HDD failure

[truacaldwell]

So i was at my pc, but then it just froze, i restarted my pc, and got Reboot and Select proper Boot device or insert boot device and press a key. So i restarted my pc few times, went to Select boot option but my hdd was not there. I checked Sata cable connecting to hdd but its not unpluged, luckily i still have Ssd connected where i could try to install my windows. Should I do that?

[usually_quiet]

Try unplugging and reconnecting both the SATA power connection and the SATA data connection. The contacts can oxidize or loosen without appearing to be disconnected.

[Edit]Note that the problem can be at either the motherboard or drive end of the SATA data cable, so reseat the motherboard end too. If you have a desktop computer with a modular power supply and the problem drive is the only thing connected to the power cable, you might reseat the power supply end of the SATA power cable too.

[Cornucopia]

Reinstalling will most assuredly wipe any existing data that you have (not talking "restore", which is a diff. thing and one that wouldn't help the current situation). And it isn't even guaranteed to fix the problem. Wiping is a very LAST resort, after you've pulled the drive and used it as a data drive in another machine so you can back up the user data.

The problem might be the drive, but it might just be boot sections of the drive, or it might be the connections, or it might be the port, or a few other things. Isolate your issue by trying known-good alternatives in its place.

Scott

[ProWo]

Download with another computer an Windows PE System to boot from (g.e. Strelec, from here: https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/sergei_strelecs_winpe.html).
Create a Boot DVD or BootUSB Drive and boot your computer from this PE. So you can check, if your HDD can be found, if it's working, if your data are accessible. Then make a full backup to any extern media. If your data are secured, we can do the next steps...

[Appoloh]

I was in exactly the same situation. I had to connect the drive to another PC and scan it with Uneraser. This way I was able to restore and copy all the files. Then I formatted the disk and it works again.

[jollyjohn]

MemTest
If you get one error you've got bad memory