Issues during setup of Windows 10 on a Samsung 970 EVO storage device
Issues during setup of Windows 10 on a Samsung 970 EVO storage device
Here are your specs rephrased:
- Intel I-7700K motherboard from Asus X270E
- Samsung 970 EVO SSD (newest BIOS version)
- Windows installation on a new drive (Samsung 970EVO)
- GTX 1080TI graphics card
- Quiet power supply unit delivering 750W
- A few days ago I attempted to reinstall Windows on a different drive (Samsung 970EVO). This isn’t unusual for me.
- During the Windows setup process, it keeps looping back to BIOS settings as if no Windows is present on the drive. I always unplug the USB at the 10-second restart warning.
- I’ve tested with another drive; the issue doesn’t seem related to the installation media or PC specifications.
- I tried using older Windows builds with Rufus, both with and without CSM, and even used the Windows creation media stick.
- I experimented extensively with the Secure Boot and other options.
- My question is: what BIOS settings should I configure so that my M.2 SSD can function as a boot drive? I’m near the end of my experience and growing increasingly frustrated after spending about five hours across three attempts.
- After restarting, I notice no UEFI partition appears under the boot devices.
Find the information in the bios and locate the setting for drive 0.
Changes differ from one to another. In my case, I simply drag and drop it to the top. YMMV
It’s noted in BIOS but not in UEFI. That’s because BIOS now often works as an overlay on UEFI systems. It’s not an old setup from before 2005. I’m unsure what the exact cause is. Possibly the motherboard maker integrated BIOS and UEFI in a unique way, making it model-specific. Your use of Rufus or USB tools might be contributing to the issue. It seems this was an existing problem before you began using those methods, and you obtained the drives elsewhere.
I used the standard Windows boot disk utility and also tested with various Windows versions I downloaded from Rufus.
I discovered a fix after several attempts. I completely wiped the hard drive by moving Windows to another partition where it functioned, then powered off the computer. After disconnecting the working drive and restarting, I pressed Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt, navigated through DiskPart, listed disks, selected the boot drive, cleaned it, and exited. I didn’t format it to GPT afterward. Once Windows installed, I rebooted, removed the stick, and everything worked perfectly. It was an unusual experience but definitely effective.