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Windows 11 not recognizing an older Win 10 HDD (secondary drive). Any suggestions?

Anonymous
2024-01-22T02:15:39+00:00

Good evening.

Last month, I purchased a new desktop system (Dell Inspiron 3910... though the box itself has Vostro stamped on it). Anyway, I wanted to upgrade a few things so I cloned the SDD C: drive swapped it out with no issue, and added another 16GB of RAM, again with no problem.

However, when I brought over a 1TB HDD that I had as my D: drive in my old Windows 10 machine, it was not visible in Windows 11.

What's interesting is that I took the drive out and plugged it into an HDD "caddy" that is plugged into a USB port on the computer. When connected that way, my new Win 11 computer can read the older drive.

I've gone through Disk Management and cannot locate the disk that way so I'm suspecting that I'm missing something obvious... maybe a setting in the BIOS or something else I'll be embarrassed to realize I missed.

If anyone has any suggestions for what else I can try, I'd certainly appreciate the advice.

And if it helps, here's the device and Windows specs for my system:

Device specifications

Processor: 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12400 2.50 GHz

Installed RAM: 32.0 GB (31.7 GB usable)

System type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Windows specifications

Edition: Windows 11 Home

Version: 22H2

OS build: 22621.3007

Experience: Windows Feature Experience Pack 100022681.10000

Thank you!

Chris

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-01-23T05:48:38+00:00

    Hi

    Welcome to Microsoft community.

    It's great to hear you've successfully upgraded your new system with additional RAM and an SSD clone. Regarding the issue with the Windows 10 HDD not being recognized by Windows 11, here are some steps you can try to resolve the issue:

    1. Check BIOS/UEFI Settings:
      • Restart your computer and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing F2, Del, or F12 during the boot process, but it varies by manufacturer).
      • Look for settings related to SATA operation mode (AHCI, IDE, RAID) and ensure it's set appropriately. If you're unsure, you can try the default setting or AHCI mode.
      • Check if the HDD is recognized in the BIOS/UEFI. If it's not recognized here, Windows won't see it either.
      • Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology. If you are going to modify BIOS Settings, please back up all your personal files first to ensure you do not lose data.
    2. Check Power and Data Cables:
      • Ensure the HDD is properly connected with both SATA data and power cables.
      • Try using different SATA ports on the motherboard.
      • If possible, use a different SATA data cable to rule out a faulty cable.
    3. Disk Management:
      • Right-click the Start button and select "Disk Management."
      • If the drive does appear here, but without a drive letter, you can right-click the partition and choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths" to assign a drive letter.
      • If the drive shows up as "Not Initialized," you'll need to right-click it and initialize it. Be careful with this option because initializing can erase data.
    4. Device Manager:
      • Go to the Device Manager (right-click the Start button, select "Device Manager").
      • Check under "Disk drives" to see if the HDD is listed.
      • If it is listed, but has a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark, there might be a driver issue. Right-click the drive and select "Update driver."
    5. Check for Hidden Devices:
      • In Device Manager, click "View" and select "Show hidden devices" to see if the drive is being hidden for some reason.
    6. Check Diskpart:
      • Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
      • Type  diskpart  and press Enter.
      • Then type  list disk  and press Enter to see if your HDD is listed here.
    7. Try a Different Computer:
      • As a last resort, try connecting the HDD to a different computer to ensure the drive itself is functioning correctly.

    If the HDD works fine when connected via USB but not when connected internally, it could point to an issue with the computer's SATA controller, the power supply to the SATA power connector, or a compatibility issue with the motherboard. If none of these steps work, you might need to consult Dell's customer support for assistance with your specific model.

    Best regards

    Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-01-26T06:27:59+00:00

    Hi

    Thanks for your reply.

    Looking forward to hearing from you.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2024-01-27T05:32:19+00:00

    Like a lot of things in life, it was the last thing I tried.

    Rebooting the computer, I went into the BIOS and confirmed all the SATA settings were active so I re-powered down the computer and opened it up. All the cabling looked to be seated well so the only thing left was to switch out cables, which ultimately did the trick.

    One interesting thing to note. I actually found three SATA "ports" on the motherboard, 0, 1 & 2. The drive in question was plugged into SATA 0 which was colored blue while the others were black. I'm not sure if that's relevant but I am looking for anything that stood out.

    Regardless, I ended up moving the secondary HDD to the other open SATA port and used a different cable with it. Then, since I apparently had the connection available, I took the original SSD from the old computer and plugged it into SATA 0... again, with a different cable.

    When I rebooted the system, I'm now seeing three drives - the cloned C: that's always worked, the HDD that wasn't being recognized and the newly-introduced SSD.

    I really appreciate the guidance on this and the thorough list of things to try.

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  3. VARADHARAJAN K 9,676 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-01-26T17:20:12+00:00

    Check-in Bios, enable Sata controller and set to ACHI mode, disable RAID mode.

    Read the user manual for more information

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-01-24T21:12:30+00:00

    Derrick - thanks so much for these suggestions. I've had several deadlines this week at work (which, ironically, has required the use of the new computer) so I have not had the opportunity to do more of the "invasive" tests such as checking the cabling or the BIOS but those will come shortly.

    For the rest, I did not find anything but to give a quick summary:

    1. Check BIOS/UEFI Settings: still need to do when I can take the computer offline
    2. Check Power and Data Cables: still need to do when I can take the computer offline
    3. Disk Management: confirmed that every drive that is visible has a drive letter mapped to it
    4. Device Manager: matched the drives shown against the ones appearing with Disk Management; the new drive is not visible
    5. Check for Hidden Devices: I hadn't used this before so this was interesting. There were a number of greyed out devices but none that appear to be my new HDD. (That said, I have printed out the list and will check when I open up the computer. Ironically, I do think one of the greyed out drives is it but it's got "USB Device" appended at the end which is likely when I saw it using the hard drive caddy)
    6. Check Diskpart: Ran and found the same drives as Disk Management and Device Manager are showing
    7. Try a Different Computer: as I just removed it from the old PC and it was visible there (and can see it when I plug it into the hard drive caddy), I'm confident it's in good working condition).

    Again, thank you for all the suggestions. I'll see if the BIOS or power/cables could be the problem and will report back.

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