The Linux Mint installer isn't detecting the SSD device.
The Linux Mint installer isn't detecting the SSD device.
Absolutely confirmed, only one drive was detected among the two connected. Apologies for the update failure—I managed to self-update my Windows 10 laptop, which unexpectedly disabled the WiFi. That’s because it was a 2-month-old device with metered connections, set not to download updates there. Despite this, an update was downloaded and installed, and the WiFi driver was removed during the process. Unfortunately, I don’t yet have a Linux driver for my card, as this machine is likely to be the first to get it. In the meantime, I plan a full Windows reinstall later (it’s quite satisfying to reinstall all programs you really need). This should also help with de-bloating, though I’m not in a rush. I can now try your other suggestions and follow up with the outcome.
mint@mint:~$ lsblk NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT loop0 7:0 0 1.8G 1 loop /rofs sda 8:0 1 57.8G 0 disk └─sda1 8:1 1 57.8G 0 part /cdrom nvme1n1 259:0 0 477G 0 disk
Spoiler: First two look like USB storage, third is Drive 2 with a recovery partition. Then Ubuntu 14 and Scientific Linux 7 appear, ready for installation. Maybe test Windows 7 since Intel supports it, though they haven’t confirmed the 760p series on Linux—just saw tests on Ubuntu 18.
Ubuntu 14 identified as nvme1n1, with Drive 2 labeled nvme0n1. It’s replacing the Windows Server setup, though the installation interface is quite poor. Similar issues appear in Mint and Ubuntu, so I’ll attempt the process again using Mint to test Drive 1 compatibility. This seems to point toward a Mint-specific or possibly "My-Mint-USB-specific" problem.
Final update from Sauron to SuperCloneRanger, Lukyp, fargonaz, captain_aggravated: Both drives are identified and will install on your selected drive. Scientific Linux 7 (2015 DVD) does the same. Windows Server 2012 R2 (2016 DVD) also detects both, installs where you choose. Windows 7 (Pleistocene DVD) remains uncertain due to missing USB 2.0 port on rear I/O. Linux Mint 19.1 (Jan 2019 USB Drive) only recognizes Drive 2; Drive 1 appears non-functional. Overall, the situation seems unique to Mint and we’re still figuring it out.
Interesting... if you ever find time, consider sharing this with the Mint maintainers—it might help. For reference, test a newer Ubuntu version like 18.04; it could reveal issues in the more recent kernels. Both SL and older Ubuntu releases are quite outdated now.
Recent Kubuntu release mirrors Mint version 19.1. Earlier Mint versions (18.1) display both storage devices, while Drive 1 only shows the previous Mint release (18.1). Unfortunately, no Wi-Fi connection is active and cabling isn’t complete yet, preventing installation attempts. The latest SL (7.6) supports both drives and Wi-Fi works fine. However, it appears running a kernel version around 3.1 or higher, while others are at 4.3.x or similar. Despite the issues, I appreciate the partitioning options during installation. The newest Clear Linux (28100) doesn’t recognize either drive and lacks Wi-Fi functionality. It seems the beta nature of Clear Linux might be affecting its behavior, aligning with other systems that perform better with newer kernels but struggle with older setups. I’m considering settling for Mint or Kubuntu on Drive 2 if I can limit their usage, as they offered the smoothest live boot experience. Still, I’m curious about why this particular kernel-drive pairing behaves the way it does.
It's possible the updated releases include different modules by default. You might want to compile your own kernel if you're feeling adventurous. Consider testing an Arch-based distribution to check if the latest kernels resolve this problem (we're currently using version 5.0).
Mint 19.1 references version 4.15 while Ubuntu 18.10 points to 4.18. It seems unusual since Intel doesn't typically make such significant changes. I recommend running lspci -v on the storage devices to check their modules and PCI addresses. For example, on my machine, I see "Kernel driver in use: nvme" for NVMe drives. Then enable debugging in kernel arguments and observe any output from those modules or related addresses. The specific PCI address can also provide useful clues.
Guys, the key point is trying to fix another issue while dealing with a BIOS update. I found a solution on a forum where someone fixed their problems by updating the BIOS. I was using version 3.20 in mid-2018, but a newer 3.50 was available in January 2019. After updating, my Kubuntu setup worked with both drives, and my Mint 19.1 installer installed smoothly anywhere. It seems the BIOS configuration was the main culprit. I think I’ll label this answer as the best one if anyone sees it here. Thanks to everyone who helped me through this troubleshooting process. Right now I’m enjoying life in green (though the Windows USB installation still had issues after the BIOS update...).