SSD/SATA drive ID’ed in BIOS; SATA seen but SSD not seen by DISKPART, Windows will not load on SATA

Factory installed SSD, I Installed 1TB SATA HDD. System worked flawlessly (Win10 Pro) last two years. SSD contained only OS and programs; SATA HDD contained only data files. I inadvertently deleted necessary Office 2019 components and, rather than reinstall/reconfigure, I restored a week-old full partition backup (EaseUS). Reboot result: no bootable device found. Diskpart showed both drives, all files, but did not show EFI partition. No problem: format SSD drive, reinstall Win10, restore OS partition. Wrong! Format erased the entire SSD not the OS partition; apparently, essential drivers lost. Windows will not install on the SATA HDD, apparently also because of missing drivers.

So, via cmd prompt, how do I install necessary drivers to be able to access “missing” SSD? If the failed restore yielded the “no bootable device” error because the EFI partition was corrupted/deleted, would it be possible to recreate the EFI partition (by reinstalling Win 10) and then restore the week-old backup? My expertise is in gaming DT’s, which I build/rebuild every 2-3 years. It’s my understanding that laptops come with preinstalled drivers on separate partitions that are required for their operation (vs DTs: BIOS/UEFI sees all, Windows sees all, no fuss no muss - game on).

Thanks,

edited the content to hide personal information

Accepted answers

JackE

>>>per your previous post, I ordered an M.2 MVNe-to-USB adapter. >>>

Which post was that? I only meant to run any firmware executable from a USB stick after booting the machine to the X : \ > command prompt with a USB Windows installation stick. Once the X : \ > command prompt is up and running, you can remove the installation stick and insert another stick to run the firmware executable which should target the invisible card even though diskpart doesn't seem to see it. Jack E/NJ

JackE

Thanks for the short story. Sometimes you just have to accept that it works and don't understand why. Better than if it doesn't work and still don't understand why.

Jack E/NJ

All comments

JackE

If you used Microsoft's USB installation creation tool, try temporarily disconnecting the HDD. Then boot the the USB stick to see if it'll focus the Win10 installation on the SSD. Jack E/NJ

HMonk

Thanks JackE

Before I disconnect the HDD let me ask: even though the the SSD is listed in the BIOS, if DISKPART does not list the disk, for all intents and purposes, it is not there; therefore, Windows does not see it. I used both a separate Win10 .iso and the MS creation tool DL: same result. Ask me a DT question and I'll dazzle you. Ask me a laptop question and my eyes will start watering. That said, isn't it true that laptops need proprietary drivers/recovery media (on a hidden) partition in order to boot in the first place - apart from (recovery) partitions created by the OS installation? For example, unlike a DT where you can replace a system drive (SSD/HDD), and install anew and do a clean install of the OS, doing so in a laptop eliminates the pre-installed recovery partition and proprietary drivers and, therefore, renders the drive invisible to all but the BIOS? So, I am thinking that, if DISKPART does not list the drive, the presence or absence of other drives will not matter. Your thoughts.

Thanks again.

JackE

SSD might've been irreparably corrupted or simply failed and no longer readable/writeable. It can happen. Hard to tell at this point. Disconnect the HDD. Try again. If still unsuccessful, we can try to examine the drive on another system using a USB-to-SSD adapter for an m.2 card or 2.5" drive. It might also be helpful to reveal your full ACER model number. For example F5-573G or E5-576G or E1-511? or ??? Jack E/NJ

HMonk

After further searching, mfgrs like WD (which is what was installed in my Aspire) and Intel state that unlike SATA HDDs, SSDs are not plug-and-play, per se, i.e., they come pre loaded with firmware that is necessary for their function. I can only assume that the DISKPART “CLEAN” option wiped the entire drive, firmware and all. So, the question is, can the firmware of said SSD be reloaded, either via a cmd prompt or a Windows machine?

