SATA

Serial ATA is the interface used by many hard drives, optical drives, and 2.5-inch solid-state drives. Windows normally communicates through an AHCI or chipset storage controller shown in Device Manager rather than through a separate package for each disk. If a SATA device disappears, first power down and check both its data and power connections, then confirm that firmware still sees it. A loose cable or failing drive cannot be repaired by changing the controller package. Switching the controller's firmware mode after Windows is installed can prevent booting unless the operating system has been prepared for that mode. Record the working setting and back up important data before storage-controller changes.