220-1101 Question 212
Single answerSerial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)A technician installs a new 2.5-inch SATA SSD in a desktop PC to replace an older hard drive. After reconnecting the system, the PC powers on, but the BIOS/UEFI does not detect the new SSD. The technician confirms the SSD works in another computer. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause on the original PC?
- A
The technician connected a SATA data cable but did not connect SATA power from the power supply
- B
The technician used a SATA III SSD on a motherboard that only supports SATA II
- C
The technician installed the SSD in a 2.5-inch bay without using mounting screws
- D
The technician did not format the SSD before installing it
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This question tests practical SATA installation troubleshooting. Internal SATA drives need two separate connections: a 7-pin SATA data cable to the motherboard and a 15-pin SATA power cable from the power supply. If either is missing or loose, the drive may not be detected. A common misconception is that SATA version mismatch causes non-detection, but SATA standards are designed for backward compatibility, with devices negotiating to the highest mutually supported speed. Another misconception is that formatting is required before detection; in reality, formatting happens only after the motherboard firmware and operating system recognize the device. Best practice when troubleshooting a non-detected SATA drive is to verify power, reseat the data cable on both ends, try a known-good SATA port/cable, and then confirm BIOS/UEFI storage settings.
- A. Correct.
Correct. A SATA drive requires both a SATA data connection to the motherboard and a SATA power connection from the power supply. If the power cable is missing, the drive will not spin up or initialize, and the BIOS/UEFI typically will not detect it. This is a common real-world installation mistake when replacing or adding internal SATA drives.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. SATA is backward compatible across revisions. A SATA III (6 Gb/s) SSD can operate on a SATA II (3 Gb/s) controller at the lower supported speed. This may affect performance, but it would not normally prevent the BIOS/UEFI from detecting the drive.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Improper mounting can create vibration or physical security issues, especially with hard drives, but it does not usually prevent a SATA SSD from being detected by the BIOS/UEFI. Detection depends on proper power and data connectivity, not whether the drive is fully secured in the bay.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Formatting is performed after the system detects the drive. BIOS/UEFI detection occurs at the hardware level and does not require the drive to be partitioned or formatted first. A brand-new or unformatted SATA SSD should still appear in BIOS/UEFI and in disk management tools once the operating system loads.