Windows fails to start from the M.2 NVMe SSD.
Windows fails to start from the M.2 NVMe SSD.
Motherboard: ROG Maximus XI HERO (Wi-Fi) CPU: Intel core i7-9700k RAM: 32gb GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070ti Storage: 500Gb Samsung 970 evoplus nvme, 2Tb crucial ssd, 1Tb Western Digital HD (what was removed) Hello, I recently bought a used PC via Facebook Marketplace. The machine performed well during testing, but the owner wanted to remove his hard drive—no issue for me, as I have my own 500GB M.2 with Windows installed and a 2TB SSD still present. When I connect it, I keep being redirected to the BIOS. This has happened before with the previous owner when they unplugged or changed hardware. I’m new to BIOS tweaks but tried these steps from past advice: turning off Secure Boot, enabling CSM, updating BIOS, attempting a clean Windows install (blocked at the drive selection), and disconnecting the other SSD. The M.2 slot only appears when CSM is enabled, but even then I can’t boot. I’ve tried several other adjustments; I’m sure I’m missing something. My thought is this board likely doesn’t support the 970 EVPOM3 SSD, though I don’t know why the previous owner managed. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated—I’ve been experimenting for about six hours and have no ideas left.
The motherboard can accommodate the drive, it remains backward compatible. Adjust the BIOS to its standard setting. Power off and turn on again. What appears displays? Test using only the NVMe drive, excluding any additional components.
It seems the BIOS is missing its AHCI drivers. Download the appropriate drivers and install them onto the media. Before doing so, ensure the system is set to UEFI in BIOS. Load the drivers from the disk selection menu. If they appear, consider rebooting; otherwise, perform a full reinstall of the NVMe drive. There should be an option to save disk controller drivers in BIOS—this feature exists on my ROG Strix Z390 model and helps prevent similar issues.
Detects the drive as active though it isn't a bootable unit. (All other NVMe components are disconnected)
You're likely encountering a generic driver since the website doesn't list AHCI-related options. It may be a standard one you'd find elsewhere.
It's an Intel chipset with under SATA RAID/AHCI drivers. Updated info: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/05...?model=ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO (WI-FI). Unpack the file into a folder and place it on the installation USB drive.
It might have been the boot loader stored on the old hard drive that’s now missing. Consider joining the Native VHD boot group: Correct, indeed — my boot drive is a 25GB VHD file on my NVMe storage.
Consider turning off 'Intel Rapid Storage'. If it remains ON, the board might interpret the NVMe SSD as being in RAID. Ensure your SATA ports operate in AHCI Mode unless RAID is required. Under Advanced Menu > PCH Storage Configuration > SATA Mode Selection, disable CSM to maintain UEFI mode instead of Legacy. For Windows 11, enable Secure Boot.
I worked with the file in a different format than the BIOS flash update you did before. It seems you need to perform this update directly from within Windows. Once you're logged in, go to the BIOS flash menu, select the drive, and look for the update option—there should be something there to run the update.
I saw this mentioned elsewhere and it seems reasonable, though I’m unsure about the steps. Testing via the Windows command prompt on the USB drive might be possible.