USB3.0 Issues and Internal HDD shows as removable

gil · 21 Feb 2016

Hi all,

I'm running Win10 64bit. My sig has all my system details.

I use 2 SSD's and 1 internal HDD.

Issue 1:

My internal 2TB HDD is displayed in Device Manager as Portable Devices. This HDD hosts my User's Folders.

Issue 2: I have an external HDD which is a USB3.0 compatible. When it's connected to a USB3.0 port, the LED on the HDD is blue, and if it's USB2.0 the LED is white.
When I wake up the PC from Sleep mode, the HDD doesn't return to USB3.0 status, instead it's LED is white. Unplugging and re-plugging, won't help. I'll have to reboot the PC to get it back to USB3.0

I'd appreciate your help.
If more info is required, please let me know.
GIL-PC-Fri_12_02_2016_213655_86.zip

TV2 · 21 Feb 2016

Your internal drive can show as a removable drive if:

It is set as a "Hot Swap" drive in the UEFI/BIOS
You have not installed the Asus SATA/AHCI controller driver

Is this a new, recent install? Upgrade or clean install?

When the USB problem occurs, is the external drive plugged into a USB3 port on the computer case, or in one of the ports in the back, attached directly to the motherboard?
If it is the case, try the rear port and see if the same problem occurs.

gil · 21 Feb 2016

1. I'll go to BIOS setting and disable hot swap and see if it helps.

2. It's a new install since 4 months ago. It's a fresh win10 install, not upgrade.
The issue happens on both rear and front (header ports).

gil · 21 Feb 2016

Update: So I went to BIOS settings and disabled all Hot Swaps.... here's what's worrying me
1. The HDD is not even listed as one of the connected devices!!
2. Other SSD's do appear.
3. The issue still persists. The internal drive shows under Portable Devices.

USB3.0 Issues and Internal HDD shows as removable-2016-02-22-00_05_40-device-manager.png

TV2 · 21 Feb 2016

Re: USB
2 things I would test first:

Try another USB cable. USB3 uses more wires/connectors than USB2 (9-pins vs 4-pins). If the hard drive requires a USB3 cable (Blue) and you are using a standard USB2 cable (Black or White) this might explain it. Even if you are using a USB3 cable you should try another, as the cable could be bad.
Try another USB device - to rule out a problem with the drive itself. If all you have is a USB 3.0 thumb drive you can go into Device Manager and check Properties to see if it is running at 3.0 speed (SuperSpeed)

TV2 · 21 Feb 2016

Please expand Disk Drives in Device Manager also.

And a snip of your Disk Management window would be good too (expanded so we can see everything).

Does the HDD show up in the Main Tab in UEFI/BIOS?

gil · 21 Feb 2016

1. The cable is not damaged because it's working as USB3.0 and it is a USB3.0 cable. This only happens after waking PC from sleep mode.
2. I'll try another USB device though I doubt it would work. Switching to all other ports won't lit the Blue LED after waking up from sleep. It's as if the PC remembers this device.
3. Where can I download Asus SATA/AHCI controller driver for Win10?

gil · 21 Feb 2016

there you go :)

USB3.0 Issues and Internal HDD shows as removable-2016-02-22-00_13_33-.png

USB3.0 Issues and Internal HDD shows as removable-2016-02-22-00_14_56-computer-management.png

RE USB: I can assure it's not the device, it's the USB port. I went to sleep mode with the device disconnected. I woke the PC up and then reconnected the device... it's USB2.0 now.

TV2 · 21 Feb 2016

gil said:

1.
3. Where can I download Asus SATA/AHCI controller driver for Win10?

If it is offered, it will be on the Asus page for your motherboard (P8Z77-V DELUXE ) > Support > Drivers.
If the motherboard was released before W10 or W8, you can usually find the driver for Windows 7. That driver will work for all versions.

But I would work on the HDD being unrecognized first. That seems to be the immediate problem. Although installing the SATA/AHCI driver is a can't hut - might help deal anyway.

I Device Manager, check under Storage Controllers and see if you have a SATA/AHCI device listed. Then check the driver to see if it is the generic Microsoft driver, or an OEM one.

TV2 · 21 Feb 2016

Mmmm. No problem with Windows seeing the drive.

So, the issue is why the UEFI does not see the drive in the Hot Swap list.
It looks like you have 5 internal hard drives? Or is Disk 3 (X) an external?
Can you confirm that all internal hard drives are connected to the Intel SATA connectors (Ports 1-6), and that none are connected to the secondary (Probably Marvell) SATA ports?