Replacing Hard disk - Which drive is which?

[ColoMtnWoman]

My Z420 workstation just died, and It's got to be the C: drive.  The machine has 3 bays for 3.5" hard drives; D3 is empty.  D1 & D2 bays both have 2TB  Seagate  7200rpm hard drives.  The data cable  has the plugs in this order: D1=D2=D3=end.  Which of the two existing drives is the C: drive?; (D1 or D2)?

[erico]

What exactly is the workstation doing when you turn it on?

Are you seeing any power LEDs when you try powering it up?

Does the startup make it to the BIOS or do you have a black screen?

Are your hard drives in RAID configuration?

Have you tried reseating the memory modules or reducing the amount of installed memory to see if it boots up?

[ColoMtnWoman]

When I turn it on, it clicks once or twice and then shuts itself down.  It doesn't even stay on long enough to get into the BIOS.    It's pretty much an instant black-screen/power-down.  There's no RAID config.

Fortunately, I have a system backup that's no more than 10 days old.  I've already purchased a replacement 2TB drive, I just want to make sure I replace the correct hard drive before I start restoring the backup.

[erico]

There are a few ways to approach this.

I would just unplug a drive  and power on to see if the workstation responds with the BIOS complaining that it can't find a bootable OS. Do one drive at a time.

If that does not result in a drive being the issue, check out the memory modules. They can also cause this to happen.

Or the long way, which in this case is not my preference.

You can create a PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI USB flash drive to boot to and find out what is going on. 

When you boot the the utility run a system test.

There are also component specific tests available in the utility.

Click on the diagnose PC hardware issues  outside of the OS to get to the download that will enable you to create the HP PC hardware diagnosis UEFI USB flash drive.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/help/hp-pc-hardware-diagnostics

[ColoMtnWoman]

I appreciate the alternate theories of now to create different kinds of diagnosis drives.  I saw this as a simple question: "Is the C: drive plugged into the plug that says A)  "D1", or B) "D2".  I will figure it out and post the answer back here so the next person looking for the answer can look it up.

Thanks for the help.

[erico]

"Is the C: drive plugged into the plug that says A)  "D1", or B) "D2"

Not necessarily. 

It all depends on how the person that built the system up connected it.

They are SATA drives and those letters are just there for convenience.

[ColoMtnWoman · Accepted solution]

The "person that assembled my machine" was the factory at HP.  

The correct answer (at least for MY machine) is:  D2 = C:\

                                                                                           D3 = D:\

D1 is open for optional add-on.

[erico]

So your initial post appears to have been a self aggrandizing question as far as I can tell.

[bherber]

No, actually I couldn't remember which was which, but after pulling one of the drives, installing it in an external powered housing I was able to discern it.

However, the next time I need someone to mansplain it to me, or tell me how to build a watch when all I did was ask the time, you'll lbe my first choice.

[erico]

That was not mansplaining.  

I suggest the very thing that you did and it was person to person.

You asked for a suggestion as a person and I replied in the very same vein.

When someone, male or female,  uses the same method which someone else suggested and awards themself the solution that is what we categorize as taking the solution provided as one's own, ergo self aggrandizing whether you like it or no.

I just called you out on what you did.

You can't pull the female card on this one.

Keep threads in  the middle and as person to person. 

That is how we like to do it as male and female forum members.