Windows recognizes my 1 TB internal hard drive and it works normally, but CrystalDiskInfo and Hard Disk Sentinel don't detect it, so I can't check its SMART health information. I'm connecting the drive through a SATA-to-USB 3.0 dock. Other SSDs and 2.5-inch hard drives work with the same dock and appear in CrystalDiskInfo. What could cause this, and how can I check the drive's health?
2 Answers
Try a different USB-SATA adapter, SATA cable, or motherboard port. Some docks only support SMART reliably with certain drive models, and some larger or older HDDs can behave differently from SSDs. If a direct SATA connection still doesn't expose SMART data, update the storage-controller drivers and check the drive with the manufacturer's diagnostic utility. Windows detecting and reading the disk doesn't guarantee that health-monitoring data is available through the current connection.
The dock or its USB-SATA bridge may not be passing SMART data for this particular drive, even if it works with other disks. Try connecting the HDD directly to a motherboard SATA port, or test it with another enclosure or adapter that explicitly supports SMART passthrough. If it appears when connected directly, the drive is probably fine and the limitation is with the dock.
It's an internal HDD, but I'm currently using one of those SATA-to-USB 3.0 docks. Other SSDs and 2.5-inch HDDs show up correctly through it, though.
The disk itself is working normally, so I'll test it directly over SATA or with another adapter to determine whether the dock is the problem.