JackE

It might still be helpful to reveal your full Aspire model number. There are hundreds of Aspire laptop models and hard to guess which one you have or even the likely drive manufacturers. For example A515-54G? Or perhaps A514-43? If you can enter the BIOS menu by tapping the F2 key on startup, the BIOS Information tab will identify the drives you have installed, no Windows plugnplay involved or Windows drivers needed to ID the two HDD0 & HDD1 drives in the BIOS Information tab. If the drive isn't there, it's either not connected or has failed. Jack E/NJ

JackE

>>>Diskpart showed both drives,>>>

If there is firmware to be installed and you can download, you can boot the machine a Windows USB installation stick and install the firmware from the X : \ command prompt. .I think you should do diskpart again from the USB stick. It's highly unlikely that its clean command would've rendered the card invisible. Jack E/J

HMonk

Thanks Jack.

I have made frequent attempts to TS the drive via cmd prompt but, after the “CLEAN,” it disappeared from the DOS environment and Win10 installation. I will attempt to run the firmware *.exe file as you suggested and post back. I still have to wonder: if the drive does not show up in the DOS environment (DISKPART, etc.) how will the firmware “know” where it is supposed to load? Hopefully the firmware is smarter than me. If nothing else, I have learned something about SSDs, which I always thought of as HDDs on steroids. At 78, who said you cannot teach old dogs new tricks! As an aside, the E-570 has a dedicated BIOS flash port on the mobo; DL the FW from another machine, plug in your USB stick and it bypasses the BIOS and OS - no need to have a fully operating machine before hand to load the FW.

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Commodore_1995#

a) can you send a photo of the bios information tab? It would be interesting if the ssd actually appears in the bios.

b) did you change the sata mode in the bios?

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/5j/iapjfff3udio.png

JackE

Yes, egydiocoelho both drives are identified in the BIOS Information tab. Jack E/NJ

HMonk

Egy: the SSD does, indeed, show in the BIOS. Note in may last post to JackE that I copied the SSD info as reported by the BIOS. In this machine, I made no BIOS changes; I use the laptop only as a barebones portable device to access emails and Office modules (Word, Excel, Access) on the fly. However, as part of my TS protocol, I RESET the BIOS to DEFAULTS, just in case

HMonk

JackE, per your previous post, I ordered an M.2 MVNe-to-USB adapter. As far as I can tell, WD only updates their SSDs via their "Dashboard" software. Both the M.2 MVNe drives/connectors on my mobo are buried beneath heat sinks/adhesive thermal conductive tape, GFX cards, cooling pipes, et al. and I do not wish to monkey with my system swapping out one of drives to test/update the WD drive. Amazon says delivery not until Dec. 28. I just posted a query on WD forums re stand-alone firmware files; maybe they exist. Otherwise, I will post back after I receive the adapter. Thanks for your patience and I appreciate your sticking with me on this.

Monk

JackE

>>>per your previous post, I ordered an M.2 MVNe-to-USB adapter. >>>

Which post was that? I only meant to run any firmware executable from a USB stick after booting the machine to the X : \ > command prompt with a USB Windows installation stick. Once the X : \ > command prompt is up and running, you can remove the installation stick and insert another stick to run the firmware executable which should target the invisible card even though diskpart doesn't seem to see it. Jack E/NJ

HMonk

Sorry for the delay.

My issue is solved, for me, at least, but I do not know exactly what happened and why.
Short story: Win10 pro OS issues on laptop so I restored a week-old backup (EaseUS ToDo Home v. 12.8). Booted to an error: no bootable device (WD 120 GB SSD) found. Attempted well-publicized fixes: nothing worked. Attempted known DOS fixes: nothing worked. SSD clearly IDed in BIOS but not in boot priority. OK, I'll clean disk (DISKPART) and reinstall: Windows installation did not detect the SSD. Many more attempts to fix: nothing. Attached SSD to MOKiN USB SSD enclosure and connected to my gaming rig via USB. SSD detected in Explorer, can read/write to SSD. OK: SSD is OK. Attempt to scan/diagnose SSD with WD Dashboard utility: SSD not detected!?

