NVME M2 SSD vanishes from Windows during game installation, replacement attempts fail, and the same problem recurs.
NVME M2 SSD vanishes from Windows during game installation, replacement attempts fail, and the same problem recurs.
I've invested a lot of time on this and decided to check online discussions. (NOT MY BOOT DRIVE) The NVME M2 1TB SSD vanished from Windows along with all my games. After restarting the PC, it reappeared. I didn't notice this until I needed to move Space Marine 2 from a SATA SSD to an NVME due to performance issues. About 48 hours later, I'm here. When attempting to download the game from Steam, it finishes, starts, then crashes. The next time I try launching the game, I receive a "Disk read error" message from Steam. The drive disappears from Windows afterward. I've checked the files, run as admin, reinstalled the game, Steam, and Windows, then attempted to reformat the drive—this made it RAW and prevented re-format until I updated the BIOS. After reseating the SSD and updating the BIOS, scanning the drive works immediately after booting. However, once a game attempts to download, it can't be scanned anymore. I've used the CMD prompt for troubleshooting and still face the same problem, only resolving when I update BIOS. I gave up on the SSD and went to Best Buy for a Samsung 990 1TB, which also had the same issue. After using the Samsung Magician software, it detected properly but disappeared from Windows, making it seem non-existent. I've read that faulty power supplies can cause similar problems. I ordered two new RAM sticks, a replacement PSU, and checked my motherboard for fans and storage connections. It appears there might be issues with the connector sharing or the motherboard itself. CPU temperatures are normal, and BIOS diagnostics show everything is fine until the drive vanishes. I'm attaching error logs from Event Viewer and wondering if my BIOS is set to legacy mode, which could be causing this behavior. I'm also uncertain whether my BIOS needs updating to legacy status. Please let me know if this helps.
Hey! You're in the right place. I'm facing a similar issue. Flight Simulator took a while to install, then it just vanished without a trace. Steam also disappeared after the same. I tried copying files on my suspected M.2, but kept getting errors. Checked Device Manager, went to Disk Drives, scanned for hardware changes—then the M.2 vanished completely. I think it might be a bad M.2 or a faulty slot on my motherboard. I'm planning to move the M.2 to another slot this weekend. Any tips or solutions would be super helpful!
I believe the issue lies in power problems, possibly with my outlet or PSU. It seems my outlet is a 2-slot that was originally a 3-slot and wasn't properly grounded, which might affect my PSU or cause strange MB errors. I visited a shop a few days prior and they confirmed everything is fine after a stress test. It appears high-demand situations aren't ideal, especially for M.2 drives, which are now showing disk errors. I should mention that after updating my BIOS, it seems to be disappearing from Windows—hopefully this resolves the matter.
I'm glad the situation turned out well for you! I also noticed many forums mentioning the 3.3V issue on their PSUs failing. Swapping them resolved it. I found the problem on my end too—seems the plastic around the thermal pads on my M.2 wasn't taken off, causing overheating. Everything is now fine. I've been using this for about two years!