Force 3 60 GB problem when booting

Hi to all

Could do with some help regarding a new drive which I had as part of a custom pc built recently.

Windows is installed on a Corsair 60gb Force 3, within a few days of using the new system I got a prompt to boot from cd, I noted the connector to the SSD to be "non latching" - the cable has a locking connector but there is nothing on the drive to lock into, so I assumed this was the problem.

Over the next few days I had this on and off and each time fiddling with the cable and restarting the machine would see it work ok.

After reading a little online - I am relatively new to messing with bios and such things, I managed to enable AHCI mode in my bios, and updated my bios to the latest version on Gigabytes website.

Following these changes the next 10 or 12 boot ups went fine, until yesterday when the main screen stayed on longer than usual and the prompt to boot from cd came up.

I am struggling to understand how something like this can be intermittent, although I have to admit I don't know that much about computers and delving into settings etc is not something I am 100% confident with.

I have been reading the forums quite a bit and figure I might need to enable AHCI in Windows 7? But not sure if this will help as my problem is getting the drive to load in bios on start up.

I wondered if anyone has any tips or ideas that might help me, the vendor who sold the machine were quite unhelpful about the SSD cable being loose, but I do have to call them back tomorrow to follow this up.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Dave

-Enabling AHCI, If you installed Windows on IDE mode

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

-Is the SSD set as the first drive for the BIOS to boot into?

-Have you tried a different SATA data cable/motherboard Port?

-Have you tried a different SATA power connector?

Hi

Thanks for your reply, I have replied to your comments in the other thread too!

I did not install windows, it came pre-installed by the company who built the pc, they had not set AHCI mode in bios though.

SSD is set to first drive to boot into, although I have noticed that this seems to change itself sometimes, possibly when it fails to see the drive. If I alter the sequence and make the SSD the 1st device, then go back into bios it is there all ok as the 1st device etc.

Yes, a friend loaned me a spare new sata 3 cable to try, and I have swapped ports etc.

I haven't tried a different power connector, as I don't have any spares - this is not something I had considered actually, could I just swap around the ones for my dvd drive for example?

thanks again :)

-Yes, you can swap the power connector from the dvd drive if it is using the SATA connections.

-So the SSD is not detected in the BIOS sometimes, Which tells you to insert a CD to boot to?

If yes, Ask for a replacement SSD.

-Yes, you can swap the power connector from the dvd drive if it is using the SATA connections.

 

-So the SSD is not detected in the BIOS sometimes, Which tells you to insert a CD to boot to?

 

If yes, Ask for a replacement SSD.

Yes that's about it!

I thought I had cracked it when I updated the bios and enabled AHCI but now it is back to not starting virtually everytime I boot the pc.

Sending it back tomorrow for a replacement and will update this when I have the new one fitted.

thanks again - much appreciated.

Dave