Solution For Missing Hard Disk While Installing Fresh Windows

Hello, Friends, Do you face the problem of Hard disk failure or missing hard disk while installing new windows? I understand that you face an issue when you try to install Windows. But do not worry so much. I will help you to solve this issue.  First,  you have needed to know something about Operating system and computers. So let’s move on topics,

Computers cannot work without an operating system, and now every laptop and computer come with pre-installed OS by manufactures. Even if you buy a DOS laptop or computer one can easily install one with simple steps. Well, you can also install a second or a third one the system which already has OS installed. But no matter how many you OS is installed or by whom it is installed, after running it for a long time, it becomes slow and you have to reinstallation is the best way to solve some problem.

When you install or re-install the windows the user sometime encounter a situation where Hard Disk is not detected in the “Where you want to install windows” on the screen even if your Hard Disk is connected to the motherboard, you get errors like: “We couldn’t find any drives. To find the storage driver, click Load driver” or “No drives were found. Click Load Driver to provide for installation.”

Provided that, if the hard disk is not available then the system will fail to install or reinstall the windows. If you want to continue the installation, then making the Hard Disk detected is needed and that too badly. So, here are the solutions to fix this Hard Disk problem.

Also, Check It: 5 Essential Setting After Installation Fresh Windows Operating System

Check if the hard disk is recognized by BIOS

I suggest you try this method first. Weather error message shows or not try this technique.

First, start the computer and enter the BIOS system, then search for the hard disk. If it is missing or not available in BIOS, then here are the reasons and their solutions-

1. The channel for this hard drive is not open in BIOS. This will happen when you install second hard disk in the system. This can be fixed by turning it on or by enabling it.
2. The Power Cable or Data Cable is not plugged correctly and not damaged. Try connecting both cables again.
3. BIOS is out of date, try updating it.
4. The hard disk is Physically damaged. Download a disk testing program and check it.

After attempting this, the hard disk will be detected by the BIOS. If it is still not available that you should contact your manufacturer.

Before attempting the below method please Backup your data.

Install or Update the Storage Controller Driver

A storage Controller is a software that controls how hard disk interacts with the PC.

Though windows can’t install hard disk is always gives the solution along with the error message like “We couldn’t find any drives. To find the storage driver, click Load driver” or “No drives were found. Click Load Driver to provide for installation”.

To load a storage controller Driver while there is no system

First, find the storage controller used by your computer. You can find this by checking the documents that came along with your PC or going to the manufactures website.

Download the driver and store it on a removable device like CD, DVD or USB Flash Drive.

1. Insert the removable device into the PC
2. Start the Installation or Reinstallation windows.
3. And when the system asks to “Where you want to install the windows?”
4. Click “Load Driver.”
5. Then load the driver and continue.

To update the Storage Controller on a running OS

1. Go to the Device Manager
2. Search to the Storage Controller in Device Manager.
3. When you find it, check if it is installed correctly or If it is not installed, then it will be in a yellow exclamation mark.
4. Now, you click on it there.
5. You will have two options either automatically search for the update or Browse for the computer.
6. Just choose one of the options and install it.

Also, Check it: How To Troubleshoot and Fix Windows Blue Screen Errors

Set Your SATA Controller to Compatibility/IDE/Standard Mode

The error of hard disk not found often appears when it is on a SATA or SCSI controller, and the Windows setup does not have a fitting driver for it. Here is how you change the settings.

1. Enter the BIOS Utility Setup.
2. Find the serial configuration of ATA and SATA.

On most of the system, this is under the “On-Chip Config” section.

1. Change the compatibility mode from AHCI to IDE.
2. After the 3rd step save and exit the setup.
3. Now reboot the system and again start the Windows Setup.
4. If the Windows Setup successfully detects the hard disk, then go on with setup and install the Windows Setup.

If successfully installed the Windows Setup then when you restart the system, enter the BIOS and again change the IDE to AHCI.

1. If not, then after changing the compatibility mode to IDE change AHCI.

Update the Drivers of the PC Chip Set

A chipset is a group of integrated circuits (microchips) that are used to manage the flow of the data between Memory, Processors and other Peripherals. Computers that have a particular type of chipset and also have Advanced format hard disk drivers usually installed to have this kind of problems. To fix this

1. Open the Device Manager.
2. Then change the view style to Device by type.
3. Expand the System Devices.
4. Double-click on the SMBus device.
5. Select the Driver tab.
6. Right-Click on the Driver to Restore or to Update it.
7. After that reboot the system

This will Change the driver back to its original version if you restore it or if you update it, then it will install the latest driver into the system.

Note: If you are using an inbuilt system like in windows 8 “Remove everything and reinstall Windows,” and Windows 10’s “Reset this PC,” to reinstall the system, the operations might be a bit different.

I hope that this would help you. If you like this then please share on social sites.