GE Voluson 730: No boot after IDE-to-SATA disk swap
What happened
After the workstation hard disk was replaced with a SATA drive instead of the original IDE type, the system stopped booting: Windows halted with the stop code reported in the case as 0x7B, which corresponds to an inaccessible boot device.
What was checked
- The engineers reinstalled the system on an IDE disk; the workstation then booted normally, so the problem followed the interface change, not the drive itself.
- The stop code 0x7B (as reported in the case) was taken at face value: the Windows loader could not access the system partition at startup.
Cause
The engineers found that the restored system had no driver for the SATA controller, so at boot the Windows loader could not see the system partition on the new drive. The existing system image came from an IDE-based setup, and moving it to a SATA controller without the matching storage driver breaks the boot.
What was done
In this case the engineers went back to an IDE disk, restored the system on it, and the workstation returned to normal operation. A SATA disk is workable, but the restored system then needs the SATA controller driver installed, or the controller set to an IDE compatibility mode; re-imaging the workstation should follow the manufacturer's service documentation.
Safety
Disconnect the workstation from the mains before opening it for a disk swap, and because the covers were removed, run an electrical safety test (protective earth continuity and leakage current) before returning the unit to clinical use.
Lesson: Before moving a system image to a disk with a different interface, make sure the installed OS has the matching storage controller driver — even a healthy new disk will not boot without it.
Covered in the course: Ultrasound Service — Level 2: Fault-Finding →
Written from an anonymised case shared by service engineers. It is not a manufacturer instruction and grants no authorisation. Independent note; names are trademarks of their owners.