3 Ways to Troubleshoot SSD Recognized as HDD on Windows

SSD displays as HDD? Don’t panic! MiniTool teaches you how to solve it easily!

Is the SSD displayed as HDD in your disk management? Don't worry, this is common and will not affect the computer or data. This article will introduce several effective ways to solve this problem.

Quick navigation:

• Why is an SSD recognized as an HDD?
• How to fix an SSD that is recognized as an HDD?
• Summarize

Displaying an SSD as an HDD is often considered a minor problem, mainly manifested as visual errors in the operating system interface. This error indicates that the performance or functionality of the SSD is not usually affected by the drives as they still operate at their expected speed and capacity.

However, it can confuse users who rely on precise drive recognition to perform tasks such as performance monitoring or hardware diagnosis. Here is a real example from the tomshardware.com forum:

"Hi, I installed an SSD on my computer but it shows up as a hard drive in the disk defragmenter. How can I change it to let it know it is an SSD? I've tried different code in the command, but it doesn't work..." forums.tomshardware.com

If you have this situation, you might be wondering: Why does SSD show up as HDD? How to solve this problem? Please continue reading for more detailed information.

Why is an SSD recognized as an HDD?

There may be several reasons why a computer mistakenly recognizes an SSD as an HDD:

• Compatibility Issues: The SSD may not be fully optimized or incompatible with the motherboard's BIOS, resulting in erroneous identification.
• Incorrect system settings: The BIOS or SATA controller settings may not be configured correctly to detect the SSD, which may cause the SSD to be read as an HDD.
• Improper connection port: If the SSD is connected to an old-style port, or if the computer's settings prioritize HDD mode, it may result in incorrect reads.
• Driver Problem: Outdated or corrupted storage drivers can make it difficult to recognize SSDs.
• Benchmark Results: Windows sometimes relies on benchmark data; if you do not perform a benchmark after switching from HDD to SSD, it may misidentify the drive type as an HDD instead of an SSD.
• RAID Settings: When an SSD is included in a RAID configuration, Windows may find it difficult to recognize its unique features, resulting in it being recognized as an HDD.

Now that you understand the cause of the problem, let's continue to resolve the issue where the SSD is identified as an HDD and make sure the SSD is correctly identified.

How to fix an SSD that is recognized as an HDD?

Before proceeding with any specific repairs, it is highly recommended that you back up the data on the SSD to protect your important data. MiniTool ShadowMaker is a powerful PC backup tool that can back up SSDs and includes cloning features that allow HDD to SSD cloning and allow users to clone SSDs to larger SSDs or HDDs.

Method 1: Update the driver

Using outdated drivers can negatively affect SSD performance; updating them can enhance SSD interaction, enable optimal TRIM commands for your drive, and fix issues where SSDs are identified as HDDs. Follow the step-by-step instructions to update your SSD:

Step 1. Connect your SSD to your computer. Press Win X to open the Power User menu and select Device Manager from the list.

Step 2. In the following window, expand the Disk Drive Options.

Step 3. Right-click the SSD that appears as HDD and select Update Driver .

Step 4. Next, select Automatically search driver .

Step 5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update. After the update, check if the issue has been resolved.

Method 2: Run the winsat command

Reevaluating the drive by performing benchmarks can help provide performance details and properties of the SSD so Windows can accurately identify it. To do this, we introduce a method - run the winsat command. Follow these steps to learn how:

Step 1. Press Win S to start the Windows search bar and type cmd in the box. Locate the command prompt from the results list and select Run as administrator .

Step 2. In the pop-up UAC window, click the Yes button.

Step 3. Type winsat formal and press Enter .

Step 4. After the scan is complete, restart the computer and check if the issue where the SSD is identified as an HDD has been resolved.

Method 3: Reset the BIOS

Improper BIOS settings can make it difficult for Windows to detect and correctly identify SSDs. To resolve the issue where an SSD is recognized as an HDD, resetting the BIOS to its factory default settings can be a very efficient way. This process can help ensure that the drive is correctly interfaced with the operating system, allowing Windows to recognize and interact with the SSD without any problems.

Summarize

Have you encountered a problem that SSD is recognized as HDD on your computer? After reading this article, you must know how to fix it. Hope everything is good for you.

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