Turn off RST in Linux Mint without removing Windows.
Turn off RST in Linux Mint without removing Windows.
I'm exploring Mint for Linux 10 and wanted to test it on my PC. I connected a PCIe to M.2 adapter and planned to install it there. However, the software warned me to disable Intel RST (Rapid Store Technology). I searched and found that doing so might break my Windows installation. My current storage setup includes a 128GB M.2 drive on the motherboard, a 1TB SATA HDD, a 500GB HDD, two external USB SSDs (1TB and 5TB), and an M.2 via PCIe riser with a PCIe to M.2 adapter. My Windows installation is on the 128GB M.2 drive. Could I simply remove the physical drive, turn off RST, and then reconnect everything to still run Windows? Also, I have partitions on other drives, and I've heard that changes there can impact RST or vice versa. Right now, I need my Windows installation intact. Is there a way to disable RST while keeping Windows functional? Or would I need to toggle it in BIOS when switching between OS versions? I'm hesitant because I don't want to risk losing my setup. I haven't tried anything yet out of concern about erasing my installation. I'll back everything up before proceeding. This wasn't an issue with Nobara (based on Fedora), so I assume it's not Ubuntu-based. I don't have RAID configured manually, but RST is already enabled. I understand from what I've seen it relates to RAID settings.
In most cases the setup of RST occurs through Windows, often using the Intel Optane tool or the dedicated RST program. You generally just launch the app and turn off RST/Optane, which will disable it without impacting the operating system.
You can attempt to set up any Linux distribution using the system within RST. If the installer successfully identifies the storage drive, you should encounter no problems and won’t need to modify your Windows setup. Otherwise, you’ll have to turn off RST. There are methods to transform your Windows installation from RST to a standard AHCI format: https://help.ubuntu.com/rst/ https://superuser.com/questions/1529049/...97#1662997 Then you can disable RST in your BIOS and continue installing your Linux distribution. RST functions as a RAID solution from Intel.
Sorry for late reply. Shouldve mentioned this. This is a prebuilt PC and i didnt put any of the stock stuff in nor enable RST manually so im not too sure how that works. Theres an application called Intel Rapid Storage Technology when i searched for intel in windows 10 and when i click on the Intel Optane Memory tab it says thats disabled and i have no clue what else i can click i dont see any button for disabling it on any of the tabs or other buttons. When i go to install mint it come up with a thing saying i need to disable RST and gives me a link to an ubuntu help page and i can only restart from there. Thanks for the link. Didnt read far enough ahead to see the tutorial on ubuntu site. Ill back my data up and try that. If you happen to know Should i just drag and drop copy all my c drive to another drive or convert it to some sort of ISO/bootable disc file incase it or i somehow mess up and make my windows unbootable? Thanks
Only copying your C drive isn’t considered a proper backup. For a full system OS and everything, use Macrium Reflect or the Windows 7 Backup settings (under Windows Settings). If you just want files, a file history backup works. Regarding the RST command, it could indicate the system is running in RAID mode instead of AHCI. You might try changing it from RAID to AHCI and see if that resolves the issue. Note that in AHCI mode, Windows may stop booting, so reverting to RAID is likely necessary. Converting out of RAID will require some explanation.
I just meant in case things go wrong so I can retrieve the data from my C drive that might be useful and/or make a system image. From how you phrased it, it seems I’d switch to AHCI mode and then revert, expecting Windows to function normally again. Is there any chance it could render my system completely unusable regardless of the switch? Could this impact other drives too, especially since I’ve heard about SATA issues? Also, I checked the BIOS and couldn’t find any option to disable RST or change to AHCI. The only option visible was to view information: last edited February 29, 2024 by CentreMetre, looked at BIOS, no settings found.
Oof, the HP bios can't change from Raid to AHCI manually. If it worked, I'd revert back to Raid without permanent issues. It mentions it's not set up as RAID, so maybe just remove any Optane or RST-related software from Windows and test. The Linux installer might be missing the info it needs. Regarding the C: drive, copying files doesn't create a bootable image. Moving folders won't restore necessary files for the OS to start. You'd need a proper backup tool to save the required data.
But I suspect RST is active? Optane isn’t (are they the same?) I’m trying to uninstall this but I’m not sure if Mint would recognize it since it would need to check my Windows partition and the BIOS wouldn’t matter if it’s on my Windows drive. Here’s what the RST app appears like if it helps. Even with other background processes running, would it be safe to remove it as you suggested? I didn’t realize some files aren’t copied for bootability, so I won’t be able to create a bootable drive from that copy. Thanks for the info.
It looks like pressing ctrl+s might trigger something, worth testing. Even though it indicates the setup isn’t in RAID mode, it doesn’t mean the RST is off—just that no proper RAID configuration exists for the disks. The mint installer only sees the bootloader partition for dual-boot purposes and ignores the main Windows partition, leaving it unchanged. Likely the controller is configured as RST, which prevents the standard nvme/ahci drivers from functioning.