Windows 10: How do I repair an invisible HDD?

The issue I'm having didn't start until today. I was about to play FFXIV and I clicked on Transformers Devastation and it gave me an error about the boot file being missing. This is on R) the hdd in question. Okay, now it locks up when I go to steam and delete local files of the game that messed up. I go to restart and when it does it freezes at the Bios and I have to restart it. When I do restart it, it starts the Automatic Repair and it freezes. When it's scanning and repairing it's scanning and repairing R), but when I go and look for that same HDD when the computer finally loads after numerous restarts, it's not there. So I can't do a chkdsk on that hdd. It's not under Disk Management either. I hear it working inside of the computer, it doesn't sound broken, no weird noises or anything. I had to get really close to hear it. My HDD is a Seagate ITB Barracuda. What can I do?

Thanks!

:)

 

How do I stop an automatic repair loop?

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I have managed to do a system restore, and things appear to be working normally.

My major problem was that the windows media creation tool no longer works, unless it is run from the administrator account. I found this out after much nagging of the ms advice desk.

 

How do I stop an automatic repair loop?

Hi Warner. I'm Greg, an installation specialist and 8 year Windows MVP, here to help you.

Since you didn't say the exact error or failure we cannot troubleshoot MCT until you do, but generally it's faster to move to another PC or try an alternate download. There is an alternative download site here:
TechBench by WZT (v4.1.1)

Burn to DVD with Windows Image Burner or create bootable 8+gb flash stick installer using Rufus set to UEFI for GPT for a UEFI BIOS, or Legacy for MBR for a Legacy BIOS.

I will give you steps to access the Repair Mode to try all repairs to get Windows started, and if not to do the automated Reset or the superior Clean Install after rescuing your files. These steps don't cover possible hardware failure which might become apparent
while performing the steps, so please report back as you go:

1) Use whichever method works in this link to access Advanced Startup Options:
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2294-advanc.... Easiest may be to restart PC three times to trigger the Startup Options.

2) If none of the other methods work it may be necessary to Create Windows 10 Installation Media on another PC:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/m...

Insert media, boot it by powering up PC while pressing the BIOS Boot Menu Key:
https://www.sysnative.com/forums/hardware-tutor...

Choose the boot device as a UEFI device if offered, then on second screen choose Repair Your Computer. If the media won't boot you may need to enter BIOS/UEFI Setup (pressing key given in chart in link above) to turn off Fast Boot or Fast Startup first.

3) In the Advanced Troubleshooting options try to System Restore to a point before the problems began, Startup Repair, then if necessary from Startup Settings try to get into Safe Mode with Networking, or lastly Safe Mode.

If Startup Settings aren't available you can force Safe Mode from Command Prompt using the command to unhide F8 Advanced Startup Options here:

https://www.digitalcitizen.life/4-ways-boot-saf.... Try Last Known Good Configuration and then Safe Mode with Networking.

4) From Safe Mode w/Networking work through the Windows 10 Install Integrity Checklist to make sure the install is set up correctly, optimized for best performance, and any needed repairs get donehttp://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-performance/windows-10-performance-and-install-integrity/75529fd4-fac7-4653-893a-dd8cd4b4db00:
If it doesn’t fix Windows enough to start it normally, then try a Windows 10 Refresh:

https://www.howtogeek.com/265054/how-to-easily-...

5) If Safe Mode doesn’t work or help stabilize things then return to Advanced Troubleshoot options. Next try Command Prompt to run through Windows 10 Install Integrity Checklist (above link) repair commands including sfc /scannow, DISM, a full Disk Check, or
return to Troubleshoot options to Reset Your Windows 10 PC.

6) Better yet do the vastly superior Clean Install Windows 10 following the steps in this link to delete all partitions down to Unallocated Space to get it cleanest:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

7) There is a step to Rescue Files from the booted media Command Prompt first:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

These steps are excerpted from my tutorial that compiles everything possible for Troubleshooting Windows 10 Failure to Start:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki.... You can continue with the other steps there.

Feel free to ask back any questions and keep us posted on how it goes.

 

Update: I recently rescanned for the hard drive under Disk Management, it popped up and made explorer crash and then disappeared when I clicked on the hdd. I can no longer get it to show up now. I'm afraid to restart the computer because it may freeze at the bios screen again. It never makes it to the S.MA.R.T screen when it does. It ends up with me having to restart numerous times to get it past the Automatic Repair scan / "scanning and repairing" screen.

 

I would try a Repair install. Some games create an Emulated or Virtual Drive. We do know that there are still issues with certain games and Windows 10, that are unresolved at this time. It is suggested to stick with Windows 7 if you are a gamer.

 

As far as I know a virtual drive will not stop a PC from booting to the BIOS. It shouldn't stop a physical drive from showing up in disk management either. I just recently had a similar issue with my fathers laptop. Windows would just boot to an endless Windows repair screen. I connected that drive to a SATA to USB adapter to recover the files and it just locked up explorer. PC wouldn't shut down with it connected either. Disk management just froze when launched with that drive connected. It was clicking etc, and had failed. It sounds like you might be in a similar situation?

 

Hi. I can't get it to recognize the drive at all anymore. I have it doing an automatic repair again and it'll probably take the rest of the night. I'm worried that after it's all said and done I still won't be able to obtain visibility to that HDD. I opened my computer and unhooked everything and changed SATA cables prior and now I'm just waiting. The locking of explorer when I was able to access the HDD in question is correct. As of right now, I haven't had any weird clicking sounds coming from that particular HDD. Disk management doesn't freeze, but it no longer scan and retrieve my :R HDD.

 

Thank you.

 

Steam is the biggest offender right now with not wanting to get on board with Microsoft. That is because they are still working on Steam OS and also competing against better streaming devices like NVidia's Shield TV.

 

This laptop had done at least one automatic repair. Then tried to do another one but would never finish. I couldn't do a repair install even when booting from my install media. It would just freeze when it got to where it looked for the existing OS. Accessing my drive was hit or miss. On my SATA to USB adapter, in explorer, several partitions were listed. All the data (documents etc) was on a separate partition. I had installed Windows that way originally for my father. If I made the mistake of clicking the Windows partition explorer locked up, or just crashed to a totally blank desktop. I then had to do a ctrl alt del to get out and reboot. Even then the PC wouldn't shut down until I unplugged that drive. Really weird. I eventually got most of his files back over many hours. They copied very slowly from that drive. I got some unreadable errors. Some that copied may be corrupt, I won't know until he tries to access them. Disk management for me, just loaded with a blank page, no drives listed at all. If I unplugged that drive it loaded. I did hear the occasional click. I was very surprised I got any files off of that drive. I don't have any file recovery software.
I then put a new drive in his laptop and reinstalled Windows for him.
File corruption can be fixed. When the drive has physically failed, there isn't much you can do. My drive physically failed. If it had just been file corruption a reinstall would have fixed it. It would have shown up in disk management OK too. If the drive can't been seen by the BIOS or disk management its usually a hardware fault, drive or cable, or power. Sometimes its the motherboard that's the issue. Putting that drive in another PC will confirm its the drive and not the motherboard. If you slave it into another PC and its still MIA, its the drive that's failed.