Issues with games failing on the secondary M.2 drive
Issues with games failing on the secondary M.2 drive
I repeatedly experience crashes when launching games from my secondary M.2 drive. After each crash, I must restart the PC for it to launch again. The problem began with a Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 2TB NVMe M.2. I attempted a Windows reset to rule out driver issues but had no success. I suspected the drive was faulty and replaced it with a SAMSUNG 990 PRO with Heatsink SSD 2TB PCIe 4.0 M.2, yet the issue persisted. Using Samsung Magician showed no problems. I moved the original drive to the main slot and it worked fine, indicating the problem was with the secondary slot. Uncertain about the cause, I took it to a local MicroCenter for diagnosis. After a month, they diagnosed the issue as a motherboard fault (ASUS AMD AM4 ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero) and recommended replacing it. To get my computer back online, I swapped it with an ASUS AMD ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Dark Hero. Even after the motherboard change, the same crashes continued. In Event Viewer, I noticed several entries after crashes: system failure to clear data, corruption warnings for VolumeId F:, DeviceName \Device\HarddiskVolume5, and a bus type error on device DR3. My system details are listed, but I’m still unsure how to proceed.
I experienced similar problems as you mentioned. It turned out the CMOS battery failed, dropping to 2.3V compared to the usual ~3V. Once I swapped the battery, everything functioned properly. My Asus X570-P is about 3.5 years old.
everything seems set up correctly, but there’s a possibility the power supply isn’t delivering enough during intense gaming sessions. The yellow warning sign might be misleading—check if the PSU is functioning properly under load. Since the motherboard was replaced, hardware issues are less likely. Could software conflicts or outdated firmware be causing problems? I’m thinking about a clean Windows install, updating drivers, and testing the game on minimal system resources. Any unusual peripherals or updates you’ve made could help clarify.
I ordered a fresh battery and plan to test it tomorrow. Could this still be the problem, even though it’s a brand-new motherboard?
Chipset drivers were added and the BIOS updated after a complete reinstall. No entries in the device manager. Considered the PSU but it's a relatively new unit, replaced in early 2023. I own a few LEDs but am unsure if they caused the problem since the system functioned normally before. No known unusual software. Mainly used for gaming and browsing. Tried a fresh Windows install multiple times yet the issue persisted even with required drivers and one game.
You probably haven’t enabled boost settings for the secondary port. Besides upgrading your RAM to 3600MHz, it’s unclear if boost was activated automatically. You might not have noticed anything during your checks.
I've encountered the same issue with your Samsung 970 Evol Plus. The game crashes after a short time, and the drive size isn't displayed until you restart. You've already changed the second NVMe card and updated the BIOS—have you tried anything else? Also, did you use a TUF gaming plus Z390 setup?