Issue with M.2 drive appears to be present.
Issue with M.2 drive appears to be present.
Hello,
I purchased a new PC and attempted a clean installation using the USB Windows installer. The process worked with Win 10 as well, but the results were consistent.
My M.2 appears in the BIOS as an NVMe device, yet it isn't bootable when CSM is turned off. Activating CSM makes it bootable, but it triggers an error on a black screen, prompting me to supply a bootable device and press a key.
I have EFI\Boot entries in the fat 32 partition of my M.2, but they aren't recognized by the BIOS?
My device is an Asus Crosshair X670E and an AMD 7950X3D.
Do you have any advice on what I might be missing? Should I consider replacing the SSD or M.2?
Thanks!
What BIOS version is currently active?
You don’t need any partitions to exist after selecting the installation location in the "where do you want to install Windows" dialog. Since Windows has been using NTFS for many years, installing it on a FAT partition isn’t advisable.
When prompted, select the "Custom" option and remove all existing partitions on the target drive. It’s wise to ensure no other drives are connected during installation, except for the one you’re installing from (usually a USB drive). After deleting all partitions, proceed. Windows will automatically create the necessary partitions and format them. Manual formatting is not required.
Before proceeding, confirm your BIOS is up to date. Often, this resolves issues with M.2 drives. Consider the drive model and connected devices, as well as the specific headers they use.
Also, if you turn off Secure Boot, especially with Windows 11, make sure to enable it. For Windows 11, ensure fTPM is activated in the BIOS unless a TPM 2.0 chip is already installed.
Thank you for your response. In a moment of urgency I purchased a new M.2 drive yesterday and it functioned perfectly. I followed the same procedure as before, and it worked successfully the first time. My previous M.2 was a Samsung EVO 970 with 1TB capacity, while the new one is a Samsung EVO Pro with 2TB. It’s surprising that my old device was somehow damaged or incompatible, yet it recognized itself in the BIOS but couldn’t boot. It’s hard to believe that a faulty or incompatible M.2 could cause such issues.
I appreciate your patience while I consider possible solutions.