The SSD isn't visible when the Windows installation begins.
The SSD isn't visible when the Windows installation begins.
I'm attempting to upgrade my SSD in my Zenbook 14 Model: Q409ZA. It has only one M.2 slot, so I'm trying to install Windows 11 on a 2TB Solidigm P41 Plus NVMe SSD. The installation process doesn't recognize the drive, even though it appears in the BIOS. I've downloaded the drivers from Solidigm and applied them during the Windows 11 setup, but nothing shows up. I've also tested a previous 128GB NVMe drive, which didn't work either. It seems the issue might be related to the Windows 11 installation process, as other drives appear normally.
Run the Ubuntu Live USB directly from the USB drive, avoid installation. Check if it can detect the storage device. It may be faulty - https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/try-ubuntu-...ou-install
Check if your laptop needs any BIOS updates. You can continue reading this guide; it includes a video at the provided link and sources the most recent BIOS version.
It appears in the BIOS and elsewhere as expected, but not detected during the Windows 11 installation. I plan to try Linux later. I'm really confused.
I used Linux and found the P41 as a volume in the OS, making it a suitable candidate for installation. I connected it to my desktop using Windows 10, and it appeared as a regular volume. The drive's firmware was confirmed up to date. I ran Solidigm's diagnostics and checked for problems on Crystal Mark, but found nothing. It seems the issue is limited to the Windows Installer, and I'm unsure why it doesn't detect P41 Plus. After redownloading and recreating the Windows 11 boot drive, the same problem persisted.
Windows setup should recognize an unformatted HD, but I would attempt to format or adjust it (depending on the situation). In reality, if it's already formatted, I would also remove any partition it contains. Have you verified whether the manufacturer has updated firmware for the SSD?
That is a revelation. Because I was perplexed to find that the needed driver wasn't included in the Windows installation environment, I nosed around and found some YouTube videographers who demonstrated enabling RST in BIOS by disabling VMD in BIOS. After that adjustment, the NVMe drive was readily recognized in Windows Setup without needing to load the Intel driver during installation.