# Solved: SSD not being recognized in bios



## lastrachris (Jan 17, 2010)

Recently whenever I go to start my computer the bios will get to the screen that reads "Dell" and says f10 for setup, and so forth. It gets half way loaded and just stops. When I let it sit for around 15 or so minutes it says "Cannot find bootable drive." or something like that. What is odd though is that the first time it happened I just restarted my computer and it let it go. The next time it took four reboots to load, then six, and so on. I reset the bios by shorting the jumpers and it fixed the problem for a bit, but it is back now. Any ideas?


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

First of all, list your exact specs. Sometimes ssd drives just fail and not being detected by the bios is one way they fail. Again no one knows what we are working on so list your exact system specs.


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## lastrachris (Jan 17, 2010)

Ah yes, sorry about that. I might also add I have tried multiple new SATA cables. These are my specs...

Tech Support Guy System Info Utility version 1.0.0.2
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Service Pack 1, 64 bit
Processor: Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E5800 @ 3.20GHz, Intel64 Family 6 Model 23 Stepping 10
Processor Count: 2
RAM: 8190 Mb
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT, 512 Mb
Hard Drives: C: Total - 60954 MB, Free - 7566 MB; D: Total - 476837 MB, Free - 126854 MB;
Motherboard: Dell Inc., 018D1Y
Antivirus: Microsoft Security Essentials, Updated and Enabled


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

I still have no idea what ssd you installed or did your dell come with a ssd?

Have you tried hot plugging or power cycling the ssd?

Have you pulled the ssd and connected it to a known working system to see if it is detected?


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## lastrachris (Jan 17, 2010)

crjdriver said:


> I still have no idea what ssd you installed or did your dell come with a ssd?
> 
> Have you tried hot plugging or power cycling the ssd?
> 
> Have you pulled the ssd and connected it to a known working system to see if it is detected?


OCZ Petrol SSD. I don't have the model right now, but that might be enough for you. Yes I have power cycled, and it is working as of now, but when I turn it off it stops functioning. I have to reset the bios every time I shut it off for it to work. However I have not tried hot plugging it. Could you give me directions on how to do that?


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Hot plugging is just removing and replacing the pw connector when the drive is not detected.
OCZ drives have a problem with being not detected. You might try a firmware update if one is available however I would not hold out much hope. 

I used to have 2 ocz ssd drives in raid until one of them failed. Now I use crucial drives.

At least it has a 3yr warranty and ocz is pretty good with RMAs.


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

Is the date correct in your BIOS? What do you "reset"? You may need a CMOS battery.


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## lastrachris (Jan 17, 2010)

I will check the date, but the computer isn't even a year old yet. Does that still mean the battery might be dead?


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

lastrachris said:


> I will check the date, but the computer isn't even a year old yet. Does that still mean the battery might be dead?


Anything mechanical or electrical can fail however cmos batteries generally last a few years. I would assume your drive has failed; ocz drives do not have the greatest record for longevity. Just check the ocz forum and look at all of the people having problems with the drives. It does seem that intel chipset systems have more issues than amd chipset system however the failure rate is pretty high. 
As I said you might be able to update the firmware on the drive if there is an update available however I would not put too much hope into this.


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## lastrachris (Jan 17, 2010)

Dandy. Well I've already attempted one RMA, but they wanted me to send my hard drive in before I could get a new one. I suppose I'll just create a system image and cross my fingers. Why is that though that resetting the bios temporarily fixed the problem.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

You never answered what exactly are you "reseting"
Are you loading defaults, clearing cmos, what.


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## lastrachris (Jan 17, 2010)

Ah. Sorry. I cleared the CMOS.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

What mode are you using for the sata controller?

If you boot with a linux live CD/Flash does linux see the drive every time?

FWIW I had a ocz drive fail that would be detected by the bios about 1 out of every 3 boots.


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## lastrachris (Jan 17, 2010)

I just tried booting with Linux. No dice. I read online putting it in the freezer for a few might help you access it. I'm giving that a shot, but I'm going to just keep trying to boot it... I have filed for an RMA however.


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## lastrachris (Jan 17, 2010)

Okay, I can get the hard drive working most of the time if i hot swipe it. But the new SSD is coming. Thanks for your help.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

I highly doubt putting the ssd in the freezer is going to do anything [other than make the drive cold]

Putting a mech hard disk in the freezer sometimes allows you to access it however I have never heard of anyone being successful doing so with a ssd.


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

crjdriver said:


> I highly doubt putting the ssd in the freezer is going to do anything [other than make the drive cold]
> 
> Putting a mech hard disk in the freezer sometimes allows you to access it however I have never heard of anyone being successful doing so with a ssd.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Some good news for you. When I had to rma an ocz drive, they did not send a refurbished one. I was sent a brand new drive. [Put the new drive in my wife's computer] If it fails oh well 

They may send you a new drive as well. Let us know how it works out for you.


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## Snagglegaster (Sep 12, 2006)

crjdriver said:


> Some good news for you. When I had to rma an ocz drive, they did not send a refurbished one. I was sent a brand new drive. [Put the new drive in my wife's computer] If it fails oh well
> 
> They may send you a new drive as well. Let us know how it works out for you.


Actually, I've RMAd two OCZ drives, and I've not only gotten new drives, I've gotten newer generation, higher capacity drives. Strangely enough, I've sold several OCZ drives and done a few system builds with them without a problem Only mine have been flaky! Of course, I prefer that to customer issues.


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## lastrachris (Jan 17, 2010)

Surprisingly enough, the RMA process has been rather pleasant with OCZ. They're sending me a new drive with high capacity and a newer generation. Though I wish I didn't have to go through it at all.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Yes, their RMA process is quite easy. I had 2 ocz vertex2 drives in raid0. One was an older one with different nand and the other was a newer one; the newer one failed. The old one is still chugging along working fine. I do know they did some changes to the actual nand and I think that has contributed to the failure rate.


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## Snagglegaster (Sep 12, 2006)

Both the OCZ drives I replaced were Vertex 2 drives. The other OCZ drives I've used in builds or sold have been flawless. Just to keep it in perspective, I had far more problems with the first generation of WD Raptor drives than any drive before or since.


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## Snagglegaster (Sep 12, 2006)

lastrachris said:


> Surprisingly enough, the RMA process has been rather pleasant with OCZ. They're sending me a new drive with high capacity and a newer generation. Though I wish I didn't have to go through it at all.


I know that's a PITA, but it happens with any drive. I've been in business over 14 years, and there isn't one single brand or component I haven't seen crash and burn prematurely. I've gotten much worse support from several vendors than OCZ.


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