HP Z420 Workstation not recognizing 14Tb drives

[Karl773]

Hello, just upgraded to a couple of 14TB drives on my  HP Z420, these drives are not recognized in my bios, will a bios update solve this issue. Currently at 

J61 V03.69

[NonSequitur777]

@Karl773,

Welcome to our HP Community forum!

So, your HP Z420 workstation isn't recognizing 14TB drives. There are a few things that may be causing this issue. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot:

1. Check BIOS/UEFI Compatibility:

   • First, make sure that the BIOS or UEFI firmware on your Z420 is up to date. Large-capacity drives may require a more recent firmware version for compatibility. The most recent BIOS version available for your PC is 03.96 Rev.A, which you can find here.
   • Once updated, access the BIOS setup by pressing F10 and see if the drives are now listed.

2. Confirm GPT Partitioning:

   • Drives over 2TB must use the GUID Partition Table (GPT) instead of the older MBR partition scheme. If the drives are formatted in MBR, reformatting to GPT may be required.
   • You can check and convert the partition style in Windows Disk Management or through a tool like Diskpart (use caution as converting will erase existing data).

3. Check SATA Controller Compatibility:

   • Some older SATA controllers may not handle very large drives well. If your workstation has a secondary controller (e.g., an additional RAID card or a separate SATA controller), try connecting the drives to a different port.
   • If you're using RAID, check that the controller supports large drives.

4. Test with a Different System or USB Dock:

   • If possible, connect the 14TB drives to a different system to see if they're recognized there. This can help determine if the issue is with the drives or the Z420 itself.
   • A USB-to-SATA adapter or docking station can be handy for testing drive recognition outside the workstation.

5. Update Storage Drivers:

   • Ensure your operating system's storage drivers (such as Intel Rapid Storage Technology or other chipset-specific drivers) are up to date.

6. Initialize the Drives in Disk Management:

   • In Windows, open Disk Management (type "Disk Management" in the Start menu search), and see if the drives are detected as unallocated. If so, right-click to initialize the drives as GPT.

Let me know if any of these steps reveal the drives, or if you’d like more detailed help with a specific step!

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777