Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
If Windows refuses to recognize the new SSD you installed, it can seem like gaslighting. Luckily, we can help you get it sorted.
First thing to do is be sure that the new drive is installed properly. If you’re installing a SATA SSD, check that the SATA cable is connected properly to the motherboard and that you’ve connected power from your PSU to the drive. You can unplug and plug them back in, if you’re in doubt. If you’re adding a new SSD as a storage drive, make sure your motherboard has ‘hot plug’ enabled in the BIOS, otherwise it might not appear until you reboot your system.
If you’re installing an NVMe SSD, make sure your motherboard slot supports that type of drive. Each motherboard is different, after all. Always consult your system manufacturer’s documentation to be certain on how to extract the best performance out of your system and SSD.
Before getting into it with Windows, check your BIOS settings. Reboot or start up your PC using your motherboard’s special key to open the BIOS (usually one key like Delete, F1, F2, F10 or Esc). Getting the timing right can be tricky, so don’t get frustrated. Usually you have to press the key during the motherboard logo. Once in BIOS, look for a storage section. If you’re installing a SATA drive, make sure the configuration is set to AHCI. If that doesn’t work, try IDE or Compatibility mode, to see if it fixes things. Older motherboards may need to actually enable the SATA port for it to work at all. Consult your PC or motherboard manual here, because they all work differently.
Moving on to Windows, sometimes a new drive just needs to be initialized. A polite hello of sorts. Right-click on the Windows logo, and select Disk Management. Locate your new drive, right-click, and select “Initialize Disk”. You’ll then need to choose MBR or GPT for your partition style. Most of the time you want GPT, so if unsure, select that. Once the drive is initialized, right-click on the unallocated space, select New Simple Volume and follow the on-screen instructions.
Sometimes your drive won’t show up in Windows because it needs a new drive letter You can select a new drive letter in Disk Management by right-clicking the drive and choosing “Change Drive Letter and Paths”. Note that if you have existing apps or games on the drive, changing the drive letter may cause problems.
Other times, your drive doesn’t show up in Disk Management at all. Give it a gentle nudge by going to Action then Rescan Disks. Wait for the scan to finish and hopefully your drive will be seen now. Another solution if your drive can’t be found is to reinstall the disk driver. Right-click on the Windows logo and go to Device Manager. Expand Disk Drives and right-click on the SSD that is not showing up. Click on Uninstall Device. Sometimes a drive won’t show up in Disk Management because it’s simply the wrong file system and needs to be reformatted. Note that this process will delete the data on a drive and bring it to like-new condition. Our last DIY in 5 episode [insert link] walks you through it. If after all of this is done, your drive is still not recognized, it might be a hardware problem.
Hopefully though, one of these fixes got your PC and SSD talking to each other and you’re on the way to getting the most out of your new storage. If you found another solution, or still have problems, leave a comment!
Got questions about the video or Kingston products? COMMENT or contact us on SOCIAL MEDIA:
Twitter: twitter.com/kingstontech
Instagram: instagram.com/kingstontechnology
Facebook: facebook.com/kingstontechnology
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/kingston
SUBSCRIBE for more DIY in 5 videos, and receive updates on the latest in Kingston’s memory & storage development, plus guides on getting peak performance from your hardware:
youtube.com/channel/UCLlmpSSdRdFbd_p9oNPcGfA
0:33 Intro
1:04 Check connection
1:49 Check BIOS
2:31 Initialize Disk
3:03 Drive letter
3:21 Rescan disk
4:11 Conclusion
If Windows refuses to recognize the new SSD you installed, it can seem like gaslighting. Luckily, we can help you get it sorted.
First thing to do is be sure that the new drive is installed properly. If you’re installing a SATA SSD, check that the SATA cable is connected properly to the motherboard and that you’ve connected power from your PSU to the drive. You can unplug and plug them back in, if you’re in doubt. If you’re adding a new SSD as a storage drive, make sure your motherboard has ‘hot plug’ enabled in the BIOS, otherwise it might not appear until you reboot your system.
If you’re installing an NVMe SSD, make sure your motherboard slot supports that type of drive. Each motherboard is different, after all. Always consult your system manufacturer’s documentation to be certain on how to extract the best performance out of your system and SSD.
Before getting into it with Windows, check your BIOS settings. Reboot or start up your PC using your motherboard’s special key to open the BIOS (usually one key like Delete, F1, F2, F10 or Esc). Getting the timing right can be tricky, so don’t get frustrated. Usually you have to press the key during the motherboard logo. Once in BIOS, look for a storage section. If you’re installing a SATA drive, make sure the configuration is set to AHCI. If that doesn’t work, try IDE or Compatibility mode, to see if it fixes things. Older motherboards may need to actually enable the SATA port for it to work at all. Consult your PC or motherboard manual here, because they all work differently.
Moving on to Windows, sometimes a new drive just needs to be initialized. A polite hello of sorts. Right-click on the Windows logo, and select Disk Management. Locate your new drive, right-click, and select “Initialize Disk”. You’ll then need to choose MBR or GPT for your partition style. Most of the time you want GPT, so if unsure, select that. Once the drive is initialized, right-click on the unallocated space, select New Simple Volume and follow the on-screen instructions.
Sometimes your drive won’t show up in Windows because it needs a new drive letter You can select a new drive letter in Disk Management by right-clicking the drive and choosing “Change Drive Letter and Paths”. Note that if you have existing apps or games on the drive, changing the drive letter may cause problems.
Other times, your drive doesn’t show up in Disk Management at all. Give it a gentle nudge by going to Action then Rescan Disks. Wait for the scan to finish and hopefully your drive will be seen now. Another solution if your drive can’t be found is to reinstall the disk driver. Right-click on the Windows logo and go to Device Manager. Expand Disk Drives and right-click on the SSD that is not showing up. Click on Uninstall Device. Sometimes a drive won’t show up in Disk Management because it’s simply the wrong file system and needs to be reformatted. Note that this process will delete the data on a drive and bring it to like-new condition. Our last DIY in 5 episode [insert link] walks you through it. If after all of this is done, your drive is still not recognized, it might be a hardware problem.
Hopefully though, one of these fixes got your PC and SSD talking to each other and you’re on the way to getting the most out of your new storage. If you found another solution, or still have problems, leave a comment!
Got questions about the video or Kingston products? COMMENT or contact us on SOCIAL MEDIA:
Twitter: twitter.com/kingstontech
Instagram: instagram.com/kingstontechnology
Facebook: facebook.com/kingstontechnology
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/kingston
SUBSCRIBE for more DIY in 5 videos, and receive updates on the latest in Kingston’s memory & storage development, plus guides on getting peak performance from your hardware:
youtube.com/channel/UCLlmpSSdRdFbd_p9oNPcGfA
0:33 Intro
1:04 Check connection
1:49 Check BIOS
2:31 Initialize Disk
3:03 Drive letter
3:21 Rescan disk
4:11 Conclusion
