Originally Posted by
Pony
I can't do anything until spring, the PC is in Ohio, I'm not.
But to answer some of your questions, no. I haven't tried any troubleshooting steps. Been too busy.
I did not remove the optical drive in device manager, just unplugged it.
Bios is always set on all my computers with SSD and HDDs first
Haven't tried taking the questionable drive back out, it's a PITA to get the tower and cables out from where they are, that's why I haven't messed with it.
The UPS is only because there are regular power "blips" and it was constantly turning the PC off. (repeated improper shutdowns). I don't know if the problems started because of the power grid issues or the HDD but I do know that twice when it did a repair scan, once it came back up, that drive was/is missing.
I'm aware of the Windows 7 issues, I should have done the free upgrade when it was offered.
Thanks for taking the time to help!