3TB usb 3.0 WD MyBook external hdd won't show with usb 3.0 port

[chronofusion]

My external hdd when connected to the usb 3.0 ports on my pc ( both the 2 on board ports on the msi 970a-g46 motherboard AND the pci express x1 usb 3.0 expansion card) won't show up in bios, post, nor windows 8.

 

I am not trying to connect this external hard drive through any hubs..just straight to the ports.

 

Things I have tried: 

 

1.  each individual usb port after reinstalling the hdd itself

2.  each individual port after trying multiple usb 3.0 drivers for both onboard ports and the expansion card

3.  checked for firmware update to the hdd but 1016 is STILL the most updated version which is already installed in the MyBook

4.  when I connect this hdd to my wife's sony via laptop's single usb 3.0 port. it shows up and works at the 80 to 110 megabytes per second rated speeds which is normal max performance for this drive at usb 3.0 mode.

5.  Mybook shows up and works correct when connected to her usb 2.0 ports and ALL of my usb 2.0 ports but of course at crappy usb 2.0 speeds of 36 MB/s max

6.  I thought perhaps there is a bandwidth issue BECAUSE  this problem coincidentally began when I filled up the last of my 6 sata 3.0 gen ports on my motherboard with a 60GB sata 3 gen ssd to use as a boot drive.  So I unpluged one of my burner optical disc drives...rinsed and repeated all the previous steps above.  same results, then unplugged my 3TB INTERNAL seagate hdd, rinsed and repeated all steps above....same results.    

 

Thus these troubleshooting steps ruled out the chance it is a bandwidth issue involving my Phenom II x6 at 3.6ghz ( and not it's not a bad overclocking issue..it's rock solid stable in every way)

 

My storage summary connected to the 6 onboard sata ports of the motherboard:  one sata 3 gen 60GB ssd for boot, one sata 2 gen 240GB ssd for games, documents, music, etc, one 3tb seagate hdd for movies and all pc backups, two blu ray burner optical drives, one dvd burner optical drive.

 

I have been having email conversation with Carlos from WD back and forth and he's about as helpful as a slow as tick on a dog like a typical idiot call center rep that just reads from a book who really is a noob and has no real world troubleshooting or conversational skills.

 

I also posted this problem well over a week ago on Tek Syndicate's forum as I am a member there also.  No replies or even a " hi I feel your pain" yet there.

 

I'm not getting rid of the 60gb ssd for anything.  I LOVE my set up.  I'm just going to be pissed if someone is able to prove to me that this is somehow a bandwidth issue with the sata gen 3 controller or something.

 

I'm banging my head against a wall here.  usb 2.0 for my needs is way too slow ESPECIALLY if i ever need to wipe either the external Mybook or my seagate clean and recopy and paste all my movies over to either one of the drives for the redundancy I'm used to having.  Please someone help if you can.  This is the most wacked out problem i have ever encountered and I've been able to solve all my own pc and network related tech problems since i built my first pc in 2001.  Thanks

[LogicalDrm]

Well, from what I'm reading its problem with USB3 ports on mobo, not problem with HDD as it works with another hardware and on USB2 ports. Have you updated BIOS to latest? and tried to change slot for expansion card? I'm not sure, but there might be some setting in BIOS to actually enable USB3 ports. Don't know why there would be such thing but UEFI bioses are confusing things.

[chronofusion]

Yes I have the latest bios, even tried reverting to an older bios.  I double checked that the usb 3.0 ports are enabled.  in bios there isn't a particular setting that toggles ( enable usb 3.0 speeds on/off) either the ports are enabled or they are not.  All of that didn't matter.  Also all my usb 2.0 thumb drives connecting to the usb 3.0 ports work at the correct usb 2.0 speeds.

 

I am freaking banging my head against a brick wall here.

 

I'm done dealing with MSI's incompetent RMA department IF this board's usb ports are dying on me in any way which I don't think is the case. I went through hell just getting a working board from when my 785gm-e51 matx board died on me for no reason in less tahn 2 years under warranty.

[chronofusion]

Oh and I forgot.  Yes I tried changing the slot for the usb 3.0 expansion card.   Still no go.  I'm going to try this expansion card in my mother's desktop and plug in the Mybook to it.  If it works as it should..then i know beyond the shadow of a doubt it's my motherboard and I'll just give up and save up for an Asus mobo.

[chronofusion]

Anyone have any ideas that I haven't tried yet?  WD support is about as useful as a tick on a healthy dog.  Their level 2 tech support is just as stupid as their pons in which they only know how to read from a manual instead of READING what the customer has already told them that he tried in troubleshooting the problem.  I'm about ready to throw this POS in the trash.  I'm never buying another WD storage solution again.  

[chronofusion]

Ok I hooked this MyBook up to my wife's laptop to the usb 3 ports.  all instances showed between 35 and 40 max megabytes per second transfer rate which is usb 2.0 standards.  I have finally figured out the problem.  It's either ONLY the usb 3 cable, or the usb adaptor PCB chip thingy that is built inside the housing of the external hard drive enclosure that is connected directly to the WD Green hdd.  

 

So do I buy a new usb 3.0 to risk wasting between 7 and 17 bucks to HOP that is the only issue to resolve it? Or do I just open this pos up and just add the WD green drive inside it to my desktop and to storage spaces?