Second hard drive in bios. How to turn on the hard drive in the BIOS, and then check the performance of the drive

The hard drive at the most unexpected moment will require inspection, repair, diagnostics, but to ensure the safety of data, tests should be carried out regularly. As a rule, all these processes are carried out by professionals and, therefore, require considerable costs. However, you can do it on your own without special skills - just carefully read the guide below on how to use BIOS.

What is a BIOS?

Actually, BIOS is an abbreviation that stands for basic "input/output system"- “basic input-output system”. That is, it is a set of programs for working with computer hardware. The embedded system is responsible for starting up the computer and loading the operating system, setting up and the computer. it software is used as an IBM development platform, so BIOS will not be used in computers of a different architecture (SPARC, for example). If your computer belongs to any generation of IBM, then our recommendations will come in handy when testing a hard drive.

Why is verification needed?

When programs begin to freeze more often, the computer runs slowly, the system crashes when loading files or programs, the BIOS warns you of an error with a sound or text message, you need to check if the hard drive is in order. Our advice can be used even if files suddenly disappear - the reasons for this can also be identified through the BIOS. Among other things, it is worth conducting a preventive regular check, which will help to avoid such critical manifestations of problems by preventing them or simply detecting them in a timely manner.

How to open BIOS?

Depending on the model and year of manufacture of your computer, the keys used to open the OSD menu of the subsystem will be different. Whatever the desired command, it must be given during boot or reboot. Typically, manufacturers choose the following keys to open the BIOS menu: Del, F2, F10, Esc and F8. Which one will work in your case, it is better to find out from the user manual for the motherboard, because in some exceptional cases the BIOS entry is tied to another key.

How to manage the BIOS?

The main work with the subsystem is carried out with only five keys, not counting the BIOS entry key. Arrows are a means of navigation - with the help of them you can switch between sections and highlight options in the menu. Enter selects a section or setting, while esc, on the contrary, closes them. In the event that you inadvertently set the wrong operation algorithm to the system, you can always return to the factory settings - the F9 key will help to cope with this task. The next one, F10, will save the data and after restarting the device, the settings will take effect.
Only the new Asus motherboard differs from the standard control, where all work with the BIOS is done with the mouse. Whatever the design of the subsystem, these tips should work.

How to check HDD via BIOS?

If you have one hard drive, then using the arrows moving left or right, you need to find the item "Hard Drive Self Test" (it may be called "Primary Hard Disk Self Test"). You can start it with the "enter" key. If there are several disks, then after selecting the “Check hard disk” option, a drive selection window will appear. You need the test option "Multipartition Disk" or "Hard Disk", but you will have to run the test separately on each of them. It will take some time to perform a quick and detailed check of the hard drive, after which it will be possible to determine the presence or absence of problems.
When performing checks, the BIOS will display a status bar with the time remaining until the end of the program. At the end of each test, the system will provide a result. The interpretation of the result is very unambiguous: if the test failed, then the hard drive is damaged and it is urgent to back up the files. If the check is successful, then the drive is fine and System Restore should fix the problem.

Auxiliary means.

With the participation of the BIOS, deeper checks are also possible using the utilities Seagate SeaTools, HDD Scan, Victoria HDD. After the test, the system itself recommends the use of auxiliary programs, which will describe in more detail the causes of problems with the computer and, probably, be able to eliminate them.

The Seagate SeaTools testing tool can detect disk defects and is completely safe for data. The different diagnostic modes depend on the amount of work you need and the time you have available. It is also important that the operation of the program can take up to four hours, depending on the workload of the disk being checked.

HDD Scan was created to check both hard drives and SSD drives for bad sectors, identify defects and change special settings to speed up your computer. With its help, you can diagnose problems and adjust the acoustic mode.

The Victoria computer program is designed to evaluate the performance and minor repairs of a hard drive. It does not require installation, but its source code is closed. This utility can reduce the noise level and identify bad areas that are not readable or considered unreliable.

Possible problems.

Built-in diagnostics hard drive does not work with solid state drives. Alas, the above schemes and life hacks (with the exception of some auxiliary utilities). Also, if the BIOS does not recognize the drive or it does not rotate, then none of the utilities will help to deal with problems. In addition, if the drive is not formatted or partitioned, then the operating system will not be able to notice and identify it. In turn, Seagate SeaTools is not recommended for use on third-party flash drives and HDDs.
If you are testing a laptop, then you should make sure that it is connected to the network - diagnostics draw a lot of current and the BIOS may simply not start without connecting to the network.

When you install a new hard drive on your computer, the drive is not always detected by the system. You connect it, check it in the list of devices - but the disk is not there. In such a situation, you should think about how to turn on the hard drive in the BIOS.

The fact is that for a new drive in the BIOS, separate adjustments may not be configured. In order for the drive to start showing, you need to set up the correct system configuration. For this:

• Power up your computer;
• Before the OS starts loading, a screen will appear on the monitor where you can start the BIOS. Usually, to perform this operation, you need to press the "DEL", "F2" or "F11" key;
• Entering the BIOS, press the line "MAIN", then the "Enter" button;
• In the menu that opens, you will see all the drives and disks connected to the PC. Select the desired line and click on it;
• If you did not find it, point to the "SATA" number you connected to, and then select "AVTO". The disk search will start;
• When the system detects it, select "save end exit". The computer will restart;
• And now you should be able to find the hard drive by clicking Start, then My Computer.

