ASUS Zenbook 14 UM425IA doesn't find the SSD in BIOS

[John_Yossarian]

Hello All,

My first post here.

I have had ASUS Zenbook 14 UM425IA made in 2021 that a couple of months after the purchase had a substantial mother board problem. I sent it back and after a week I received the laptop with the problem solved, till recently.

A week ago we were away on holiday when one day I opened the laptop to see that the processor was running very hot and the laptop could not go beyond the BIOS with Storage device box being empty. A few ons and offs did not bring any joy and as I did not have any tools with me I had to wait until I got back home.

Today I have opened the bottom lid and I was surprised to find that three out of the six bolts/screws were not screwed down but simply put there doing nothing (the two under the rubber feet). I suspect that was result of the repair and no one paid attention to tighten them up and put back the right size.

I removed the kingston 512 GB M.2 PCIe x4 and put it back, suspecting poor contact.

After firing it up, however the BIOS still could not find the storage device.

I am going to update the BIOS to the latest version 312, my laptop has version 309 on it, hoping that something might be just due to not properly updated BIOS.

What else should I look for in your opinion?

I checked for viruses but the overall opinion is that this is very unlikely as it sounds more like a hardware issue.

Your thoughts/advice will be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
John

 

[Firewatcher]

Certainly overheating may have caused component failure and keeping the ventilation openings free is important. Using the Laptop on soft surfaces like bedding can restrict airflow. Unlikely that the loose screws caused any issue, just poor workmanship. The Drive may have failed catastrophically and hence not be found, I have experienced permature failure of several Kingston SSD SATA Drives, although yours is reported to have a much lower incidence. But worth getting the drive checked first and ensuring there is no dust build up on the fan/airways.

 

[John_Yossarian]

Certainly overheating may have caused component failure and keeping the ventilation openings free is important. Using the Laptop on soft surfaces like bedding can restrict airflow. Unlikely that the loose screws caused any issue, just poor workmanship. The Drive may have failed catastrophically and hence not be found, I have experienced permature failure of several Kingston SSD SATA Drives, although yours is reported to have a much lower incidence. But worth getting the drive checked first and ensuring there is no dust build up on the fan/airways.

Thank you very much. The overheating might have been the cause as the laptop has been used most of the time sitting over soft surfaces. I am going to buy an enclosure and will see whether the SSD Drive is still intact. If it were OK, could the reason be the motherboard?

 

[Firewatcher]

One step at a time, but looking at the spec, the CPU and RAM are both soldered to the motherboard, so lots of eggs in the same basket and is possible. Pete

 

[John_Yossarian]

One step at a time, but looking at the spec, the CPU and RAM are both soldered to the motherboard, so lots of eggs in the same basket and is possible. Pete

Hi Pete, you were right, the SSD was fried due to overheating. I bought an enclosure, but no cigar. Then I bought another SSD and the Windows 11 was installed in no time. I will make sure it runs only on firm surfaces and the overheating should be avoided. Thank you for chiming in.