Installing windows 11 on new M.2 SSD

[Charbert]

Hi

I am hoping someone can give me some advice on how to get this windows install started.

I just built a system with:

i9 13000K
Asus ROG Stix Z690-E
64MB DDR6 5500
WD Black M.2 / 2280 and a Samsung EVO 970 M.2
RTX 3080

All fully water cooled with Acrylic tubing and distribution plate.

Everything is powering on fine and when I go into the BIOs it recognizes all the hardware. I have the WD BLack M.2 in the top slot above GPU

The Samsung EVO 970 is in one of the bottom slots on motherboard.

The issue is when I boot to the Windows 11 install USB, it takes me through the steps but will not recognize either of the drives when it comes to selecting the drive to install windows too, even though I can see them in the BIOS. In the past I would set the SSD to ACHI or something like that, but do not see any options in this BIOs to do that.

Do I need to download a driver to get them to show up to install Win 11 or is there something in the BIOS I need to be adjusting to make this work?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Zuzzz]

Sometimes M.2 slots are shared with the PCI-e slot/s. Try installing Win11 with only 1 M.2 drive in the system and be sure its not sharing with your video card slot. This is jsut a guess off the top of my head ymmv. I hope this helps.

Z

 

[EarthDog]

He has video. The problem is he doesn't see either of the drives when booting from the Windows USB. That said, you can try with just one (I'd use the one in the top slot only). The top socket should be the CPU-connected one while the bottom sockets may share with the SATA ports or PCIe slots (read your manual to see what they do).

Is your BIOS on the mobo updated? If not, do that and check again.

Are these brand new drives? Do you happen to have another system you can drop these into and perhaps initialize them in storage management? That's the only thing I can think of offhand.

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

this may not help, but i mention it "just in case"

when i built Forgotten Legend, i didn't have to do anything special to get windows to recognize the drive... ( only one installed in the upper slot. the 2 lower slots were turned off in BIOS in favor of 2nd GPU, because it's either / or on my mobo ) i didn't have to initialize it or anything

however... when i turned it on the first time, the BIOS asked me if it was a new CPU, and in the responses, i had to answer with "Y" to be able to use TPM... if i chose "N", TPM would be automatically disabled. , so of course, I had answered "n" without really reading the options, ( I was never asked again until after calling support and updating BIOS. ) i didn't realize this at first, and had to call support, who directed me to a newer BIOS (there have been 3 or 4 new BIOSes on this mobo since i bought it.), and after i updated the BIOS that first time, it asked me about the CPU again, i read those answers more carefully and chose "Y". i don't recall if support said anything about that or not. additional note: when i updated the BIOS the second time, it asked me that question again, so again i answered "Y", and the third update, it did NOT ask me again.

TL;DR on first startup, when the BIOS asks if it's a new CPU, answer "Y" or TPM will be disabled and you won't be able to install Windows 11.

EDIT: i do remember that when SSD's came out, there were extra steps involved in initial boot drive setup / windows installation, but as far as i know, there's nothing extra required for M.2s except making sure the specific slot is turned on in the BIOS

 

[don256us]

Yeah. I've never had a problem installing to an NVMe. Just to restate what has already been stated:
1) Check your user manual for the MB and ensure that you are installing the Video card and NVMe in the recommended slots. Because PCIe lanes are shared, there are limitations as to which ports work based on what else is installed. Read the manual carefully.
2) Ensure that your BIOS is up to date and set to look for drives in the order that you want AND that you have TPM2 active. Windows 11 is looking for TPM2 and your MB/CPU will have it. You can get past this *if* you have Win10 installed and mod the registry to ignore the TPM check but that isn't where you're at.
3) It's always good taste to list three things or more.

With issues like this, always go back to basics. The devil is in the details. Instead of looking for more complex answers, start with the simple ones and work your way out.

Good luck.

 

[olhachycher]

Hi,
I think you need to update the BIOS on your motherboard to ensure compatibility with Windows 11 and the M.2 SSDs you are trying to install it on. Check the ASUS website for the latest BIOS version for your specific motherboard model and follow their instructions for updating the BIOS.

Additionally, ensure that your Windows 11 installation media is up to date and that you are using the appropriate version for your system (64-bit or 32-bit).

Once the BIOS is updated, you should see the M.2 SSDs listed as options during the Windows 11 installation process.

If you still have trouble, try to boot the system into the BIOS, then navigate to the "Boot" menu and make sure that the M.2 SSDs are listed as bootable devices. If not, you may have to go into the "Storage" or "SATA configuration" menu and enable "Hotplug" or "M.2 support" to make them show up as bootable devices.