I have a Western Digital 8TB HDD that I previously used as a secondary storage solution without any issues. It initially required me to remove the 3rd pin from the SATA connection to bypass a security feature from WD, which allowed it to function properly. Recently, however, I've encountered a problem where Windows won't boot if this HDD is plugged in during startup. If I unplug it before booting, I can connect it afterward, and while it mounts fine through disk management, I'm concerned. It retains excellent read/write speeds and operates quietly as long as it's connected after booting. I'm wondering what might be causing this issue. Should I consider performing a disk repair, or is it possible that the boot sectors are damaged and cannot be fixed? I'd prefer not to discard it since it works well once mounted. Any insights would be appreciated!
1 Answer
You might want to attempt a long format on the drive. It's a lengthy process, but it can help fix issues. Also, you could consider using an adapter like a molex to SATA to disable the 3.3V power line (the orange wire), as that could help with your drive's performance at boot.
I just looked it up. Since I removed the 3.3 pin initially, do I still need to worry about that?
That's interesting! What's the idea behind disabling the 3.3V line?