SSD Recognized In BIOS Not Windows?

[drade]

Hey all,

I recently bought a Hard Drive Modular Hard Drive Kit from Fujitsu.

The description as advertised by the Manufacturer, "This modular Hard Drive Kit allows you to add a second hard drive to your computer using the modular bay. Use it as an additional storage option or backup drive. Before proceeding with assembly of the modular hard disk drive kit, you must first purchase an appropriate hard disk drive.
Please Note: This kit can only be used with a Serial ATA (S-ATA) 2.5-inch drive with dimensions of: 100 mm x 70 mm x 9.5 mm (3.9" x 2.75" x 0.37"); it will not accommodate a Parallel ATA (P-ATA) drive."


I installed a ADATA 256gb SSD Drive. It fit in perfectly. Started the laptop up, it was recognized in my BIOS, but not in Windows. Can't find it in device manager, disk management or anything. Installed the Driver from ADATA'S website as well. This is my first time adding hardware to a laptop. This laptop allows for a 2nd hard drive to be installed. It can be removed by simply pressing up on a tiny latch.

 

[TheLaughingMan]

Best guess is the drive is not formated or the laptop is not is AHCI mode. SSD's will often not be recognized if AHCI is not enabled.

Try this. Click on Start, search for "Partition" and click on the Create and Edit Partitions. If the drive does not show up there, check the BIOS to be sure AHCI is the drive mode. If it does show up in the partition manager, then just use it to formate the drive and restart.

 

[Geekoid]

Also, if its Windows XP or something old like that, and you change the mode to AHCI... you could find that Windows suddenly won't boot if the change also affects the boot drive. Windows Vista and Windows 7 have similar problems. Linux and other systems are unaffected by this issue, though Windows 8 could require a registry hack (I haven't played with that one yet) to work properly.

 

[digibucc]

yeah i thought it was just unformatted but you don't see it in disk management. windows never popped up and noticed new hardware i take it? unfortunately that leaves AHCI as the most likely, though as geekoid says that's not always a simple fix. good luck.

 

[drade]

Yeah I tried to partition the drive, but it is not showing up. It is already on ACHI in BIOS. Intel 7 ACHTI software was pre installed on this laptop. The laptop is clearly on, because it is semi-like warm like it usually is when it runs. Not sure what else I can do, call the manufacturer ?

This laptop is the T732. It allows for the "express drive". A slot in the laptop that allows either an extra battery to be used, or a removable Hard drive kit which I have. I went on the driver website, and there was a driver "express cache"

" Applicable to systems with m-SATA SSD."

 

[TheLaughingMan]

Have you tryed the SSD in another system?

 

[drade]

Yes. It worked fine on my desktop. I am gonna call Fujitsu now :/

 

[drade]

They were no help... what else is new. So what do I have to do ?

 

[TheLaughingMan]

I am not sure. It doesn't seem to be the SSD. I would recommend cloning and replacing the primary HDD with the SSD and then using the HDD as the secondary slot drive.

I am not sure why it refuses to recognize the SSD. Clearly the laptop has some limitation there Fujitsu is not telling you about.

 

[Geekoid]

Interesting. So right now, its seen in the BIOS but not Windows and is known to work elsewhere. I'd try booting up into something else (such as Linux) to see if it can be seen there. Even something basic like the GPartEd (http://gparted.sourceforge.net/download.php) Live CD/USB would let me know if an OS can see the drive. It may even be once it is formatted and partitioned that Windows would suddenly realise it is there? If GPartEd can't see it, then I'd lean very much towards something with the laptop itself.