Windows 7 Windows 7 will NOT recognise my OCZ Vertex 2 120Gb SSD at the "Where do you want to install Windows"

[RoddyJones]

Hi all

My computer is 6months old

ASRock z68 Extreme4 MOBO
i52500k
OCZ Vertex 2 120Gb SSD - Main drive
Samsung 1 Tb drive - storage drive

initially i installed a legit copy of Windows 7 Professional and was able to select both drives at the
"Where do you want to install Windows" screen. I installed Windows 7 64bit on the SSD and things have more or less worked out since then. This weeked upon restarting the screen went to black and asked for the installer CD, inserting it and attempting to choose Repair did nothing.

I thought fine, a fresh install is okay and progressed to the above screen but I can not find my SSD as an option only the Samsung. When i hit F11 of F2 during the boot process I can see within the ASROCK UEFI setup Utility that both SATA drives are there. The SSD displayed i think as " ATAPI iHAS324' is set as the default boot drive. It has a ' B ' next to it. The Samsung is also there.

The only strange thing is despite the Samsung only ever being used for storage somehow the computer is booting off the 1Tb drive now. Not that this solves my problem. Maybe the few time i inputed the installation disc and hit Repair it somehow installed W7 on the Samsung drive. Either way when I log into the desktop on it, and go to Disc Management or Device Manager I can only see the samsung drive.

Please advise

 

[whs]

Not sure what the M1 and M2 ports are. Maybe eSata ports. Do you have those? Else it is Sata3 0

But for you it does not matter because you are going to disconnect the HDD. So the SSD is the first and only port that the installer finds.

 

[RoddyJones]

Yes your right re disconnecting, I was just wondering how to tell for general knowledge. So the key is to simply look for the 'zero' ? and then one, two three upwards? The prefix of Sata 3 in front of _0 and _1 threw me off.

I assume what its saying is
There are 5 Sata ports, the lowest one is "_0" and it just so happens the first 2 ports are SATA 3 enabled rather then the slower SATA 2?

Sata 3 M1
Sata 3 M2
Sata3_0
Sata3_1
Sata2_2
Sata2_3
Sata2_4
Sata2_5

 

[Saltgrass]

Your motherboard manual would help explain. It appears you have 8 SATA ports, the M1/2 are probably on a Marvell controller using a different driver. The other six are possibly on an Intel controller. The first two Intel ports (0/1) are Sata 3 capable.

But again, the bios drive priority is the controlling factor. The fact you have active partitions on both drives can mess you up if the order were changed for some reason. Booting with different drive configurations can change the bios drive order.

 

[RoddyJones]

Sata 3 M1 -- goes to exertnal HDD dock (feature on Corsair case)
Sata 3 M2 - empty
Sata3_0 -- empty
Sata3_1 -- empty
Sata2_2 --- CDROM
Sata2_3 -- empty
Sata2_4 ---- 1TB HDD
Sata2_5 ----- new SSD

Also given my new SSD is SATA 3

Drive Transfer Rate​	600 MBps (external)​
Internal Data Rate​	550 MBps (read) / 510 MBps (write)​
Interfaces​	1 x Serial ATA-600 - 7 pin Serial ATA​
Compatible Bays​	1 x internal - 2.5" x 1/8H ​

[TD="colspan: 2"]

Expansion / Connectivity​

[/TD]

shouldnt i connect it to a SATA3 mobo port? not the slower Sata 2 its on now? Now just to decide whether the 3_m1 Marvell port or the other one

 

[Saltgrass]

I would plug it into the SATA 3-0 port. I would always put the hard drives on the lower SATA numbers. I would probably put the 1TB on SATA 2_2, but I have no real reason to feel this way, probably an holdover from the PATA drives.

It gets a little confusing when they describe a drive. A SATA II drive can be described as SATA 3GB or something similar. A SATA III drive can be described as SATA 6 GB...

The SATA 3 ports are usually a different color and the other controller ports are also a different color, although maybe just a different shade.

 

[whs]

Put the SSD on Sata3 0. It will give you a better performance. If you are all done, test the performance with Atto and post the results.

 

[RoddyJones]

For deleting the OS partition on the big HDD, go to Disk Management (once you are booted from the SSD and the HDD is reconnected) and delete the OS volume and the partition there.

Hi, reinstallation done (well just the chipset drivers and GPU driver). The image attached shows the sitution now
Where in Disk Management can I find this abaility to do this?

Link Removed

PS. I moved the Sata Cable light blue to Sata3_0 and at the " Select Drive" install screen of Windows 7 no disc could be found (main hdd turned off), using Disk Part and LIST DISK etc showed nothing. I thought maybe due to the tight fit around the GPU in the PCIE 2 slot I had not been able to push it in all the way.

Either way I obtained out of the Asrock Z68 extreme mobo box a black sata cable which said 'optimised for 6gb/s Sata 3. This cable worked and the drive is now up and running.

