Troubleshooting Recognition and Other Common Issues for Intel® Solid State Drives

Documentation

Content Type Troubleshooting

Article ID 000005872

Last Reviewed 12/20/2019

See our troubleshooting tips for when your computer doesn't recognize an Intel® Solid State Drive (Intel® SSD).

Note

Back up your data if the solution requires you to run a low-level format. Running the low-level format erases all data stored in the Intel® SSD.

Click or the topic for details:

System doesn't recognize Intel® SSD

Check your hardware

Make sure all cables and ports are clean, dirt-free and are not damaged.
Try different cables and ports.
Make sure the drive is connected directly to the motherboard. (Intel® SSDs connected by an adapter/dongle/enclosure could cause the drive to not be detected in the OS and the Intel® SSD Toolbox).
For AIC (Add-in cards) try to reseat the drive.

Note Moving the AIC to a slot closer to the CPU can be tried as well.
For PCIe* NVMe devices, confirm the compatibility and proper ports with the motherboard/system vendor.
If there is another system available, check the SSD in that system to see if the results are the same.

Check your system BIOS

Make sure the motherboard is running the latest BIOS. Check with the motherboard’s manufacturer in order to download the latest BIOS for the board.
Make sure the BIOS setting is properly set, especially the SATA mode setting.

Latest drivers and firmware

If the SSD is NVMe* then make sure it is running the latest NVMe* drivers. View Client SSD NVMe drivers and Datacenter NVMe drivers SSDs.
Make sure the SSD is on the latest FW by using the Intel® SSD Firmware Update Tool. A useful Intel® SSD Firmware Update Tool User guide is available.

Error occurred during the operating system installation

Make sure the operating system installation boot media is in good working condition/not damaged.
Use Secure Erase in the Intel® SSD Toolbox, do a low-level format, or use the Drive Cleanser included with Intel® Data Migration Software. Try the installation again.

Note Secure Erase in the Intel® SSD Toolbox is only available on the Windows 7* operating system. This functionality is blocked by the OS on later versions.

Unable to complete data migration using Intel® Data Migration Software

Intel® Data Migration Software may display the following message if you use a third-party USB-to-SATA cable to connect the SSD to your system. In this case, replace the adapter.
If an error occurs during data migration, use Secure Erase in the Intel® SSD Toolbox to run a low-level format. You can also use the Drive Cleanser included with Intel® Data Migration Software. Try the data migration again.
If your system is configured to start in UEFI mode, try using the Create Bootable Rescue Media option in the Intel® Data Migration Software tool.

Incorrect drive capacity displayed and other issues

The capacity on the Intel® SSD label is calculated in decimal notation. Most operating systems calculate a drive capacity in binary notation.
- For decimal notation, 1 GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes.
- For binary notation, 1 GB equals 1,073,741,824 bytes.
- The operating system normally indicates less drive capacity than what is on the SSD label.
If the drive capacity isn't the issue, use Secure Erase in the Intel® SSD Toolbox, do a low-level format, or use the Drive Cleanser included with Intel® Data Migration Software. Try the installation again.

Note Secure Erase in the Intel® SSD Toolbox is only available on the Windows 7* operating system. This functionality is blocked by the OS on later versions.

Find tips and troubleshooting resources for Intel® Optane™ memory.

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