SSD not being detected on boot.

PaoloUK · 3 Jan 2015 at 19:41

Hi, I've been having a problem with my SSD for a bit now and can't seem to fix it.

I have a Samsung 500GB SSD 840 EVO and when I boot/reboot my computer it doesn't get detected, I have to hit DEL to enter the bios and then exit it again for it to be found.

I don't have to do anything in the bios, I simply exit without saving and it's fine.

I've tried changing the power and sata leads to it, plugged it into other sata sockets on the mob and it's the same deal.

I'm thinking it's either the SSD or the bios setup?

My setup:
MOBO: MSI Z97 Gaming 5 Intel Z97
SSD: Samsung 500GB SSD 840 EVO
Windows 8.1

Any help appreciated, thanks.

wazza300 · 3 Jan 2015 at 19:46

are you on the latest motherboard bios version?

PaoloUK · 4 Jan 2015 at 00:26

wazza300 said:
are you on the latest motherboard bios version?

I haven't updated it since buying it in May. How do I go about updating it? Not sure I've ever updated a bios before.

jigger · 4 Jan 2015 at 01:25

It could be the cable or a ACHI setup issue. Try AS SSD benchmark and see if it shows any problems. In the drive info box you should have OK twice in green.

Dervious · 4 Jan 2015 at 09:42

It might be worth clearing the BIOS settings (clear CMOS by shorting the pins on the motherboard).

You'll have to reset a few settings in the BIOS afterwards (time, date, overclocking, fan speed control etc).

PaoloUK · 4 Jan 2015 at 14:10

jigger said:
It could be the cable or a ACHI setup issue. Try AS SSD benchmark and see if it shows any problems. In the drive info box you should have OK twice in green.

Just ran AS SSD, got OK in green twice so I take it that means the drive itself is fine?

Dervious said:
It might be worth clearing the BIOS settings (clear CMOS by shorting the pins on the motherboard).

You'll have to reset a few settings in the BIOS afterwards (time, date, overclocking, fan speed control etc).

I've just looked and there is a BIOS update, watched a video to see how to do it via the built in M-Flash feature, think it's worth updating it?

wazza300 · 4 Jan 2015 at 14:13

do it through your motherboard bios and a usb stick

I wouldn't use any windows based flashing software,your motherboard should tell you

basically you download/extract the bios to usb stick reboot into bios and point the flashing tool to the bios and update it

jigger · 5 Jan 2015 at 20:47

PaoloUK said:
Just ran AS SSD, got OK in green twice so I take it that means the drive itself is fine?

It means its setup properly. Was the benchmark performance inline with what it should be?

Dervious · 7 Jan 2015 at 10:03

wazza300 said:
I wouldn't use any windows based flashing software

TBH, I virtually always use Windows based BIOS updates and have never had a problem.

Obviously I make sure that the computer/OS is stable and no apps are running before I start the update process.

Dervious · 7 Jan 2015 at 10:13

PaoloUK said:
I've just looked and there is a BIOS update, watched a video to see how to do it via the built in M-Flash feature, think it's worth updating it?

It is almost always worth having the latest motherboard BIOS.

However, before you update, it is worth carrying out a BIOS "reset" (Clear CMOS), as I explained earlier. It doesn't alter the actual BIOS, it just resets the BIOS settings to default. It is possible that a setting may have become corrupted, and is causing your problem.

I`ve looked at the BIOS update history for your motherbaord, and it appears that MSI have issued several updates since release. However, none of the updates mention improvement in SSD (or Sata) compatibility or functions. Although it is possible that a BIOS update may solve your problem, I think it's unlikely. However, I would still recommend that you keep your BIOS up to date.

wazza300 · 7 Jan 2015 at 15:48

Dervious said:
TBH, I virtually always use Windows based BIOS updates and have never had a problem.

Obviously I make sure that the computer/OS is stable and no apps are running before I start the update process.

ive seen a lot of bricked boards in the past esp x58 gigabyte,they have improved things a lot since then with dual bios recovery and manual bios switches,but the safest way has always been through dos/qflash

also seen a lot of z97/87 msi boards being bricked through windows update/flashing tools

even worse if the bios chips are soldered onto the board,i wouldn't worry so much with asus/asrock as their chips pull out and are replaceable

Dervious · 7 Jan 2015 at 18:48

I`ve always updated my own boards through Windows (A-Bit, Asus and Gigabyte).

I`ve regularly updated Dell, Lenovo, Fujitsu, HP PCs and Laptops using their Windows BIOS Updates.

Most of the builds I do use Gigabyte boards, but I have used a few MSI and Biostar boards, and they've all been updated with the Windows update app.

Maybe I`ve been lucky, but I`ve never had a problem.

wazza300 · 7 Jan 2015 at 18:51

you've been lucky,ive seen lots of folks on tweaktown asking for help with bricked bios due to @BIOS

I would shiver and quake at the thought of flashing an msi board through windows

its not hard anyway,its very simple and soon becomes second nature using usb stick and qflash

Dervious · 8 Jan 2015 at 09:52

I can see that flashing a BIOS from within Windows does carry a slightly higher risk (mainly from Windows crashing), but I`ve done it dozens of times without a problem.

I must have flashed my own Gigabyte board with @BIOS at least half a dozen times. Mind you, I`ve always known that I have the "safety net" of the dual bios.