterday, Vista Home 32 bit locked up. The only thing I could do was perform a manual reboot. When it came back on, it gave me a "could not find ntrdl, press control alt delete to reboot" command. I did so, and clicked on the bios as this had happened b/f when the 300gb drive had been designated as the boot drive. When this happened then, I changed the order and selected it to boot from the 500gb drive first and all was well. This time though, when I went into bios, the 500gb drive is no longer listed. I tried the search for hard drive option, but still no hard drive. As a result, I can no longer boot the computer as the Vista Windows is on the 500gb drive. I can't even reinstall Vista and start over, as the drive doesn't even appear as being there. Did this cold reboot blow the drive? Any suggestions. Thanks. Edit: By the way, I did not look inside yet as I had to go to work. I know it could be as simple as a cable coming undone or something, but it just seems odd that all was working just fine and then after the cold reboot, it stopped. Even if a drive is corrupt or damaged, wouldn't it still be detected in the bios, even if it doens't work? Last edited by drpp62; 03-17-2008 at 12:20 PM.

03-17-2008, 03:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,277 OS: Xp	Re: Primary Sata Drive No Longer in Bios/CP Wont Boot Hi, welcome to TSF. Yes, the drive should be detected in BIOS. Get rid of static electricity by touching a radiator or bare metal on the computer case. Then unplug the computer from the wall outlet and open the case. Replace the SATA cable going to the 500GB drive. Try using another power plug for the drive. What are the system specifications - CPU, PSU, video etc? Last edited by Deleted090308; 03-17-2008 at 03:42 PM.

03-17-2008, 03:45 PM	#3 (permalink)
drpp62 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Vista Home 32 Bit	Re: Primary Sata Drive No Longer in Bios/CP Wont Boot I will give it a try when I get home. I am hoping that just maybe the cable or the power became loose or disconnected. Although I am less than optimistic, as I wasn't rooting around in there and it shouldn't have. My system specs are: Q6600 2.4ghz (running at 3.6ghz with aftermarket CPU cooler) 2x8800gt sli 780i motherboard 700w powersource 4gb RAM Vista Home 32 Bit Thanks.

03-17-2008, 03:48 PM	#4 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,277 OS: Xp	Re: Primary Sata Drive No Longer in Bios/CP Wont Boot SATA cables have a tendency to become loose. What brand/model is the PSU?

03-17-2008, 04:09 PM	#5 (permalink)
drpp62 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Vista Home 32 Bit	Re: Primary Sata Drive No Longer in Bios/CP Wont Boot Thanks for your continued help. The power source is a Ultra 700, not the best but still middle of the road in the type of quality. Let me ask you this: You stated that it should show up in BIOS. Is this the case even if the drive went bad? Would it show up and just say something to the effect of "inoperable"? I have never had a drive go bad b/f so I am unfamiliar with the process.

03-17-2008, 04:18 PM	#6 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,277 OS: Xp	Re: Primary Sata Drive No Longer in Bios/CP Wont Boot It's, of course, possible that the drive is bad (or "zapped") - but your description points at a connection/power problem, IMHO.

03-17-2008, 10:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
drpp62 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Vista Home 32 Bit	Re: Primary Sata Drive No Longer in Bios/CP Wont Boot Well it seems your advice worked. While none of the plugs appeared to be out. I did fiddle with them and pushed them in and next time through, the hard drive was found. Thanks again for your help.

03-18-2008, 02:50 AM	#8 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,277 OS: Xp	Re: Primary Sata Drive No Longer in Bios/CP Wont Boot Glad you got it fixed. Post back here if it disappears again.