Hard drive disapears from explorer randomly.

JPL95

New Member
Messages
8
I am running 8.1... recently my second seagate barracuda HDD has just been disapearing from explorer... this is my last resort, after this there is nothing... google is completely useless.. I have bought a brand new sata cable, so thats ruled out, the drive is NOT dead, it works perfectly fine and is 100% healthy. the motherboard is not fried, that was just replaced not more than a month ago. the UEFI BIOS is up to date... basically as i said my drive just disapears.. some days ill be able to see it and access files, the next it will not show up in any program at all... I have tried seatools, it does NOT show up in there... can somebody for the love of god help me out with this? im just about ready to throw this damn drive out the window... :mad::mad:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
Drive is bad or power supply is on the fritz. If the system is stable otherwise, then it's looking like a failing drive.

Check all voltages under load, with some good software.

We were having a discussion not very long ago, which included a semi-scientific study of HDDs and Barracuda did not fair so well in regards to fail rate.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7601.18247.x86fre.win7sp1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built Intel based
    CPU
    Pentium D 925 3.0 GHz socket 775, Presler @ ~ 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    Intel DQ965MT
    Memory
    Hyundai 2 GB DDR2 @ 333 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS DirectCU II HD7790-DC2OC-2GD5 Radeon HD 7790 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Hard Drives
    1 Seagate Barracuda SATA II system/boot drive 80 GB, 2 Western Digital hdds - 1 is SATA II Caviar Black 1 TB attached to card (assorted media, page, temp), other is SATA I 420 GB (games, media, downloads)
    PSU
    Thermaltake 450W
    Cooling
    stock Gateway cooling, extra large fan in rear of case
    Keyboard
    Alienware/Microsoft Internet kb
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    Optimum Online, fast for US
    Browser
    Pale Moon
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky integrated into ZoneAlarm+Antivirus
thing is though when the drive works, and i can use it, HDD sentinal says its 100% healthy... it could be my PSU but that's unlikely as its not even a year old and ive hardly ever used it for more than an hour at a time under full load...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
"HDD sentinal says its 100% healthy" <<< means nothing for the specific problem you are experiencing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7601.18247.x86fre.win7sp1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built Intel based
    CPU
    Pentium D 925 3.0 GHz socket 775, Presler @ ~ 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    Intel DQ965MT
    Memory
    Hyundai 2 GB DDR2 @ 333 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS DirectCU II HD7790-DC2OC-2GD5 Radeon HD 7790 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Hard Drives
    1 Seagate Barracuda SATA II system/boot drive 80 GB, 2 Western Digital hdds - 1 is SATA II Caviar Black 1 TB attached to card (assorted media, page, temp), other is SATA I 420 GB (games, media, downloads)
    PSU
    Thermaltake 450W
    Cooling
    stock Gateway cooling, extra large fan in rear of case
    Keyboard
    Alienware/Microsoft Internet kb
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    Optimum Online, fast for US
    Browser
    Pale Moon
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky integrated into ZoneAlarm+Antivirus
I know, my point is i trust the program. Im fairly sure the warranty is up so i cant send it in for them to diagnose it... i dont have the cash to buy a new one, and im not going to put up with this damn thing just disappearing constantly.. like i said this is my last resort... I came here because i figured people might be able to give me some useful advice or something to fix this crap...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
Sentinel's report is only an indication of the drives condition and personally i wouldnt trust it with my life as it has drove me nuts the other day by reporting a daily health degradation of my new SSD which was a hoax,Hirens CD proved it wrong.Anyways,people ARE here to help,but you will have to help us help you.Start switching mobo slots,hook it up in another system if possible,get an other PSU from a friend,stay calm.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home...made ®
    CPU
    Intel i7 2600k
    Motherboard
    GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance 4x4Gb 1600 Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GTX 680 DirectCU II SLI
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Flatron W2240S PN
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra Plus SATA 3 128GB X2

    Western Digital Caviar Blue 2x1TB + WD Caviar Black 1TB
    PSU
    Corsair RM 850 X
    Case
    Chieftec Dragon
    Cooling
    Thermalright Macho HR-02
    Keyboard
    Ivation mechanical backlit
    Mouse
    MS Optical 6000
    Internet Speed
    24 Mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    ESET NOD32 8.0.312.0
An intermittent fault is just that "intermittent". When the drive is working it may appear to be perfectly fine. But then heat or vibration could causes it to fail again. It might be a Windows issue but I wouldn't assume that and arbitrarily rule out a hardware fault just yet. When the drive isn't working, open your case and put your hand on it to see if you can tell if the platter is still spinning. Also make note of the hard drive temperature. Is it hot or cold. You may also want to set your BIOS up to show detailed info on boot up so you can see if the drive is always detected by the BIOS.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Many a problem like that can be attributed to bad / faulty data or power cable, Drivers for MB or chipset can also make trouble. Another problem could be that drive is not "waking up" on time, which you can check by setting it's power saving to never.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
@alphanumeric, it is warm to the touch, and yes the platter is spinning. my case is cool, the two front 120mm fans are always running to keep the drive's from getting to hot, so i do not believe heat is the issue, as for vibration it is possible, i might try putting it in a different drive sled/bay for a day or two and see if that changes anything. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
Have you noticed any increase in your boot time? Sometimes when a drive gets flakey it won't be detected correctly in the BIOS. A side effect of that is a delayed boot while the motherboard struggles to ID it and initialize it. When it goes MIA does it always come back on the next boot? If it doesn't I'd reboot and go into the BIOS to see if it is being detected correctly. Turning your BIOS's fast boot option off may get you some more info during boot up.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
It doesnt show up every boot... for example, i shut it down last night when i went to bed, i booted up this morning, it wasnt there, i shut it down to install a wireless card, booted up, and its there... also no boot up times are the same as they have always been.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
my guess is faulty circuitboard on the hdd,and I don't care how old it is
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1.1 enterprise
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Hinze57
    CPU
    AMD FX 6100 6core 3.30gHz
    Motherboard
    gigibyte ga-78lmy-s2p
    Memory
    4gig ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radon hd5000 Series
    Sound Card
    onboard realtek hd
    Monitor(s) Displays
    19" viewsonic/ 22"Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    128gig ssd Kingston
    80gig WD 10000 rpm spinner
    Case
    micro
    Keyboard
    microsoft curve 200
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless M215
    Internet Speed
    high speed 20
    Browser
    ie 11
    Antivirus
    windows defender
    Other Info
    updated enterprise apr 2/14
My guess is flaky hard drive also. I'd plug it into a different SATA port as a test though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
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