HP OMEN 15 - d drive keeps disappearing

[MissSpectrum]

I have a C drive and a D drive on this laptop. The D drive keeps disappearing and I need help because I have tried various suggestions already on support troubleshooting guides.

1. Looked in Disc Management, D drive doesn't show up.

2. Looked in Device Manager and the only thing that pops up is my C drive.

3. I've updated all of my drivers,updates and software (as far as I know) through HP Support Assistant

4. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling my D drive, nothing happens.

5. As a side note, the D drive can appear sometimes from a restart or a hard reset for a short while and then disappears again, especially when trying to install stuff onto the D drive.

6. I have tried resetting my PC removing all my files.

7. I have tried formatting my D drive several times

8. I have checked for virus, malware etc and everything was clear and no threats were detected.

9. Another side note, my PC has started to have performance issues also with the laptop taking more time than normal to load stuff and some programs can have "not responding" even with only 1 program running.

I am running out of ideas, this laptop is 4 months old and I'm very annoyed that this is happening after spending so much money on it especially with the problems with COVID-19 adding to the stress. I hope someone can help me. 

[Photoray002]

Hello @MissSpectrum 

Sorry to hear of the trouble. My first thoughts point to your hard drive failing and would have to be replaced. Unfortunately, this can happen even on a new system of any brand computer. 😔

Can you try running the HP UEFI Diagnostics Tool to test the drives with?

To do this, turn the laptop off, then press the power button and rapidly tap the F1 key until the Diagnostics Menu appears.

Go to Component Tests > Hard Drive Tests and first run the Quick Test.

If no error is found, run the Extensive Test.

If any error is found, the drive is failing and will have to be replaced. Also on rare occasion the connector might not be seated properly and you would have to open the case and re-seat it. But usually this is not the issue.

You would want to contact HP Support directly for the warranty issue.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03467259

Let us know what you find. Thanks.

[MissSpectrum]

Thanks for the quick reply, Photoray002

Tested the D drive on Diagnostics:

SMART Check: Not available 

SHORT DST: Not available

Optimised DST Check: WARNING

Long DST: Not available

Wasnt given any codes or recommended action after the scan. Is it safe to say that my hard drive has failed. If so, any way to know what the hard drive is called so I can buy a replacement? 

[Photoray002 · Accepted solution]

Yep, the drive is needing replaced.

Those 2.5 inch (USA term) Sata hard drives are universal for the most part. As long as it does not exceed 9.5mm in thickness, you can add what ever 2.5 inch Sata hard drive you wish. because of the thickness limitation, you probably wont be able to go over 2TB in capacity. 

As an alternative, you can also install a 2.5 inch Sata SSD which would be faster for Windows to access, depending on your budget.

Here is your manual (pages 37-38) that shows how to access the insides, if you choose to do this yourself...

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c06219881

Does this answer your question? Let me know how I can help further.

[Photoray002]

I should add... If you are still not sure about what to buy, I would go with one of the top name brands.

Western Digital or Seagate are good mechanical hard drives which is what your computer originally came with.

Or if you go to a digital drive (SSD) (recommended), Samsung,  Sandisk, Western Digital, Crucial or Intel are all good brands.

[MissSpectrum]

It’s a shame about the hard drive as I said before it’s a fairly new laptop so it’s a little disappointing anyways thank you for pointing me in the right direction.