Help please. My nvme SSDs do not show up on BIOS/Windows install screen.

[adulaamin]

Hi! My 2 x 1tb Samsung 960 EVO Plus nvme SSDs do not show up on the BIOS or on the Windows install screen. I've updated to the latest BIOS, tried to reseat/reinstall both drives and it's still the same. I don't have any other drives (SSDs/HDDs) installed. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[erixx]

Basically 2 options: they are broken or you have a wrong BIOS setting. (It's your laptop, right? No cabling issues possible then.)
I have exchanged 1 HDD on my ROG laptop for 2 SSD's and it's hard to do it wrong....

 

[Flaky]

What OS are you installing?
What storage controller mode is selected? AHCI or RST?

 

[adulaamin]

I'm sorry, the drives I'm referring to are the drives on the PC.

What OS are you installing?
What storage controller mode is selected? AHCI or RST?

I'm trying to install Windows 10 and I've tried AHCI or RST and they do not show up. Maybe I did something wrong? Which part of the BIOS do you need to see so I can take a picture of it?

 

[londiste]

M.2 drives do not always show up in the BIOS depending on its layout.
Start by making sure you have the latest BIOS updates.

When it comes to Windows, you may need to feed the storage drivers (try motherboard manufacturer's drives page) into the installer. Generic M.2 drivers should be there in Windows 10 although in some cases you still need to feed specific drivers to it. With Windows 8/7 you definitely need to feed drivers and your mileage with support may vary.

 

[adulaamin]

M.2 drives do not always show up in the BIOS depending on its layout.
Start by making sure you have the latest BIOS updates.

When it comes to Windows, you may need to feed the storage drivers (try motherboard manufacturer's drives page) into the installer. Generic M.2 drivers should be there in Windows 10 although in some cases you still need to feed specific drivers to it. With Windows 8/7 you definitely need to feed drivers and your mileage with support may vary.

I've updated to the latest BIOS and still no luck. How do I "feed" the storage drivers into the installer? Do I just copy paste the storage driver on ASUS's website to the flash drive with the windows installer or is it a bit more complicated? I'm sorry, it's my first time to use nvme drives on a desktop. The nvme on my laptop worked right away so I thought it would be the same with the desktop.

 

[londiste]

Using USB Flash drive for the drivers is probably the easiest way, getting USB Flash drive detected and mounted usually works fine if it is inserted at boot.
An image from quick Google search - I do not remember if the visual is still the same but options should be - Load Driver is the button you need:

 

[adulaamin]

Using USB Flash drive for the drivers is probably the easiest way, getting USB Flash drive detected and mounted usually works fine if it is inserted at boot.
An image from quick Google search - I do not remember if the visual is still the same but options should be - Load Driver is the button you need:

I downloaded drivers from ASUS and Samsung and copied them onto the flash drive. I reach that part (pic you uploaded) of the installation and follow the process for the "Load driver" option and select the proper folders on the flash drive. It returns a message saying "No signed device drivers were found. Make sure that the installation media contains the correct drivers, and then click OK."

 

[Flaky]

With AHCI mode win10 installer has to see NVMe devices using it's built-in driver. If it does not, then there is a problem with bios configuration or a hardware problem.

 

[adulaamin]

With AHCI mode win10 installer has to see NVMe devices using it's built-in driver. If it does not, then there is a problem with bios configuration or a hardware problem.

All the settings in the BIOS are default. Is there something I need to adjust other than the AHCI or RST? I thought they'd auto detect or something.

 

[er557]

Hi There,
If you use the asus maximum XI formula board, you can either try to use a pcie host card for nvme drives, or if you are using the on-board slots, the configuration should usually be done appropriately.
Please refer to this guide and set the similar settings on your board to match these:

How To Install Windows On A PCIe SSD

USING PCIe SSDs AS YOUR WINDOWS OS/BOOT DRIVEThese simple instructions will allow you to install Windows...

forum.asrock.com

 

[TheLostSwede]

Disable CSM in the UEFI and it'll work.

On top of that, you need to create a GPT enabled bootable Windows USB drive, not MBR, or Windows won't see the drives. Nothing to do with drivers.

