You’ve just installed a new SSD on your computer and you’re surprised to find that it’s not detected by Windows 10 or 11. Don’t panic, there could be several reasons for this, and various solutions exist to correct the problem. In this article, we’ll explore the steps you need to take to get your operating system to finally recognize your internal SSD.
Checking connections and BIOS
First, make sure your SSD is correctly connected. To do this, it’s important to check your SSD’s SATA cables, or the connection if it’s in M.2 NVMe format. If everything seems to be in order, but the problem persists, it’s possible that the cause lies in the BIOS.
BIOS access :
To access your computer’s BIOS, press the corresponding key during startup (usually F2, F12, Delete or Escape). Consult your motherboard documentation for the specific key to use.
Checking SSD detection in BIOS :
Once in the BIOS, look for the hard disk parameters and check whether your SSD is detected. If it isn’t, the SATA port may be disabled. Activate it and restart your computer. If the problem persists, try connecting your SSD to another SATA port.
Initializing and formatting your SSD under Windows
If this is a new SSDit may not yet be initialized or formatted, preventing Windows from detecting it. To solve this problem, you need to access the Windows Disk Manager:
1. Right-click on the Start button and then click on “Disk Management”.
2. Take a look at the list of disks present. If your SSD appears as “Unallocated”, it is not initialized.
3. Right-click on the unallocated space and select “New single volume”. Follow the instructions to create a new partition and format the SSD.
After these steps, your SSD should be detected by Windows and ready for use.
SSD driver and firmware update
It is possible that the problem is due to a obsolete driver or incompatible with your SSD. In this case, you should update your storage controller drivers:
1. Right-click on the Start button, then select “Device Manager”.
2. Expand the “Storage controllers” category and identify the controller corresponding to your SSD.
3. Right-click on the controller and select “Update driver”.
4. Choose the “Automatically search for drivers” option to let Windows find and install the latest driver.
We also recommend checking your SSD regularly for firmware updates. To do this, visit the manufacturer’s website and follow the instructions for updating the firmware.
Checking hard disk services and settings
If, despite everything, your SSD is still not detected, there are several other possible causes. Let’s take a look at some of the steps you can take to solve this problem.
Check Plug-and-Play service
The Plug-and-Play service enables devices to be recognized and installed automatically by Windows. Check that this service is enabled:
1. Press Win + R to open the Run window, then type “services.msc” and confirm.
2. In the list of services, search for “Plug and Play”, then check that it has been started and set to automatic mode. If not, double-click on the service and modify the settings.
Assign drive letter
Occasionally, a drive may be correctly detected but not assigned a drive letter, making it invisible in File Explorer. To assign a drive letter to your SSD :
1. Open disk management as described above.
2. Right-click on your SSD partition and select “Modify drive letter and paths”.
3. Click on “Add” and choose an available drive letter.
Once you’ve done this, your new SSD should finally be detected by Windows 10 or 11. Don’t hesitate to consult the manufacturer’s forums and technical support if you are still having problems resolving this situation.
Other possible solutions
With the above solutions, you should have solved your problem, but if you still can’t see your SSD, perhaps these final tips might help.
Update BIOS
Sometimes updating your computer’s BIOS can solve device detection problems. Visit your motherboard manufacturer’s website and search for BIOS updates for your specific model. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully to update the BIOS securely.
Check UEFI/legacy support
If you’re using an SSD with an NVMe interface, make sure that your computer supports UEFI boot mode and that the SSD is configured to boot in UEFI mode. In some cases, you may need to enable UEFI support in the BIOS settings.
Check power management settings
Sometimes power management settings can prevent SSD detection. Access the power options in Windows settings and make sure that the power management options are not configured to save power at the expense of drive performance.
Testing SSDs on another computer
If none of the above solutions solves the problem, it’s possible that the SSD itself is faulty. Try connecting it to another computer to see if it is detected. If the SSD is not detected on another computer either, it may need to be replaced or repaired.
If the problem persists despite these solutions, it may be a good idea to contact the SSD manufacturer’s technical support for further assistance.