Why does BIOS see the hard drive, but Windows (PC) does not?
The problem with the operating system detecting a hard drive in most cases occurs after connecting a new HDD to the computer. This is due to the fact that the device is not initially formatted, and this prevents Windows from seeing the partitions of such a device. Moreover, if the drive is recognized in the BIOS, it means it is working. This article describes all the existing ways to solve the problem when a computer or laptop does not see the hard drive (internal or external).
If you haven’t found a way to restore the HDD below in the publication, it doesn’t matter whether it’s an external or internal drive. If you need repairs with data preservation in St. Petersburg, this is done in SmartTop, link to the page https://smart-top.ru/2022/12/17/vosstanovlenie-zhjostkih-diskov-ssd-ili-dannyh-s-nih/. Sometimes it may only be possible to extract data from the drive; the drive itself may not be recoverable if there are problems with magnetic heads or plates.
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Restoring hard drive visibility in Windows
In a standard situation, you can solve the problem using the internal tools of the operating system, without resorting to the use of complex manipulations and third-party programs. Thus, the whole problem lies in the system limitation of the software shell regarding the virtual state of the drive, which does not allow displaying partitions in the directory "My computer" .
Manual formatting
This option is suitable for users who have just connected a hard drive. In this case, the OS may simply not see the device, so you must first format it using system utility, which displays the connected drive even though the "My computer" he's not there. To solve this problem, follow the instructions below:
- On the menu Pusk click on the item "Control Panel" .
For a more convenient search, in the upper right corner of the window that opens, opposite the word "View", Select a category "Large Icons". Among the icons that appear, you need to go to the parameter "Administration".
Next, select "Computer Management" from the proposed list.
After opening the next window in the left column, click on the line "Management disk".
This tool displays all existing partitions and additional storage drives connected to the computer. You will need a volume that will be labeled "Unallocated area", which in simple terms means its unformatted state.
Right-click on this unallocated volume and in the submenu that appears, click the command "Formatirovat". After this, the OS will ask you to confirm the action, after which preliminary setup will be available, where you need to specify the appropriate file system and name the device.
When the process is completely completed, restart your PC, after turning it on, open "My computer" and make sure that the previously invisible HDD is displayed.
Restoring a HDD when it is completely missing in Windows
A simple manual was described above with no additional difficulties. But it also happens that after connecting the drive to the system unit, it cannot be detected at all by standard operating system tools. There are 3 main ways out of the situation.
Method 1: Checking connections and wires
No matter how trivial it may sound, quite often the malfunction lies in the incorrect connection of the HDD connectors and plugs coming from the system unit. This could be a bad connection or a damaged cable, replacing which will fix everything.
To make checking cables easier, you can simply enter the BIOS by pressing F2 or Delete at the very beginning of the computer boot.
See also: How to get into the BIOS on a computer
Next you need to open the section "Main" and make sure that the shell sees the connected drive. If this is not the case, then feel free to check the connections or change the cable. Additionally, we definitely recommend changing the port connecting the drive to the motherboard. As a rule, it has several SATA connectors, so simply reconnect the HDD to another free one.
Method 2: Using special utilities
When there is a hard drive in the BIOS, but Windows does not detect its directories, you should resort to using programs such as Partition Magic or Acronis Disk Director. These applications have a huge amount of functionality and are able to solve the most complex issues regarding the performance of a storage device. Through such a program you can identify a new HDD, format it and force the system to display partitions in "My computer".
Read more about the formatting process with third-party software in Method 1 of the article at the link below.
More: Formatting your hard drive
Method 3: Update BIOS
If you have tried everything described above, and in the end the drive is not visible either in the shell or in Windows, then most likely there is software incompatibility between the BIOS and the new device. This happens when the difference between the release dates of components is more than 5 years, which is due to outdated control files, the executing codes of which cannot recognize the innovations of a modern drive.
You will have to reflash the BIOS by downloading the latest updates from the official website of the motherboard developer. You can learn more about the shell update process by clicking on the link below.
Conclusion
In principle, there are no situations when a connected new hard drive cannot be synchronized with the operating system. The exception is either the device itself is not working, or the PC is very old, the latest BIOS update for which is also very old.
