Please Help: G74SX 2ndary HD Disappeared in BIOS

Hi guys,

Yesterday, I was working away on my laptop, when files on my Win7 desktop (located on my secondary HD) started to disappear. I looked in the Disk Management utility, and the secondary HD was gone. I then rebooted and found a similar situation in the BIOS. To ensure the HD hadn't suddenly died, I moved it to the primary slot (displacing my SSD), and the BIOS saw it just fine. I then move it back and tried reseating the HD cable on the MB end and I undid and retaped the PCB board/HD end, and saw it reappear in the BIOS on one reboot, but never again. I called ASUS Tech Support, and all they could do was open up an RMA and ask me to send it in for servicing. I thought perhaps they could send me a replacement HD cable, but they could not. Can anyone recommend anything else I can try? I would prefer to not take it into the service depot.

Thanks,
Robert

 

Is the HDD secured in connector slot properly? This happened to me ounce with my SSD but it was just not pushed in all the the way and the connection pins weren't making good contact.

 

Yeah, that was my first thought as well, so I removed and reseated everything. As mentioned, I saw the drive reappear in the BIOS after 1 reboot, but after reinserting all the screws and bottom cover and rebooting again, it had disappeared once more. The problem is, without a spare HD cable and PCB board I can't determine whether the issue lies with the cable, the PBC board, or the interface on the MB. Hence, unless someone can suggest a better idea, I'm afraid I will have to resort to dropping it off at the repair depot

 

If the problem came back after you put back in the screws and cover, I would have to say that something is loose. Are you completely certain the cable is snug and clasped tightly into both the motherboard and the HDD connector? Make sure the tape is in all the way, and will not be pushed any further.

Additionally make sure that when you are sliding in the HDD and putting in the screws, nothing on the HDD end gets loosened to dislodged. What I normally do is first put the HDD into the HDD connector/board. Then I put the ribbon into the HDD connector/board. Then I screw in the HDD into its bay, and lastly, attach the ribbon to the motherboard.

Remember that for the motherboard, you have to pull the black tab away from the motherboard towards you to loosen it so that you can insert the ribbon. Then push that black tab back down to a snap, and the ribbon should be snug tight.

Otherwise, I am thinking maybe the SATA connector on the motherboard is defective or broken.

 

Hey Robert,

When you were originally installing the 2nd HDD, it was the cable connector at the SATA board that was coming apart, right? I think you mentioned that you hoped the tape would hold it together? The tape is only a "cover" to ensure that connector isn't accidentally opened...it doesn't (and shouldn't) serve any structural purpose in holding the cable.

Without seeing it, it's hard to know exactly what was happening there, but do you think that connector may have been/gotten damaged? Did it ever really close? If it doesn't properly clamp the cable, that could certainly account for the intermittent connectivity. Based on what I know of the situation, that seems like the most likely problem.....the SATA board connector is damaged. (If you can get a good close-up photo of that connector, we could probably see whether it looks normal.)

These parts are available at the Asus Eu parts store, but I think people have had trouble finding them here. Asus doesn't send out replacement parts for warranty service, so your best bet, to avoid an RMA, may be something like this. Of course, you shouldn't have to pay for this repair....but it may be a less hassled solution than getting Asus involved.

 

Hi Brody,

I'm not sure which side is the SATA side. The side that I had difficulty with when installing, was the PCB board that connects to the HD. The black plastic "hat" came off and I can only use tape to keep it on and the cable in place. If, as you say, that is not how it should be, then I must have broken it. I guess I should order new parts then. Or, would the ASUS repair depot have them on hand, and I could get it fixed faster that way?

 

Yeah, if it's just taped and you can't get the connector put back together, I'd say you need to replace that. There are a few Asus repair facilities (Milpitas. CA, for example), where I've heard they take walk-ins, and maybe they could supply a new SATA board on the spot. But if you're not close to something like that, I'm pretty sure Asus would just want you to RMA it.
I suppose you could also call and see if there's a U.S. parts supplier that actually stocks it. But the fastest way may be to just find a third-party seller.

Are you sure you can't snap the pieces of the connector back together? I recently had my G74 apart and discovered that the power board connector was kind of detached like that. (It uses exactly the same connector.) It was working, but I didn't like it so I was able to take the little swivel arm off an then snap it into place the right way.

EDIT: Here's a photo of that power connector I mentioned. This is how it was when I pulled back the tape....as you can see, the clasp wasn't properly seated on one side...making it crooked. Even though I'd had no problem with the power button, I took the connector apart and put it back together the right way, so the clasp opened & closed the way it was supposed to.

 

Hi Brady,

Your picture really helped! I had been reinserting the latch with the "feet" facing the board, when they should have been facing me. Despite this, it was REALLY difficult getting the cable in and or the latch back in place. I wonder if mine was manufactured just a little too tight. I did eventually get it all back together, but I was a little rough with it. On the bright side, the drive is now visible again. On the down side (and I may have to leave it on for a while to see if things change), the HD light now stays on solidly. It does not blink only when accessed, as it did before.

Prior to seeing your power connector picture, I had already gone ahead and ordered the kit from your eBay link, so I may swap it all out when it arrives. However, if you have any idea why the HD light would stay lit, please let me know.

Once again, thanks for all your help, and Happy Holidays!!!

 

I think I've read that this is usually a polarity issue, suggesting that the ground pin is reversed or something like that. I'd be very surprised if the HDD still works when the cable is actually reversed between the SATA board and the M/B, but that's what I would check.

Here's another photo to illustrate the cable orientation between the two connectors:




Happy Holidays to you & yours, as well!