Can't install Windows on NVME M2 SSD

[drago5]

Hey!
I have bought some components in order to build a cheap yet very silent office desktop. After assembling and checking over all the components in the bios I went to the next step of installing windows 10 from the USB Drive. After booting the stickdrive I get to the step where I have to choose the drive where I want to install the OS, there my NVME drive does not show up. After spending my entire evening reading on forums, watching tutorials etc. I found out I had to install a driver for the M2 drive 'OR' that I can maybe get away with a BIOS update. Said and done, got another USB drive, with the latest driver of the SSD, and latest BIOS version of the motherboard files. I feel like I'm writing too much but I can't update the BIOS, and I also cant install a firmware for the SSD (not sure where it installs tbh if that undected SSD is the only storage plugged). I have attached a few images in which it shows there is no driver found on the stick, except it is (see the screenshots). Also, the USB is formated as fat32, also tried as NTFS before.

Components: Gigabyte A320M-H; AMD Athlon 3000G; Corsair VS350; ADATA SX6000 LITE;
Viper Patriot 8GB RAM (also a passive CPU cooler from Arctic)

 

Please anyone help me I'm quite desperate at this point.
Thank you!

 

[I have also attached screenshots of the available files from the memory stick]

[Rxkvn07]

When i wanted to install windows , my nvme ssd was not showing up , i installed the ssd driver on my hdd windows instance then the ssd showed up , and i was able to install windows on it

[drago5]

5 minutes ago, Rxkvn07 said:

When i wanted to install windows , my nvme ssd was not showing up , i installed the ssd driver on my hdd windows instance then the ssd showed up , and i was able to install windows on it

I see, the thing is I don't have a spare storage drive around, only if I unplug the one that's used in my main computer. I'll do that if that's the only way to get around this. Thanks!

[Rxkvn07]

10 minutes ago, drago5 said:

I see, the thing is I don't have a spare storage drive around, only if I unplug the one that's used in my main computer. I'll do that if that's the only way to get around this. Thanks!

U can also plug the ssd in ur main if it has an m.2 port

 

[drago5]

15 hours ago, Rxkvn07 said:

U can also plug the ssd in ur main if it has an m.2 port

 

All good, I had to make the stickdrive bootable, in order to update the bios and ssd firmware. I got it working after all.

Thanks for the tips!

[Pharr Carnell]

had a similar problem myself...though it was, I think, because I wanted to install Windows 7....did a lot of googling and came upon a Forum response somewhere, where the recommendation was to use Rufus to burn the iso to a USB, click the 'install NVM2 M.2 driver' and go from there...it worked, and have now used that method several times, on different PCs.

 

The'trick' was to locate and download the MSI Utility Tool called "win7_smart_tool" - it is available from the MSI site, though can be difficult to find, from memory it is only listed on later series motherboards [think z170 or h110] anyways I found it used it...and recommend it.

 

 

I have uploaded a copy of the file [bit less than 10MB] to filefactory.com...PM me if you want the direct URL to download the zip file.

 

Hope this may work for you...

[drago5]

48 minutes ago, Pharr Carnell said:

had a similar problem myself...though it was, I think, because I wanted to install Windows 7....did a lot of googling and came upon a Forum response somewhere, where the recommendation was to use Rufus to burn the iso to a USB, click the 'install NVM2 M.2 driver' and go from there...it worked, and have now used that method several times, on different PCs.

 

The'trick' was to locate and download the MSI Utility Tool called "win7_smart_tool" - it is available from the MSI site, though can be difficult to find, from memory it is only listed on later series motherboards [think z170 or h110] anyways I found it used it...and recommend it.

 

 

I have uploaded a copy of the file [bit less than 10MB] to filefactory.com...PM me if you want the direct URL to download the zip file.

 

Hope this may work for you...

Hey thanks!

I just found a video from a japanese guy explaining why the AMD ATHLON SERIES are not compatible with NVME SSDs. Really weird thing, can't find a topic on the internet about it but apparently the combo only works with ASUS and ASROCK motherboards, with a few tweaks! He explains in detail but the translation goes mad, can barely decode what he says. He also records the CPU swap, tries a Ryzen 3000 series that reads the SSD flawlessly (he enables a function in the bios called 'CPU PCIe Lanes Unlocked' that is not available on my motherboard. I am now trying to figure out a way to make this work if not I guess I will have to change the motherboard or get a basic SATA SSD.

 

- very interesting issue, link to the video: