The BIOS doesn't show my SSD in the "SATA ports used" section.
The BIOS doesn't show my SSD in the "SATA ports used" section.
Hello everyone. I returned home last night and found my monitor off while my PC remained active (I’d been away for a few hours). I assumed it was in sleep mode, so I used the mouse to wake it up. The monitor didn’t respond, so I manually restarted the computer. It booted normally to the desktop and continued as usual. I was playing a game for about 30 minutes when it suddenly froze and hung, thinking it might trigger a crash. I restarted it again manually, but this time it entered BIOS instead of the desktop. I tried restarting once more, but it kept looping back to BIOS.
I then held down the power button briefly to shut it down for a few seconds and tried booting it up again. It loaded into the desktop but after a short delay would hang, display a BSOD, and then restart itself, returning to BIOS. I repeated this process a couple more times.
After checking the BIOS settings (without changing anything), I noticed my SSD wasn’t listed among the SATA ports—despite it containing my operating system. My HDD was present on the list. I haven’t turned the PC back on since I feared it might damage the SSD. I’m wondering if it’s dead or just failing, and whether I can still clone it to a new SSD if that’s the issue.
Details: OS - Windows 10 Pro; Motherboard - MSI B450M Pro VDH; CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 4650G (using iGPU); RAM - Kingston Fury 2x8GB @ 3200 MHz; Storage - 256GB SSD (with OS) and 500GB HDD; both powered via 550W PSU.
Update: After skipping it for three days, I restarted it and everything loaded correctly, booting into the desktop. I installed a Windows update (took a few hours), added Hard Disk Sentinel, and checked storage health—both SSD and HDD showed 100%. After about four hours, the PC restarted itself after I left it on for a shower. It booted into BIOS correctly this time, albeit slowly.
I’m confused. Could it be the SSD or its power cables? Is the SSD failing, or is Hard Disk Sentinel misreporting data? My PC seems dusty, which might be affecting things. Sorry if the explanation is long—I’m just really frustrated because this happened during a stressful time.
At first it seems problematic. Have you attempted to connect your SSD to another machine or a USB case to verify its functionality? Good luck!
I'm still checking if the issue is really with the SSD or something else. If I do, could it affect the other PC as well? My sister's has almost the same specs, and I don't want to cause her any problems since she relies on it for work. Also, I'm not very comfortable with hardware, so I'm worried I might damage something.
When the SSD isn't detected in BIOS, this often occurs because the drive is faulty, the SATA cable is damaged or disconnected, or the power cable is defective. Be careful not to use your motherboard for work if it's needed. Other computers should work fine as there doesn't appear to be a virus issue. If you can't get another machine, consider taking the SSD to a repair shop to check its condition—ask about costs and fees beforehand.
I'll examine the SATA power and data cables first. I plan to take it to a repair shop for testing. If the issue can't be resolved, I'll opt for purchasing a new SSD. Should I clone a dead SSD into a new one, I need to know which software to use. My goal is to get my PC working again quickly so I can continue with my projects.
If the SSD is completely dead, there ain't much you can do with it. Some data recovery services may have some success but their fees are astronomical (they usually start at a few thousand bucks). If you are lucky, your SSD may be locked in Read-only mode so you can read the data and make a backup. There are a few cloning utilities (I think I used Macrium Reflect last time) but I recommend installing a fresh Windows if you can help it. If the drive was defective, there is a high chance that some files are corrupted. You know you can download Windows from Microsoft's website for free ? No problem there. This is a troubleshooting forum after all
You wouldn’t need to download Windows from another machine and plug it in. A fresh installation can be done directly on your current device, and you won’t require an additional license key for activation.
You can utilize an existing installation file if available. Without one, download Windows directly from Microsoft's site. Reusing the same version you had before keeps your license active; just reach out to Microsoft support if you forgot the key. A damaged SSD won't work. Even without a valid license, you can install and use Windows indefinitely, though you'll notice a watermark and limited customization options.