The basic input/output system (BIOS) on the Gigabyte motherboard detects and initializes the hardware connected to the computer. If the BIOS doesn't see the serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) hard drive when the computer turns on, the computer won't boot to the operating system. Both hardware connections and BIOS settings can prevent the Gigabyte motherboard from detecting the hard drive.
Motherboard Connections
At least one SATA device must connect to the "SATA0" port on the motherboard. The device that connects to "SATA0" is the computer's boot device -- the device that the computer loads the operating system from. If the hard drive is not plugged into "SATA0," the BIOS won't detect a bootable device to load from, resulting in an error. Check that you have the hard drive plugged into the correct port on the Gigabyte motherboard before turning on the computer.
Data and Power Cables
The SATA device connects to the motherboard through a 7-pin data cable. SATA data cables come in a variety of colors, such as blue, red or yellow, and have plastic, black connectors on either end. One end of the data cable connects to the SATA port on the motherboard. The other end of the cable plugs in to the SATA hard drive. If the data cable is not connected to either component, the Gigabyte BIOS won't see the SATA drive. The SATA hard drive also connects to a 15-pin power cable, which can be found hanging from the power supply.
BIOS Configuration
If the Gigabyte BIOS doesn't see a SATA device, the SATA controller could be disabled. Turn on or restart the PC and press "Del" on the boot screen to access the Gigabyte BIOS. Use the arrow pad to go to "Integrated Peripherals." Press "Enter" to open the menu. Select "OnChip SATA Controller" and use the "+" and "-" keys to change the setting to "Enabled." If the motherboard supports SATA 6 Gb/s technology, scroll to "OnChip Sata 3.0 Support" and enable the setting. Press "F10" to save and quit.
Hardware Problems
If the Gigabyte BIOS fails to detect the SATA device after troubleshooting the BIOS settings and the hardware connections, either the SATA device or the motherboard could be defective. Install the SATA device to another PC, if available, to check the hard drive. If the drive works when connected to the other computer, the SATA controllers on the motherboard could be faulty. On the other hand, if the other PC fails to see the hard drive as well, the hard drive could be dead.
Tags: hard drive, SATA device, data cable, Gigabyte BIOS, Gigabyte motherboard, SATA hard