If you touch the side of the drive you should feel a slight vibration. Check to see if the hard drive is spinning. This will stop any power saving commands from being sent.

Open the computer case and remove the data cable from the hard drive.

To check to see if this is the cause of the BIOS not detecting the hard drive, follow these steps: If the drive is not receiving power or receiving an incorrect level of power, it will not spin up.

Black connector - is used for master device connection.

Grey (middle) connector - is used for slave devices on the cable.

Blue connector - always connects to the motherboard.

UDMA cables have colour coded connections which require proper orientation when connecting.

For ATA drives, Seagate recommends using UDMA cabling with a maximum length of 18 inches.

If the problem persists, then the cable was not the cause of the problem.

The easiest way to test a cable is to replace it with another cable.

Be sure to check your SATA cables are tightly connected to the SATA port connection. Serial ATA cables, in particular, can sometimes fall out of their connection.

The BIOS will not detect a hard disk if the data cable is damaged or the connection is incorrect.

Here are some images of Serial ATA cables. For further information, please see Document ID: 182453.

For SATA cables, Seagate recommends using cables shorter than 39.37 inches (1 metre).

When in doubt of data cable condition, replace it. Folding, crimping, pinching, or creasing data cables can cause the wires to break inside the insulation, leaving the exterior of the cable looking normal.

Always inspect the motherboard and hard disk connections for bent or misaligned pins.Note: These drivers do not come from Seagate they come from the motherboard manufacturer.

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