How to Create Windows 10 USB Boot Disk with RUFUS (ISO2USB)

This tutorial contains instructions to create a Windows USB Boot Media using "Rufus Creator Utility" (Create Windows 10 USB, Create Windows 8 USB, Create Windows 7 USB)

www.repairwin.com

 

[adulaamin]

I'll try both options and report back once I've finished. Thanks!

 

[Flaky]

On top of that, you need to create a GPT enabled bootable Windows drive, not MBR, or Windows won't see the drives. Nothing to do with drivers.

How to Create Windows 10 USB Boot Disk with RUFUS (ISO2USB)

This tutorial contains instructions to create a Windows USB Boot Media using "Rufus Creator Utility" (Create Windows 10 USB, Create Windows 8 USB, Create Windows 7 USB)

www.repairwin.com

At this point this might unnecessarily confuse the OP.

Manual partitioning of data drives is only needed when the OS is already installed.
The installer sees unpartitioned drives, and allows installing the OS to "unallocated space", taking care of preparing all the required partitions.

 

[er557]

I think he meant to create a gpt INSTALL DRIVE, for windows to be able to detect such environments, i.e a rufus created windows setup disk, in UEFI MODE, rather than legacy, as that is the type of article he linked to, However, of course one also does not need to "PREPARE" the target drives or partition them in advance, as you said.

 

[TheLostSwede]

At this point this might unnecessarily confuse the OP.

Manual partitioning of data drives is only needed when the OS is already installed.
The installer sees unpartitioned drives, and allows installing the OS to "unallocated space", taking care of preparing all the required partitions.

Eh? I think you are the one that's confused. This has nothing to do with the OS drive, this has to do with the bootable USB install drive.
If it's not GPT, you're not going to get your OS onto an NVMe SSD.
Windows takes care of the OS drive during the installation.

 

[Flaky]

Yep, I kind of misread your post. Sorry.

Anyway, even if OP would launch the installer in bios/legacy mode, he should still see the drives (but with not bootable message).

 

[adulaamin]

I've tried both methods and they don't work... the nvme SSDs do not show up on the BIOS or on the Windows install process... I think I'll test both nvme drives on another PC... I hope I didn't get 2 DOA SSDs...

 

[erixx]

Maybe your mobo make the ssd use not the cpu or chipset drivers but the extra Marvell etc lanes that can be disabled. Check Onboard devices page in the Bios

 

[Deleted member 67555]

Have you tried one drive and not both at the same time, in each slot.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Maybe your mobo make the ssd use not the cpu or chipset drivers but the extra Marvell etc lanes that can be disabled. Check Onboard devices page in the Bios

NVMe drives, no controller on the board.

 

[kapqa]

Hello , i have had also problem with Windows 7 not recognizing NVME (although BIOS would see it), and used this driver here for Samsung SSD

Recommended AHCI/RAID and NVMe Drivers

Preliminary notes: Many AHCI and RAID users are unsure or don’t even know, which AHCI/RAID driver will give them the best results regarding stability and performance. They either don’t have the time or are not interested to do intensive tests comparing the different types and versions of the...

www.win-raid.com

This helped me to install the Windows onto the fast NVME.
You would need to load it inside the Windows 7/8.1 installation procedure from a USB. With Windows 10 this is not needed.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Just to be clear, NVMe drives don't show up like SATA storage devices in the UEFI.
Below are the only two places in my UEFI that I can see the NVMe drive.
This varies a bit between boards and drives, but normally they don't show up. It only appears here at all, because it's the boot device.

 

[adulaamin]

Have you tried one drive and not both at the same time, in each slot.

It works with one SSD at the m.2_2 slot... I'm installing windows now and I'll try plugging both SSDs after I've finished. Stupid me, I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier!

 

[TheLostSwede]

Also check the manual, as you might have some conflict with something else plugged into a shared resource, like SATA on Intel boards.
A lot of boards disables something to enable the second M.2 slot. You might also want to check that you don't have to explicitly enable the other M.2 slot somewhere in the UEFI, by for example disabling the x4 PCIe slot.