NVME causing HDD light to not blink

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ZodaEX

Supreme [H]ardness
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Sep 17, 2004
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I got an NVME SSD for my computer, but whenever I have it installed my hard drive light on my case remains solid at all times. If I remove the NVME it fixes the issue. Are NVME drives supposed to keep your hard drive light from blinking, or is my my SSD a lemon?
 
First make sure your header panels are wired properly. Second go though all your programs and see if anything is waiting on downtime for updates. I've read about PC's that had this happen and it was a Steam game update scheduled for downtime causing it.
 
Headers are wired properly because the HDD starts working when I remove the NVME.
It's definitely not a software download making the light solid. Task manager shows practically no disk activity happening.
 
ZodaEX said:
Headers are wired properly because the HDD starts working when I remove the NVME.
It's definitely not a software download making the light solid. Task manager shows practically no disk activity happening.
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Shitty case. Move on.
 
Back when the hard disk wasnt used much it made sort of sense to have an activity light. But now when something is constantly accessing it what value would it really be? I feel like it would just always be on anyways. Really not trying to troll just wondering what feedback does it provide looking at the face of the case? Mine have always sat sideways on the desk so ive never faced my case in a long time.
 
Darunion said:
Back when the hard disk wasnt used much it made sort of sense to have an activity light. But now when something is constantly accessing it what value would it really be? I feel like it would just always be on anyways. Really not trying to troll just wondering what feedback does it provide looking at the face of the case? Mine have always sat sideways on the desk so ive never faced my case in a long time.
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It lets me know when a torrent is finished downloading without me having to turn the monitor on to check.
 
ZodaEX said:
It lets me know when a torrent is finished downloading without me having to turn the monitor on to check.
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Thanks!

Actually finding that your problem is common with nvme and pcie mounted storage. hdd activity light is an old technology just using the data signal to help drive an led. As suggested below, try changing what spot the nvme is mounted on. Likely motherboard controlled now but perhaps the code that is monitoring this cannot see data transfer depending what bus the drive is on.

https://hardforum.com/threads/disk-activity-light-doesnt-display-when-nmve-drive-in-use.2004594/
 
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My brand new 7000D doesn’t even have an HDD light, lol. I was initially kinda disappointed, now I really don’t care.

Its always kinda been a “oh you’re alive and doing stuff” light.
 
If you miss the indicator and you don't have or have a led that doesn't work you can always try DiskLED to put an indicator in the tray
 
mwroobel said:
If you miss the indicator and you don't have or have a led that doesn't work you can always try DiskLED to put an indicator in the tray
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Like I said earlier in the thread, my case's HDD LED absolutely works. When I remove the 7300 Pro NVME SSD, the HDD light blinks during activity just like you'd expect. I have triple checked this. The issue is apparently with the age of my motherboard (I think I bought it in 2012) and how it handles PCI-E mounted storage. I didn't expect it to be a motherboard limitation, but it's got to either be that or the SSD it's self since troubleshooting proved that it's not the case at fault. The 7300 Pro SSD actually has an activity LED light on it, but I don't have a windows on my case so I can't see it, lol.
 
In olden times the HD light was driven by a disk controller. Some M2-PCIe adapter cards have pins for connecting the case LED. Otherwise it's entirely up to the motherboard to generate it (or not).
 
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ZodaEX said:
Like I said earlier in the thread, my case's HDD LED absolutely works. When I remove the 7300 Pro NVME SSD, the HDD light blinks during activity just like you'd expect. I have triple checked this. The issue is apparently with the age of my motherboard (I think I bought it in 2012) and how it handles PCI-E mounted storage. I didn't expect it to be a motherboard limitation, but it's got to either be that or the SSD it's self since troubleshooting proved that it's not the case at fault. The 7300 Pro SSD actually has an activity LED light on it, but I don't have a windows on my case so I can't see it, lol.
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Your motherboard is from 2012?
 
ZodaEX said:
Yeah.
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My case doesn't have one either, I connected a white LED which hangs out down by the panel header. I'd be looking into the BIOS for a setting, the 990 Pro NVME I have as primary drives my LED on an ASUS x670E-E.
*EDIT I see you have a MB that predates NVME so you might be SOL unless it's in a PCI-E adapter that has its' own LED header...
 
ZodaEX said:
It lets me know when a torrent is finished downloading without me having to turn the monitor on to check.
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Some torrent clients can send emails when done. Most, if not all torrent clients, have some sort of API or WebGUI that can be accessed through a phone app such as NZB360. I'm not sure what else you need the activity LED for but I'm sure there are workarounds to check whatever you need without physically turning your monitor on and minimal effort.

HDD activity LED just annoys me and I can't remember the last time I ever plugged in my case header for one.
 
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