I believe the boot sequence is CdRom the SSD then HDD

 

[whs]

Just right click on E: (in Disk Management) and you will see.. There should be a 'Delete Volume'. Then right click again and 'Delete Partition". Then you can use the unallocated space to define new partitions.

If you do not need all the space at this time, I would define a partition that is smaller than the whole disk (just as much as you think you will need in the next frew months) and leave the rest unallocated for later use. Shrinking a big partition at a later time is always difficult (because of the MFT that sits high up in the partition) but extending an existing partition into freespace (to the right) is always very easy.

 

[RoddyJones]

Just right click on E: (in Disk Management) and you will see.. There should be a 'Delete Volume'. Then right click again and 'Delete Partition". Then you can use the unallocated space to define new partitions.

If you do not need all the space at this time, I would define a partition that is smaller than the whole disk (just as much as you think you will need in the next frew months) and leave the rest unallocated for later use. Shrinking a big partition at a later time is always difficult (because of the MFT that sits high up in the partition) but extending an existing partition into freespace (to the right) is always very easy.

I right clicked and there was only another screen that said

" This is the active partition on this disk.All the data on the partition will be lost. Are you sure you want to delete this partition?"

Are you saying this operation will only delete the

• Windows,
• Windows Old
• Program Files
• Program Files x86
• Users folders

that you can see on the screenshot above? -- ie the folders placed there during my previous attempt to use the Windows install CD to repair the broken SSD. PS - did i miss any folders (ie what else would have Windows repair installed there)

All i want to do is remove all trace of this secondary OS install and otherwise leave the whole 1Tb disk as one big open drive. I dont really want to make a partition on it - it will slowly fill with movies, pics, etc. Unless there is some other benefit to partitioning.

 

[whs]

This operation will wipe everything on the disk. So if you have any data of your own there, save it first. And if you want the whole 1TB to be only 1 partition, then use the whole space when you define the partition.

Experience only shows that it is useful (but not compulsory) not to allocate all the space on such a big disk to one single partition initially. It is always easier to extend a partition than to shrink it - in case you want a second partition for another purpose later. Your call though.

 

[RoddyJones]

This operation will wipe everything on the disk. So if you have any data of your own there, save it first. And if you want the whole 1TB to be only 1 partition, then use the whole space when you define the partition.

Experience only shows that it is useful (but not compulsory) not to allocate all the space on such a big disk to one single partition initially. It is always easier to extend a partition than to shrink it - in case you want a second partition for another purpose later. Your call though.

1
Ah thankyou for the feedback, sorry I thought you were attempting to show me how to remove just the Windows related data that was installed by accident on the disk. I didnt realise it was a 'simple' wipe as such.

If its a complete wipe, is it better to follow the DiskPart, List Disk, Clean procedure i carried out on the SSD prior to installation?

2
Did you have any opinion on the below?

PS. I moved the Sata Cable light blue to Sata3_0 and at the " Select Drive" install screen of Windows 7 no disc could be found (main hdd was disconnected anyway) I also pressed SHIFT+F10 at the welcome screen and used Disk Part and LIST DISK etc but it also showed nothing.

I thought maybe due to the tight fit around the GPU in the PCIE 2 slot I had not been able to push it in all the way as I note they do have a metal clip and i could not see it push in or hear it, due to the GPU in the way of that port. I could only use my finger nails to push from the very end of the plug as hard in as possible.

Either way I obtained out of the Asrock Z68 extreme mobo box a black sata cable which said 'optimised for 6gb/s Sata 3. This cable worked and the drive is now up and running.

Could it have been the cable? ie. blue (does blue - SATA2 only?) not work in a SATA 3 port.

 

[whs]

If its a complete wipe, is it better to follow the DiskPart, List Disk, Clean procedure i carried out on the SSD prior to installation?

1. This will do the same - wipe the whole volume. You cannot just wipe a partial volume.

2. On your other problem it looks like you were trying to use a Sata2 cable to attach to a Sata3 port - which of course does not work. But it sounds like you solved the problem with the right cable.

Sata3 is downward compatible with Sata2 disks, but you still need the right cable.

 

[Saltgrass]

You all will be happy to hear I have just ordered my first SSD. Next week I will have some experience with such things.

Gosh, UEFI and SSD....I will probably be asking for help soon!!!

 

[whs]

UEFI is just a fancy BIOS - looks easier to use than the BIOS. Is that's what your mobo has ??

 

[RoddyJones]

Iam going to attempt to get this system just where I want it with software installed and then do what I never have - Make an image so next time i can restore to that.

What tutorials and programs do you recomend. I should probably start a thread in the right place.

 

[whs]

Iam going to attempt to get this system just where I want it with software installed and then do what I never have - Make an image so next time i can restore to that.

What tutorials and programs do you recomend. I should probably start a thread in the right place.

You can start here.