Sometimes, trouble crops up during an installation. Keeping a cool head; thinking things through carefully a second, third, and fourth time; and using all available resources will most likely get you out of any mess. Installing a hard drive is not difficu
The following list describes errors that cropped up during a few hard drive installations; the list also includes the causes of the errors and what was done about them. Everyone learns something new when making mistakes, and you probably will, too. You ca
Prepare for hard Drive hardware problems
1. Boot your PC and make certain that it works properly. Turn off your computer, remove the computer case, and disconnect the data cable to your hard drive. Turn on the computer again. Write down the message that appears.
2. Turn off the computer and reco
One of the most common complaints about a computer is that it is running slowly. When files are physically written over a magnetic hard drive in disconnected fragments on the drive, slow performance can result. (SSD drives don't suffer from slow performan
The Windows defragmentation tool rearranges fragments or parts of files in contiguous clusters so that, when the computer is searching for files, they are easier and faster to find. To run the defragmentation tool, right-click the Start button in Windows
Hardware problems usually show up at POST, unless there is physical damage to an area of the hard drive that is not accessed during POST. Hardware problems often make the hard drive totally inaccessible. If UEFI/BIOS cannot find a hard drive at POST
, it displays an error message similar to these:
No boot device available
Hard drive not found OS not found
Read/write failure
Fixed disk error
Invalid boot disk
Inaccessible boot device
Drive not recognized
RAID not found
RAID stops working
Numeric error
The reasons UEFI/BIOS cannot access the drive can be caused by the drive, the data cable, the electrical system, the motherboard, or a loose connection. Here is a list of things to do and check before you open the case:
1. If UEFI/BIOS displays numeric error codes or cryptic messages during POST, check the website of the UEFI/BIOS manufacturer for explanations of these codes or messages.
2. Check UEFI/BIOS setup for errors in the hard drive configuration. If you suspect
If the problem is still not solved, open the case and check these things. Be sure to protect the system against ESD as you work:
1. Remove and reattach all drive cables.
2. If you're using a RAID or SATA controller card, remove and reseat it or place it in a different slot. Check the documentation for the card, looking for directions for troubleshooting.
3. Inspect the drive for da
Without getting into these details of supporting Windows, here are a few simple things you can try:
a. Use Windows 8/7/Vista Startup Repair. The Startup Repair utility restores many of the Windows files needed for a successful boot. Following directions g
b. Use the chkdsk command. To make sure the hard drive does not have bad sectors that can corrupt the file system, you can use the chkdsk command. To use the command in Windows 8, select Command Prompt from the Advanced options menu (refer back to Figure