BIOS didn't recognize NVMe when a Type C USB device was placed in front of it.
BIOS didn't recognize NVMe when a Type C USB device was placed in front of it.
Hello everyone. I'm facing an unusual issue. Whenever I place any device in the Type C port of my PC case and restart the system, my NVMe drive (1 TB) fails to appear in the BIOS or Windows. Sometimes it shows up as SM2267 (1 GB) in System Status, other times it's completely missing. My 2 TB drive works fine. The problem only appears when I insert a device into the Type C slot on the motherboard. Also, during Windows boot, the Type C port doesn't work properly and logs an error about stornvme. Updating BIOS didn't help, so I reset everything to factory settings in BIOS. I've checked cables, connectors, and even tried reseating the front Type C cable on the motherboard. I also installed a different drive (256 GB) which was recognized in BIOS during first boot, but after shutdown it disappeared. Then I tried a cold boot—even without powering on the PSU—and it worked again. After that, everything functions normally. Sometimes after a few shutdowns, the issue resurfaces. I've also tried another drive (SM2263, 1 GB) which appeared in BIOS during initial setup but vanished after shutdown. The LED on the NVMe would light up when the problem occurred, and it would blink rapidly if it detected the drive as SM2263. The motherboard model is MSI Pro Z690-A with Wi-Fi, CPU i5 12400, and case Lian Li Lancool III.
It looks like the issue might stem from a faulty Type C header cable or an enabled ground on the motherboard. A simple test could involve using an adapter like the JoyReken USB Front Panel Adapter or similar products to see if it resolves the problem. If the issue persists, the cable is likely the culprit. If you have another internal header in your system, you might try that instead.
Confirm if your power source is sufficient. Are both the 24-pin and 8-pin connectors connected to the Mobo? It seems your motherboard doesn’t have shared PCIe lanes between JUSB5 and the M.2 ports, so you’re good there.
This situation makes complete sense. The USB-C connector likely utilizes PCI-E lanes for performance, just as NVME does. It's possible these components are positioned close together on the circuit board. Regardless of the design specifics, as explained by @Agall, you're either using a high-quality cable or a premium motherboard.