Solved Windows 11 setup can't find drives

nicholda · Jul 25, 2023

Whilst attempting to install Windows 11 onto my new PC I am getting a message saying "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver.". I am using an AMD Ryzen 5 5600x CPU with an ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING WIFI II motherboard. The storage device is a Samsung 960 Pro Evo. I have no other storage devices currently connected and my SATA Mode is set to AHCI in the BIOS.

I have tried:
Installing and extracting the "AMD RAID Driver For Windows 10/11 64-bit." driver from ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING WIFI II | Gaming motherboards｜ROG - Republic of Gamers｜ROG Global onto a USB and loading it in the Windows Setup but when I do so it says "No signed device drivers were found. Make sure that the installation media contains the correct drivers, and then click OK." even when I uncheck "Hide drivers that aren't compatible with this computer's hardware.".

I'm all out of ideas so any help would be appreciated.

bobkn · Jul 25, 2023

I don't have that motherboard, but I believe that there should be no driver issue to install the OS onto an M.2 drive. (The 960 Pro Evo is an NVME M.2 drive.) As it's NVME (a PCI-E variant), the SATA settings shouldn't matter.

Maybe the advice here will help.

glasskuter · Jul 25, 2023

https://www.amd.com/en/support/chipsets/amd-socket-tr4/x399

Verify that it applies to your chipset. Download lastest driver listed.
Download the quickstart guide there as well. How to install in pre-boot is in chapter 5.

idgat · Jul 25, 2023

Yep, been there done that with Ryzen and Optane devices. Just add the driver installation files in a folder on the boot USB. Then when you get to the point of no devic(s) found, add (install) the driver. Then the installation will continue on its merry way.

NOTE : You have made a backup image of the current installation? .... You have, haven't you?

bobkn · Jul 25, 2023

glasskuter said:
https://www.amd.com/en/support/chipsets/amd-socket-tr4/x399
Verify that it applies to your chipset. Download lastest driver listed.
Download the quickstart guide there as well. How to install in pre-boot is in chapter 5.

The ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F is a plain old AM4 board.

I'm fairly sure it doesn't need any special drivers to use an M.2 NVME drive.

I don't know what the OP's issue may be.

I wonder if the drive is recognized in the BIOS settings?

zbook · Jul 25, 2023

Please run through the steps in this ASUS link:

[Motherboard] Troubleshooting - Cannot find the hard disk drive or SSD(M.2) after motherboard powers on | Official Support | ROG Global

rog.asus.com

If the above fails then consider trying another operating system (Windows 10 or Ubuntu / Linux).

bobkn · Jul 26, 2023

zbook said:
Please run through the steps in this ASUS link:

[Motherboard] Troubleshooting - Cannot find the hard disk drive or SSD(M.2) after motherboard powers on | Official Support | ROG Global

rog.asus.com

(snip)

If the above fails then consider trying another operating system (Windows 10 or Ubuntu / Linux).

If the drive isn't seen in the BIOS, how would a different OS help?

JAM83 · Jul 26, 2023

idgat said:
Yep, been there done that with Ryzen and Optane devices. Just add the driver installation files in a folder on the boot USB. Then when you get to the point of no devic(s) found, add (install) the driver. Then the installation will continue on its merry way.

NOTE : You have made a backup image of the current installation? .... You have, haven't you?

I have a Ryzen, and I have an Asus motherboard. I don't have to do all of that.

glasskuter · Jul 26, 2023

You can always go into bios and disable raid, using AHCI instead. The drives should be seen then by the installation. However, according to the AMD quick start guide chap. 5
Quote-A native AHCI installation does not boot to the OS if you change the bios back to raid mode.
This holds true with Intel as well.
In other words if you install windows as AHCI it has to stay AHCI. Years ago there was a way around this, I do not know if it is possible these days or not. but according to both Intel and AMD it is not possible.

From what I've read using a raid controller is recommended with nvme drives, though not absolutely necessary. Supposedly there are some speed benefits by using it and performance is enhanced even in a single drive system. If set up as AHCI your system will run the default Microsoft storage controller driver that natively handles nvme. I know most new computers with nvme drives come from the manufacturer with raid enabled and a raid controller installed, whether it be Intel or AMD.
It is up to the user to to choose which storage controller he wants to use.

Try3 · Jul 26, 2023

I suggest you look at Coping with an M.2 NVME disk during installation - my post #7 - ElevenForum
Megahertz provides a driver download in post #6 of that thread and, further down the thread, the OP said that using it was successful.

Best of luck,
Denis

glasskuter · Jul 26, 2023

@Try3 That's for Intel. He has AMD.

Winuser · Jul 26, 2023

Check the Bios to see if the drive is listed. If not, it could be a loose connection, a bad cable or the drive itself.

nicholda · Jul 26, 2023

Mb for not mentioning it but the M.2 shows up in the BIOS but doesn't show up in the Windows 11 Setup.

glasskuter · Jul 26, 2023

I do not want to stir up controversy here but we are giving users very bad information when their drives can not be seen during windows install.