OK, I'll copy/reformat to GPT my 1TB SATA Data storage disk (I place the OS and programs on a dedicated disk to avoid data loss if the OS crashes. You can replace the OS; data recovery can be problematic). Then installed Win8 from retail discs onto the SATA drive. Win8 did not detect the SSD. OK, I'll upgrade the Win8 installation via MS Win10.iso. Success!: the Win10 installation detected the SSD. Restored the original SSD backup: no device error!! OK, be that way. (BTW, great grandfather, grandfather, father, son backups yielded the same result: no bootable device found.)

Not wanting to entertain what to me was a greater hassle of starting with a clean install of Win10, Office 2019, Outlook (re-creating manifold user accounts), and a slew of user programs/accounts, I cloned my Win10/programs SSD from my custom gaming rig (which contains most of the lost laptop programs) to the 1TB SATA drive on the laptop. Then I removed all of the superfluous gaming rig programs/drivers, manually cleaned the registry (I use O&O regedit because it automates the "find" process by collecting all of the searched-for keys, values, and data and presents them collectively in one window), and cloned (using EaseUS) the SATA drive to the SSD, cleaned the SATA disk and restored my data files. SUCCESS.

All is back to normal but I still do not understand why the four EaseUS backups yielded the same error upon restore (I've used EaseUS for years without incident); I do not understand why after the DISKPART "CLEAN" operation the SSD was no longer detected by DOS or the OS, while present in the BIOS (but missing in the BIOS boot priority); I do not understand why my gaming rig was able to detect the SSD via the USB bridge but not the laptop; I do not understand why the WD utility was unable to detect its own SSD; I do not understand why Win8 installation media or the running Win8 OS did not detect the SSD; I do not understand why the upgrade from Win8 to Win 10 DID detect the SSD but the Win10 installation media did not.

What did work: the gaming rig OS clone to the laptop SATA disk; after cleaning up the SATA disk cloned installation, the cloned SATA disk OS to the SSD with some final cleanup. Believe it or not, it was easier and less of a hassle for me to go through this lengthy venture than it would have been to do clean installations of the OS, allied programs, and countless program and account reconfigurations. Nevertheless, this was not fun. The only thing I feel I have control over is the backups. What I now intend is to accomplish both system and disk backups of the system disk (which are essentially identical since the system files are on one disk) in duplicate using EaseUS and Macrium. That should eliminate failed restores, assuming that both would not replicate the same error. I have also eliminated the possibility of backing up a corrupted system because the system I backed up booted successfully repeatedly until the next backup and thereafter. I am left to assume that something about the SSD was doggy but consider: it was detected here but not there and, then, there but not here. Go figure.

Thanks to all who have accompanied me on this journey.

(Stupid laptops)

Mods, if you would, please mark this SOLVED (well, after a fashion). I did not see where I was able to edit the post title to do so. Thanks.

Monk

JackE

Thanks for the short story. Sometimes you just have to accept that it works and don't understand why. Better than if it doesn't work and still don't understand why.

Jack E/NJ

HMonk

JackE said:

Thanks for the short story. Sometimes you just have to accept that it works and don't understand why. Better than if it doesn't work and still don't understand why. Jack E/NJ

'Tis a bitter pill to swallow. My nature is to know, if only to satisfy my curiosity, or to be able, in part, to anticipate future pot holes and define detours. But you are absolutely correct, to wit: the laptop now works! The "fix" is in a protected read-only file in my memory banks and I am starting the New Year smiling -

and getting back to my Cessna on MFS 2020. Learning how to fly: good stuff.

Thanks again for accompanying me on this journey.

Ed (aka Monk)

JackE

>>> I am starting the New Year smiling -

and getting back to my Cessna on MFS 2020. Learning how to fly: good stuff.>>>

My wings didn't get off the ground last year. So this year's gotta be better. Good luck. I'll wave if I see you in the air.

Jack E/NJ

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/q5/urndhejzzqtj.jpg

HMonk

One's body serving as fuselage. Hum . . .. I do all my flying by the seat of my pants, that is, seated in my darkened game room, and viewing the ground from an LG 32" 14K 144Hz monitor. A personal fan replicates all of the wind-through-my-hair sensation that I need. Old brittle bones meets ground at any speed makes Covid-19 look like 10 laps in a jacuzzi. The only crash I am up for is a BCOD.