PC will not start with SATA devices connected

kingston12 · 19 Oct 2018 at 13:43

I have just changed my PSU. When I tried to boot for the first time, the power light came on for a second and then went off again.

I unplugged everything and started again and discovered that as soon as any SATA device is plugged into the PSU and connected to the motherboard, the PC will not power on at all.

I have tried:

Using all four SATA ports on my motherboard
Using different SATA cables
Using different SATA devices (2 SSDs and a Blu-ray drive)

It is worth noting that the PC will power up fine if just the SATA cable OR the PSU connection is made, it just won't work with both connected at the same time!

All I can think is that the old PSU took the SATA connections on my motherboard down with it. Is that likely or is there anything else to try?

Big Frank · 20 Oct 2018 at 07:37

Do they still work with the old psu?

Jamin280672 · 20 Oct 2018 at 08:31

kingston12 said:
I have just changed my PSU. When I tried to boot for the first time, the power light came on for a second and then went off again.

I unplugged everything and started again and discovered that as soon as any SATA device is plugged into the PSU and connected to the motherboard, the PC will not power on at all.

I have tried:

Using all four SATA ports on my motherboard
Using different SATA cables
Using different SATA devices (2 SSDs and a Blu-ray drive)

It is worth noting that the PC will power up fine if just the SATA cable OR the PSU connection is made, it just won't work with both connected at the same time!

All I can think is that the old PSU took the SATA connections on my motherboard down with it. Is that likely or is there anything else to try?

Id take a look at the sata drives first before the ports, it would be strange for the ports alone to die on the motherboard, but the rest of the board work fine, sata drives are controlled by the south bridge / chipset, if that dies, the whole board is dead, the fact that the board works fine without the drives connected, points me to the drives.

Failing that, you could always try a different PSU if you have one available, maybe a fault with the sata power connectors.

If you had a cheap PSU without the built in protection, like over current and over voltage protection built into it, then its very common for it to take something with it when it dies.

kingston12 · 20 Oct 2018 at 08:38

No, but I think that is more an issue with the old PSU itself.

I have now got another new PSU in place, and it appears that the SATA connections on the motherboard are ok, but that all of my SATA devices have been fried!

I have introduced a new SSD and that works fine, but the previous ones don’t.

What appears to have happened is that the SATA power lead that came with my new Corsair PSU has a different pin-out to my previous Silverstone one. I must have used the wrong lead and it has killed my devices.

I’ll be very careful with that in the future! It amazes me that these SATA power cables can be bought separately, when clearly they will be dangerous with some PSUs.

kingston12 · 20 Oct 2018 at 08:51

Jamin280672 said:
Id take a look at the sata drives first before the ports, it would be strange for the ports alone to die on the motherboard, but the rest of the board work fine, sata drives are controlled by the south bridge / chipset, if that dies, the whole board is dead, the fact that the board works fine without the drives connected, points me to the drives.

Failing that, you could always try a different PSU if you have one available, maybe a fault with the sata power connectors.

If you had a cheap PSU without the built in protection, like over current and over voltage protection built into it, then its very common for it to take something with it when it dies.

Thanks. I was posting my original reply whilst you posted this, but basically you are right, it is the devices that has been damaged.

I’m a bit relieved, because it is cheaper to replace an SSD and an optical drive than my motherboard and new processor to fit!

Is there anything that can be done with the devices, or are they likely to be 100% dead?

Jamin280672 · 20 Oct 2018 at 08:54

kingston12 said:
Thanks. I was posting my original reply whilst you posted this, but basically you are right, it is the devices that has been damaged.

I’m a bit relieved, because it is cheaper to replace an SSD and an optical drive than my motherboard and new processor to fit!

Is there anything that can be done with the devices, or are they likely to be 100% dead?

With mechanical hard drives, if you can find a cheap identical one on flea bay, you can remove the PCB (controller) off it and put it on your old drive, only worth it though if you have data on there that you MUST get off.

SSD's are good and dead, the controller will be on the same PCB as the other parts, and same for the DVD drive, no point, they are so cheap now, just get a new one, have you tried plugging in the old DVD drive to see if it still works, or were all of you drives connected to the same cable.

kingston12 · 20 Oct 2018 at 09:18

Jamin280672 said:
With mechanical hard drives, if you can find a cheap identical one on flea bay, you can remove the PCB (controller) off it and put it on your old drive, only worth it though if you have data on there that you MUST get off.

SSD's are good and dead, the controller will be on the same PCB as the other parts, and same for the DVD drive, no point, they are so cheap now, just get a new one, have you tried plugging in the old DVD drive to see if it still works, or were all of you drives connected to the same cable.

Yep, all on the same cable unfortunately.

I’ve ordered the new items. It is a shame about the Blu-ray drive as I need a slim slot drive for my Ncase, and it looks like only cheap no-name ones are available now, whereas the one I had fried was quite a decent Panasonic one.

EsaT · 21 Oct 2018 at 17:13

HDDs have used some protection components against overvoltage, but don't know if optical drives do similar.
Anyway at least nothing is shorted, if PC still booted when only power cables of drives were connected.

If you have good camera for close ups we could try to check from pictures of opened drive, if some component looks damaged.

Jamin280672 said:
it would be strange for the ports alone to die on the motherboard, but the rest of the board work fine, sata drives are controlled by the south bridge / chipset, if that dies, the whole board is dead, the fact that the board works fine without the drives connected, points me to the drives.

SATA ports can well die without anything happening to rest of motherboard.