When linking gadgets via SATA cable, the machine fails to power up completely.
When linking gadgets via SATA cable, the machine fails to power up completely.
Well, it seems you've got it right! I swapped out the power cable. It was quite a guessing game since I had many options in stock, and I wasn't sure which one to pick. Fate seemed to favor me. I also picked up a new HDD that I hadn't used before—truly a clean start! Now I've managed to spot my drive. That means my SATA bus on the motherboard is still functional. All the other drives I previously had appear undetectable, likely because of the incorrect cable. Fortunately, I still have a working 1TB drive left. So now I can proceed confidently. I just need to avoid any further hurdles.
Of course, not exactly. The PC doesn't even operate when the drive is connected. The ventilator moved just a little, and then everything stopped completely. This means the PC isn't even starting into any boot mode, which takes more than a few seconds. Thanks to the advice from @USAFRet, I was able to detect a drive again. Now I can properly configure the boot sequence. However, it will only work once the system starts with at least one drive.