I just bought a 4TB Seagate BarraCuda for backing up my system before switching to Linux, but I'm having trouble with it. Initially, it didn't show up when I connected it with a new Sabrent SATA cable. After that, I tried a different SATA cable from StarTech, and it detected the drive, but it shows up completely blank in Disk Management—there's no unallocated space or partition visible, just a label saying Disk 1 ASMT1051.
When I tried to format it via This PC, I got an error: 'There is no disk in drive, please insert...'. I've also uninstalled it in Device Manager and attempted to reinstall it, plus updated drivers, but nothing seems to work. I would really appreciate any help with this issue!
3 Answers
It's possible you might have a counterfeit HDD from Amazon. They do exist, unfortunately. If that's the case, I'd recommend returning it for a refund. Try to purchase from more reputable retailers in the future, like Newegg or direct from manufacturers.
If it's an internal hard drive, it's likely just a matter of partitioning it. Boot into the BIOS to see if it's recognized there, and if it appears, use Disk Management on Windows as per the Microsoft guide. Alternatively, you can use a live Linux session with GParted to format it—it's really helpful for managing drives.
Have you checked it in Disk Management? Sometimes drives need to be initialized there. If you can see it, try initializing it to get it set up properly. Just right-click on the drive in Disk Management and look for the initialization option.

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