Hard drive not detected in bios (samsung np700z7c)

Hi everybody, today when I tried to reboot my computer because it began to freeze (the hdd usage was about 50% while doing nothing), it wouldn't start. And when I enter the bios, the hard drive is not detected (but the optical drive is detected). But when i tried to reinstall windows 8.1 with my usb drive, the hard drive is detected but it won't install. Also, I tried to hook up the hard drive to another computer and it worked just fine. What should i do?
My pc is a samsung np700z7c

Thanks in advance.

 

Are you trying to install in UEFI or legacy BIOS mode?

On your model you have to install Windows from DVD to avoid a problem with Setup getting confused by the small SSD used for ExpressCache (so-called iSSD). If you DO install from USB (as I think you did) you have to use the workaround here. But that's just for legacy BIOS installation. With UEFI you really have to install from DVD.

If you install in UEFI mode, make sure your HDD uses GPT layout. And if you install in legacy BIOS mode, make sure it uses MBR layout. The guide here (same thread as the above link, but post #40) contains the conversion steps.

That's all I got

 

I'm trying to install it with a legacy bios. But the problem is that the HDD is not detected in the bios.

 

That is not a good site. Since you say the hdd does work on other systems I'd ask if you tried taking a hdd from another system to see if it were at least detected?

Venturing an early guess but since bios does not show it but the install did then the drive is spinning up/initializing to slowly and by cd boot time it is seen but the drive does not like the power being supplied and is dyeing out before an install can be done.

 

I tried to install another HDD this morning, but it was also not detected in the bios.

 

I wonder if there is a cable / connector problem. The BIOS should see the primary hard drive even if features such as Fast Boot (which skips looking for bootable USB devices) is enabled.

The previous deterioration in HDD access could have been a result of the cable / connector problem gradually getting worse. It has now reached the state of no signal getting through.

Measures can include checking the connection at each end of the table and looking for obvious problems with the cable (a folded ribbon cable could have cracked). Looking through the parts list here I see "NIKE17_HDD FPC" which might be the HDD cable.

John

 

Thanks John for your response. How can i test the sata cable to see if it's not working?

 

You have already ascertained that the HDD works OK when plugged into another computer. If you can lay your hands on another suitable 2.5" HDD you could plug that in to see if the notebook recognises it in the BIOS.

Otherwise you can disconnect the cable from the mainboard, examine it closely for any problems, then reconnect it and plug the HDD back in. If the BIOS then finds the HDD you know the problem was most likely with the cable connection to the mainboard and removal / replacement has restored the connection. Connectors shouldn't work lose but sometimes they do.

If the above doesn't work then the cable has to be the next suspect. I don't think that the HDD partition structure would cause the BIOS to be unable to detect the HDD. If it's not the cable then suspicion falls on the mainboard.

John

 

Before replacing the cable, you could try a few more things, just in case this is not a hardware problem after all.

1) Try resetting BIOS settings to default, save, then boot back into BIOS and see if the disk shows up. I know this is very basic, and apologize if you already tried it.

2) You can try the CMOS reset procedure described here. We often recommend it when users have BIOS problems because it is simple and harmless (as far as we can tell). In truth we have only had a few cases where it actually fixed the problem, but it's definitely worth a try.

3) We have seen other reports of BIOS not detecting disks with the wrong partition layout style (GPT vs MBR). If you install in UEFI mode, the disk MUST be GPT style; and if you install in legacy BIOS/CSM mode, the disk MUST be MBR. If your model is one that came pre-installed with Win8 (thus having a newer BIOS) you can temporarily select OS Mode Selection=UEFI & CSM OS and see if that makes the disk show up in BIOS. If so, you want to convert it to MBR (since you said you are installing in legacy BIOS mode) using the steps in that install guide I linked. After that set OS Mode Selection=CSM OS and try installing again. If your model is one that came pre-installed with Win7 (thus having an older BIOS) the disk should have been MBR all the time, and the problem is likely something else. It's still worth checking, though, as a GPT disk might not show up on the boot page.

4) Finally, if nothing works (even another SATA cable), you can try the big BIOS/NVRAM reset procedure described in this thread. There is a guide in post #7, but you want to study the entire thread before you start.

I hope you get it worked out. Fingers crossed

 

I tried all of the above expect the 4th. I'm going to wait until I receive the sata cable i just ordered before trying it out. Do you think that if I replace my optical drive with my HDD i would be able to boot from it?

 

Logically, if the BIOS can see the optical drive then it should be able to recognise a hard drive connected to the same port.

You would need an adaptor to get the HDD to connect to the optical drive socket but, if that is done and if the HDD is recognised then it should boot (subject to the issues touched on in point 3 of Dannemand's post. UEFI and SecureBoot are designed to provide greater security but, if things go wrong they provide additional obstacles for getting a computer working).

John

 

I think that is what i'm going to do if the new sata cable doesn't work. Thanks