Checking the SATA connector

However, the disk may not show up. The likely cause is that the SATA interface controller is disabled. To fix it:

• Go to BIOS and find the item "SATA configuration";
• On the "controller" tab, click the "enable" item;
• Then use the same algorithm of actions that was described above.

Activating a Disabled Drive

You may have disabled the hard drive in the BIOS. To activate it, you need to perform a factory reset. To do this, go to BIOS and click on the line "Load Default". After that, the PC will reboot and the disk should be determined. Go to "My Computer" and see if it's there.

Update "Device Manager"

When the system "sees" the disk, it will be necessary to update information about the connected devices. For this:

• Turn on the PC;
• Click on the "My Computer" icon with the right mouse button;
• Click on "Properties" and open "Device Manager";
• Right-click on the line with the name of the system (at the top of the window);
• Then click Update Configuration. A scan will be performed, after which the disk should appear in the "Device Manager".

If the disk does not want to be detected in any way, the problem may not be in the software components. To find out, do the following:

• Try connecting the drive to a different connector on the "motherboard";
• Replace the interface cable, replacing the power supply cable may also help;
• By the way, perhaps the problem is in the power of the power supply. It is simply not enough to determine the hard drive. In this case, failures may also occur in the operation of the first disk (on which the OS is installed);
• If you use IDE-SATA splitters to connect the drive to the motherboard, replace them with other ones. Maybe that's the problem;
• The hard drive may not be detected in the BIOS if there are any failures in the system. Often in such a situation only a specialist can correct the situation;
• If you have an IDE type drive (today SATA is predominantly used), then you might think that the problem is the compatibility of old designs with a new motherboard. This is not true. If the "motherboard" has at least one IDE connector, then this type of disk will work in the system. Another thing is that the corresponding function can be disabled in the BIOS. The "Award BIOS" option must be enabled.

Hard disk health check

Other possible reason- the hard drive simply does not rotate. This is due to the fact that the device does not receive enough power or it does not exist at all. To find out for sure, do the following:

1. Turn off your PC;
2. Open the computer system unit by unscrewing the bolts on the side cover;
3. Then, remove the data cable from the drive. After that, the system will no longer receive information about the need to save energy;
4. Turn on your computer. Listen to see if the disc starts spinning. To better understand, you can touch the hard drive - a vibration should be felt. If there is no vibration, then the disk is not turned on;
5. If you cannot accurately understand whether the hard drive is rotating, do the following:
   • Turn on the PC, listen to the disc;
   • Turn off your computer;
   • Remove the PC power cable;
   • Then remove the hard drive power cable;
   • Insert the PC power cable;
   • Turn on the machine and listen again. Then restore power to the drive and listen again.
6. Check the hard drive's power cable by connecting it to another device, such as a floppy drive.
7. If all else fails, connect the drive to another PC.

Is the disk still spinning? It's probably broken and just doesn't work. Then it will need to be replaced. Hard drives are usually beyond repair. Magnetic hard drives (HDD) can fail after one fall, so they must be handled very carefully so as not to damage moving parts. In the case of SDD standard disks, even with a serious impact, the disk will remain in working condition, since there are no magnetic elements in its design.

Enabling a hard drive in BIOS and all related operations can be performed independently. Usually a new hard drive is detected by the computer immediately. Maximum after BIOS setup. If the cables are faulty, it is easy to replace them. If the disk is broken, then you will need to buy a new one.

To correctly display new devices connected to the PC, a BIOS configuration reconfiguration is required. You can make it yourself, or give away this one. If you are confident in your abilities, then follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. Turn on the computer and, without waiting for the operating system to load, press the "DEL" key. The BIOS menu will open in front of you. Go to the "MAIN" tab and press "Enter". The menu that opens will show you all the optical drives and hard drives connected to your computer. You should find the desired device (hard drive) in the list of equipment. If the system does not see it, you must select the type of "SATA" connector to which the hard drive was connected, and click the "AUTO" button. After that, the system will automatically start searching for equipment connected to this connector. When the hard drive is detected by the system, select it and click "Save and Exit". As a result, your computer will restart, and the hard drive will become available in the "My Computer" section.

2. If the system could not detect the installed in computer hard disk, then most likely you have disabled the SATA interface controller. In this case, select the "SATA configuration" item in the BIOS menu and select the "Enable" command in the "Controller" tab. After that, repeat the operation described above.

3. What should I do if I accidentally turned off the hard drive in the BIOS? Don't worry, turning it back on is very easy. You should go into BIOS and run the LOAD DEFAULT command, after which the system will reboot and the hard drive will be available again.

4. When the new hard drive is displayed in BIOS, you will need to update the information about installed devices in operating system. To do this, turn on the computer and wait for Windows to load, then right-click on the "My Computer" shortcut and select the "Properties" section in the context menu. Next, go to Device Manager. The name of your system will be displayed in the top line of the window that appears - right-click on this line and send the command "Update hardware configuration". The system will perform a self-scan of all devices, and the hard drive will be available for use.