Installed 2 SSDs in Sata 6Gb/s Cant get add. SSD and DVD-RW to work inSata 3Gb/s

[Brian_James1973]

Installed 2 SSDs in Sata 6Gb/s Cant get add. SSD and DVD-RW to work in Sata 3Gb/s

I read I could get up to 4 SSDs/HDDs into the Z420, read you could get a DVD-RW working in a Sata 3Gb/s 

Is this true or false? Should I try reconnecting the plugs?

Everything works when I plug them into the 1st two black Sata 6Gb/s, nothing in the Sata 3Gb/s 

Am I missing a driver or something? Currently using search engines on multiple websites right now for the answer while also popping the Z420 open constantly to try new ideas, this post was not my 1st step

Any ideas or am I out of luck with those Sata 3Gb/s ?

[Brian1965]

Please check the Storage Options in the BIOS. Please confirm that the SATA Emulation is set to AHCI, not RAID+AHCI.

You should also confirm the other SATA ports have not been disabled. Check the Security/Device Security settings in the BIOS.

[Brian_James1973]

Went into the Bios and everything appears fine, all six Sata slots 0-5 should they are available and enabled

I'll keep nosing around as I'm sure I should be able to get a 3rd SSd drive and DVD-RW to run on Sata 2 and 3 as I have I my other two drives working on Sata 0 and 1

[Brian1965]

The Z420 will support upto 5 SATA devices plugged in at the same time. I have 1x M.2 SSD boot drive (on a PCIe slot), 5x SATA drives (1xSDD + 4xHDD's), and a DVD drive on my Z620, (which shares the same motherboard and chipset as the Z420).

On my system;

Sata 0 = 480GB Sandisk Ultra III SSD

Sata 1 = 7200rpm 2TB HDD

SCU 3 = DVD drive

SCU 2 = 5400rpm 4TB HDD

Sata 2 & 3 = Icydock internal 2.5" & 3.5" hotswap caddy

PCI slot 4 = 256GB SM951 M.2 drive (OS)

I'm guessing that you may be new to upgrading these workstations, and possibly purchased a perfectly good, pre-configured 'used' system. A good place to start would be making sure you have the latest motherboard BIOS installed and that the HP specific drivers are installed, (and not the generic, non-certified Windows drivers). Bookmark the HP Z420 Support page and start by going to the drivers section, then download and install the W7 Manageability-Driver Pack (after updating the BIOS). You should also download and install the HP Performance Advisor and HP Support Assistant programs. Next, head back to the Z420 support page and go to the manuals section. Download the Maintenance and Service Guide (near the bottom) and familiarize yourself with the contents regarding the Z420 system.

[Brian_James1973]

I wouldn't say I'm expert but I'm not new to it, I put together two other z420s just the other week, Ive done a bunch of these, I've just never had to try for the 3rd HDD before, nor had the DVDRW problem before.

I updated the latest BIOS already. I had to do a bunch of drivers from HP, though still combing through and considering other, just making sure to look before I leap.

I have the HP Performance Advisor and HP Support Assistant programs loaded.

Been knee deep in the manuals and other sites for days. All the cables seem ok too.

I'm going to keep swinging at it, until something starts kicking on one of those Satas 2-5 to work with 0 & 1

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it. I post the results when I finally figure out the culprit, or step I skipped over.

[Brian_James1973]

Brian1965

Do you think I need to use the jumper of the z420 motherboard to reset and get the Sata 2-5 working again like the sata 0 &1?

[Brian1965]

Sorry about making any assumptions, but sometime it's difficult to gauge a forum members experience based on their initial post.

Trying the BIOS Crisis Recovery procedure should be the absolute last resort, as this procedure itself is rather fickle.  Sometimes taking multiple attempts to get right. However, there are occassions when it is the only remaining option to regain full functionality.

You could try and update the Intel RST and ME drivers and check the storage settings in Device Manager;