windows won't install on M.2

[TheChillChap]

So hey guys,

I have a single m.2 storage that I was going to install windows on; however when I try to choose it in the windows installation wizard I get the following error:

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu."

and the bios shows my m.2 slot as N/A, but i can see it in the boot menu.

So the first thing I found was disabling CSM... and it actually stopped the whole thing from POSTing... I had to remove the battery and clear bios to get it back

Also tried a bootable partioning software to format the ssd to no avail

Then I tried using an hdd I had around... got the exact same error

Finally I took out my laptop's hdd with windows on it and tried to see if it booted... it actually did.. but that really wasn't what I was going for... still managed to migrate my OS to the ssd but i'd really like to have a fresh install.

my specs:
ryzen 7 3700x
asus prime B450 MA
some random 128 GB NVMe sdd by some random brand

[Shimejii]

Is it a NVME or a Sata drive? Has it been formated properly?

[Yea, i use windows, W]

Did you use it as a storage device as a non-boot drive earlier or you are doing it straight brand-new?

 

[TheChillChap]

4 minutes ago, Samurai9954 said:

Did you use it as a storage device as a non-boot drive earlier or you are doing it straight brand-new?

 

everything was out of the box... i didn't even connect an hdd until i saw this problem

[TheChillChap]

22 minutes ago, Shimejii said:

Is it a NVME or a Sata drive? Has it been formated properly?

It's supposed to be NVMe 1.3 and as i said i have a bootable windows on it now so i guess it's "properly formatted"... i just don't seem to be able to install windows on any storage device from boot media

[Yea, i use windows, W]

Just now, TheChillChap said:

It's supposed to be NVMe 1.3 and as i said i have a bootable windows on it now so i guess it's "properly formatted"... i just don't seem to be able to install windows on any storage device from boot media

you need to meet a technician for this problem

[Master Disaster]

1 hour ago, TheChillChap said:

So hey guys,

I have a single m.2 storage that I was going to install windows on; however when I try to choose it in the windows installation wizard I get the following error:

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu."

and the bios shows my m.2 slot as N/A, but i can see it in the boot menu.

So the first thing I found was disabling CSM... and it actually stopped the whole thing from POSTing... I had to remove the battery and clear bios to get it back

Also tried a bootable partioning software to format the ssd to no avail

Then I tried using an hdd I had around... got the exact same error

Finally I took out my laptop's hdd with windows on it and tried to see if it booted... it actually did.. but that really wasn't what I was going for... still managed to migrate my OS to the ssd but i'd really like to have a fresh install.

my specs:
ryzen 7 3700x
asus prime B450 MA
some random 128 GB NVMe sdd by some random brand

Before we begin you'll need to physically unplug all other SSDs or HDDs connected to the PC, do this by unplugging the sata lead or power lead from them or if its an M.2 then it will need to be removed. The only drive you want connected is the SSD you're installing on to THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!

 

First thing to do is open UEFI BIOS and set the following

 

CSM - Disabled/Off

Secure Boot - Enabled/On

Fast Boot - Enabled/On

 

Next boot from your installation USB and follow setup to the partition screen then press Shift + F10 to open command prompt and do the following

 

Type "Diskpart" then hit enter

Type "select disk 0" and hit enter

Type "clean" and hit enter

Type " convert GPT" and hit enter

Type "exit" and hit enter

Close the command prompt by click the X

 

Now back in setup on the partition screen just click Next, do not try to manually partition or format anything, just click next and let Windows do all that stuff automatically.

 

Now Windows should install and once its finished you can reconnect all other HDDs.

 

We disconnect the other drives for 2 reasons, 1 is to make sure the SSD is disk 0 thereby skipping a step in diskpart but most importantly it is to ensure that Windows puts the bootloader on the SSD and not one of your other HDDs.