[Solved] Hard Drive disapearance!!!!!!

[Ramjali]

I recenlty made a new rig and after 3 weeks I have got a problem. My secondary Hard Drive just disapears off "My Computer" Folder, minutes after I log in to my account. It also doesnt show my secondary hard drive on my Device Manager. Because of this problem, I have already refunded my 2TB (Green) drive for a 1TB (Blue) drive, thinking the problem would be solved. But it didnt actually remove the problem. So im back to square one.

I also have deduced the hard drive problem may be related to the software installed in my computer becuase when i didnt log in for 30 mins then logged in after some minutes the hard drive disapeared, thus leading to my conclusion that the hard drive disapears only after i log in.

I have and switched SATA and power cables between primary (boot drive) and secondary, yet still the Secondary HDD disapears.

My current suspisions are:
Could be ASUS AI suite II? or it's updates?
Could be due to updates? (OS or BIOS)?
Not enough power from PSU?
Could be my SATA controller? (As i have read from other forums)
Could it be due to this problem - The backup process requires significantly more time when you use the Windows Backup utility in Windows 7 if the size of the backup files increases ???
Overheating??? (but my drive is right behind my big cooler fans)
Tried SMART check but showed no error.

My Specs:
OS: Windows 7 64bit
Motherboard: M5a97 PRO
CPU: AMD x4 965 @ 3.6 Ghz
Memory: 8 GB (2x 4GB) RAM @1600 Mhz
GPU: XFX 5770 1GB (5x Display Port)
PSU: CIT 550W PSU
Hard Drives : Primary- Barracuda 7200.12 SATA 3Gb/s 500GB - (ST3500418AS)
Current Secondary - Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATAIII 6Gb/s 32MB (WD10EALX)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Aegir SD128264
Anti-Virus: Kaspersky Internet Security

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening and why???

Below the drive is shown as working during tests, but does not show it in the "My Computer" Folder
[ATTACH]6672[/ATTACH]

I'm imaging this is like a horror movie, where the Hard Drive is disapearing and appearing.

[Valleyforge3946]

OKay tricky. Check the jumper on the hard drive and see if it is in the MAster, slave pins. Additionally, try using only the second hard drive to boot your computer and see if the BIOS recognizes it.

I recenlty made a new rig and after 3 weeks I have got a problem. My secondary Hard Drive just disapears off "My Computer" Folder, minutes after I log in to my account. It also doesnt show my secondary hard drive on my Device Manager. Because of this problem, I have already refunded my 2TB (Green) drive for a 1TB (Blue) drive, thinking the problem would be solved. But it didnt actually remove the problem. So im back to square one.

I also have deduced the hard drive problem may be related to the software installed in my computer becuase when i didnt log in for 30 mins then logged in after some minutes the hard drive disapeared, thus leading to my conclusion that the hard drive disapears only after i log in.

I have and switched SATA and power cables between primary (boot drive) and secondary, yet still the Secondary HDD disapears.

My current suspisions are:
Could be ASUS AI suite II? or it's updates?
No. IT's rare taht a hard drive ever does that and most likely isn't the culprit.
Could be due to updates? (OS or BIOS)?
Possibly but i seriously doubt it. Check manufacturer site to be sure.
Not enough power from PSU?
It's entirely possible that this could be the problem but if you were having power issues your PC would display symptoms and your not complaining about them so i think it could be ruled out.
Could be my SATA controller? (As i have read from other forums)
This here is the correct place to start. Research a little bit. And i will post back after i have done so.

Could it be due to this problem - The backup process requires significantly more time when you use the Windows Backup utility in Windows 7 if the size of the backup files increases ???
No.
Overheating??? (but my drive is right behind my big cooler fans)
No.Computer would whine at you.
Tried SMART check but showed no error.

My Specs:
OS: Windows 7 64bit
Motherboard: M5a97 PRO
CPU: AMD x4 965 @ 3.6 Ghz
Memory: 8 GB (2x 4GB) RAM @1600 Mhz
GPU: XFX 5770 1GB (5x Display Port)
PSU: CIT 550W PSU
Hard Drives : Primary- Barracuda 7200.12 SATA 3Gb/s 500GB - (ST3500418AS)
Current Secondary - Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATAIII 6Gb/s 32MB (WD10EALX)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Aegir SD128264
Anti-Virus: Kaspersky Internet Security

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening and why???

Below the drive is shown as working during tests, but does not show it in the "My Computer" Folder
[ATTACH]6672[/ATTACH]

I'm imaging this is like a horror movie, where the Hard Drive is disapearing and appearing.

[Ramjali]

OKay tricky. Check the jumper on the hard drive and see if it is in the MAster, slave pins. Additionally, try using only the second hard drive to boot your computer and see if the BIOS recognizes it.

Um, my computer HDD are on SATA cables. Changing secondary HDD to IDE (from the bios) seems to extend the time before disapearance but severly reduces the data transfer capabilites

NOTE: I dont have any IDE slots on my mobo just SATA

[Sgt. Mahi]

What about the command prompt? Can you access the hard drives there?

What about Microsoft Disk Manager? Can you see them there?

About software causing the problem... Do you use any virtual drive software like Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120%??

Edit: BTW Google is your friend. Search the topic.

I found a thread that explained that this could be caused by your hard drive is set to sleep mode (advanced power settings in control panel) try disabling it.

[Twisted Helix]

Check your sleep modes in the BIOS. Sometimes if it is set to S3 you can have this problem. Setting it to S1 can solve it. Be sure you know how to reset your BIOS though as a wrong setting can stop boot up (some mother boards have a CMOS reset button on them).

Before doing anything READ THESE VERY CAREFULLY !

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Windows Experts Community
Difference between S1 (POS) and S3 (STR) standby mode in BIOS?
BIOS Settings: S1 or S3 for Hybrid Sleep? - Windows 7 Forums

And research how to reset your MOBO bios settings from the motherboard. Don't want you to end up with an expensive door stop

http://support.asus.com/Troubleshooting ... s=&no=1722

[Valleyforge3946]

Um, my computer HDD are on SATA cables. Changing secondary HDD to IDE (from the bios) seems to extend the time before disapearance but severly reduces the data transfer capabilites

NOTE: I dont have any IDE slots on my mobo just SATA

TBH, that's just weird... hmmm.....

[Ramjali]

I found out that my drive was in AHCI mode and that weirdly this disapearance doesnt happen to my dad user account.