Why Doesn't My Desktop Recognize My SSD?

Follow these steps if you are having issues with your SSD being recognized in a desktop:

  1. If the drive is being added as a secondary storage device, it must be initialized first (Windows, OS X). 
  2. Remove, reseat, and double check the connections (for 2.5" SSDs this means both the narrow data connection, and the wider power connection from the system's power supply).
  3. If the SSD is installed externally (or internally using a drive bay or enclosure) try connecting the SSD into a SATA or PCIe port directly.
  4. Try a different port. For 2.5" SATA SSDs plug the cable into a different color SATA port on the motherboard, if applicable.
  5. Make sure the old drive still works. If not, reinstall the old drive, checking all connections.
  6. If the old drive still works, but the new SSD does not, try the new drive in a different system if possible.
  7. If the drive does not work in any system or connection, try a power cycle on the drive, and if the drive still does not work, a replacement may be needed.
  8. If the drive works in a different system, update to the latest firmware and try in the desktop again.

For the following steps and verifications, if you are uncertain of how to execute these suggestions, please refer to your system/motherboard documentation or other detailed support to prevent accidentally making an adjustment which leads to malfunctions:

  1. Check to make sure your system has the latest BIOS installed.
  2. In your BIOS or UEFI, verify your system has the ports being used enabled. Depending on your system model this can be a simple on/off toggle, or specific ports being disabled when another drive is connected to a linked port.
  3. Some users have reported that RAID modes can prevent detection of single drive installations in systems until the RAID setting is disabled in the BIOS/UEFI. This has been reported to also prevent detection of PCIe drives when a SATA RAID mode is enabled, even if no SATA drives are in use.

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