Most new systems equipped with nvme drives (even those with only one drive), both AMD Ryzen and Intel Core, are now being shipped from the manufacturers with raid enabled and either Intel Rapid Storage Controller driver or AMD Raid driver installed.

It is a fact, if raid is enabled in bios no drives will be seen by the installation, ever, unless the correct driver is inserted into the iso OR the user inserts the Intel or AMD driver during the "add driver" portion of the windows installation.

Of course, the simplest solution for the drive to be seen by the installation is to disable raid in bios and switch to sata mode (AHCI) causing the system to default to Microsoft's basic storage controller driver to handle the nvme. But users do not know to do this. Nor do they know that the reason Raid is enabled in the first place is because both AMD and Intel recommend using their drivers to enhance performance of nvme drives. That'd why the OEMs are now enabling it over using AHCI from the factory.

To make matters worse, inexperienced users do not understand that the correct raid driver to use is dependent on their particular chipset so there's not one blanket driver to use and all bios are different so they do not know what option to change if they choose to.

Both Intel and AMD have detailed guides how to insert their pre-boot drivers during install. (Brink referred to one such guide from HP in his Clean Install Windows tutorial step 10. But this does not affect ONLY 11th gen (and later) core CPUs and not only HP. It also affects newer systems with AMD Ryzen. I contacted him and he has now included the information in that step)

AMD instructions in Chapter 5 here.
AMD Quick Start Guide

Intel Instructions here
Installing the Operating System onto a RAID Volume—F6 Install Method

We should not steer folks into all different directions on how to deal with their inability to see their drives during install. It is a cut and dried issue if raid is enabled from the manufacturer .

nicholda · Jul 26, 2023

glasskuter said:
I do not want to stir up controversy here but we are giving users very bad information when their drives can not be seen during windows install.

Most new systems equipped with nvme drives (even those with only one drive), both AMD Ryzen and Intel Core, are now being shipped from the manufacturers with raid enabled and either Intel Rapid Storage Controller driver or AMD Raid driver installed.

It is a fact, if raid is enabled in bios no drives will be seen by the installation, ever, unless the correct driver is inserted into the iso OR the user inserts the Intel or AMD driver during the "add driver" portion of the windows installation.

Of course, the simplest solution for the drive to be seen by the installation is to disable raid in bios and switch to sata mode (AHCI) causing the system to default to Microsoft's basic storage controller driver to handle the nvme. But users do not know to do this. Nor do they know that the reason Raid is enabled in the first place is because both AMD and Intel recommend using their drivers to enhance performance of nvme drives. That'd why the OEMs are now enabling it over using AHCI in the first place.

To make matters worse, inexperienced users do not understand that the correct raid driver to use is dependent on their particular chipset so there's not one blanket driver to use and all bios are different so they do not know what option to change if they choose to.

Both Intel and AMD have detailed guides how to insert their pre-boot drivers during install. (Brink referred to one such guide from HP in his Clean Install Windows tutorial step 10. But this does not affect ONLY 11th gen (and later) core CPUs and not only HP. It also affects newer systems with AMD Ryzen. I contacted him and he has now included the information in that step)

AMD instructions in Chapter 5 here.
AMD Quick Start Guide

Intel Instructions here
Installing the Operating System onto a RAID Volume—F6 Install Method

We should not steer folks into all different directions on how to deal with their inability to see their drives during install. It is a cut and dried issue if raid is enabled from the manufacturer .

I haven't been using RAID, I've had my SATA Mode set to AHCI. I initially attempted to install the RAID driver because someone suggested that I should do so although I was using AHCI but I'm guessing that they are wrong.

JAM83 · Jul 26, 2023

nicholda said:
Mb for not mentioning it but the M.2 shows up in the BIOS but doesn't show up in the Windows 11 Setup.

To install to an NVME drive you will need to use a UEFI version of the Windows installer.
Download Windows 11

bobkn · Jul 26, 2023

In the "Let them eat cake!" line, if it was my SSD, I'd initialize it in my external M.2 enclosure first.

That would also serve as a test as to whether the drive was good.

nicholda · Jul 26, 2023

I tried switching to another M.2 and it turns out that the drive that I've been using was faulty. Although the drive showed in the BIOS, it was not functional.

JAM83 · Jul 26, 2023

nicholda said:
I tried switching to another M.2 and it turns out that the drive that I've been using was faulty. Although the drive showed in the BIOS, it was not functional.

Glad you were able to know bud. . I hope you can get a replacement.

bobkn · Jul 26, 2023

nicholda said:
I tried switching to another M.2 and it turns out that the drive that I've been using was faulty. Although the drive showed in the BIOS, it was not functional.

I'm glad that you found it. I wouldn't have expected a hardware issue, but it happens.

Please mark the thread as solved.