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Question
Why is my Second Generation Serial ATA hard drive not detected by my First Generation Serial ATA controller or motherboard?

Answer
Problem:
Second Generation Serial ATA hard drives are not detected when connected to a VIA or SIS Serial ATA controller. These First Generation Serial ATA controllers include the following chipsets:
VT8237

VT8237R

VT6420

VT6421L


SIS760

SIS964

Cause:
Our Second Generation Serial ATA hard drives use autospeed negotiation. This enables our Second Generation Serial ATA hard drives to automatically detect the motherboard data transfer rate, making it backward compatible with First Generation Serial ATA data transfer rates. However, because this technology is so new, some older First Generation Serial ATA controllers are unable to support autospeed negotiation and cannot recognize the drive. This “drive not detected” condition occurs when a chipset is incapable of correctly negotiating the data transfer speed with a Second Generation Serial ATA hard drive.

Resolution:
You can purchase and install a third party PCI or PCI-Express Second Generation Serial ATA controller card for your Serial ATA hard drive(s).


To lock the drive at 150 MB/s data transfer rate, install a jumper shunt on pins OPT1, shown in the picture below.


If the OPT1 jumper setting does not resolve the issue, please contact Western Digital Support for further troubleshooting.