The BarraCuda SSD is compliant with the SATA 3.2 specification. If your computer only supports the SATA 3.1 specification, sometimes the BarraCuda SSD is not detected during startup of your computer. This should be an intermittent issue, and if you try a few times, the computer should still boot.
Seagate has published a fix if you are affected by this issue. You can download and use the software included below to modify your BarraCuda SSD to work in SATA 3.1 mode only. We have also included a tool to change your drive back to SATA 3.2 if you need to do so in the future.
Change from SATA 3.2 to 3.1:
Download Here
Change from SATA 3.1 to 3.2:
Download Here
Once you download and run the software, make sure the correct drive is selected in the drop down menu at the top of the window, and then click “Modify Info”. When the progress is done, you will receive a message saying “Please power cycle the device and restart the computer”. Shut your computer down, and when you power it back on, the change will be in place.
As this is an intermittent issue, you should be able to boot your computer after a few tries to apply the fix. If for whatever reason you can’t boot at all, you can also take your BarraCuda SSD to another computer as a secondary drive and apply the fix from the other computer. You can then reinstall the drive in your original computer.
Please Note:
This fix will only resolve issues when there is a mismatch between the drive’s SATA specification and the host computer’s SATA specification. If your drive was working consistently without issues before, and you are seeing a non-intermittent issue, then traditional internal drive troubleshooting will be more helpful in diagnosing your issue. Internal Drive Troubleshooting
