Acer M5100 won't recogize sata ports

rjmc27

Sata ports 0 and 1 on the motherboard work fine but drives plugged into ports 2 and 3 aren't recognized.  I suspect the culprit is bios settings.  Can anyone offer suggestions?  Thanks.

laurent_14

Hello,

 

Check if ATI SATA Controller is [Enabled] in the bios setup utility.

 

Integrated peripherals - South Onchip IDE Device - ATI SATA Controller

rjmc27

Thank you for the suggestion, but it was already in the correct setting.

laurent_14

1. Is the original CMOS battery?
2. Do you see  the HDDs in the bios utility? #2 and #3

rjmc27

The battery was changed last year.  Might it help to remove and then re-insert the battery?  Oddly, the system often looses time...up to a minute every week.

rjmc27

Sorry but I'm not familiar with the bios utility.

laurent_14

We can't see them in this bios setup utility.

Yours is not simple but I know it because I own a similar desktop AM5610.

 

Try this: In the first page,

• press [F9] to load optimized defaults - Reply Y
• Press [F10] to save and exit - Reply Y

Oddly, the system often looses time...up to a minute every week.

Your CMOS battery is defective. Not used for a long time?

rjmc27

I'll try another battery.  Thanks.

laurent_14

You could check the voltage of the CMOS battery with this tool:

HWMonitor Zip version (no installation - free)

rjmc27

Thank you for suggesting HWMonitor which was installed and shows a good battery.  At this point, it's not worth the time and effort to further investigate the problem.  Although it would be helpful to use the Sata ports, the Acer is functioning well after some seven years of steady service.  

 

In the not-to-distant future, I'll replace the motherboard and processor with more contemporary models and upgrade the operating system.  Newer software seems to demand better hardware.  

 

Your kind assistance is appreciated and good luck with your Acer.