I've got an MSI laptop and recently got hit by a virus that I'm pretty paranoid about. To play it safe, I want to reformat everything and do a fresh install of Windows from a USB drive. The problem is, when I boot from the USB to install Windows, my SSD isn't showing up as an option. It looks like it's trying to install onto the USB instead. I already reset the PC through Windows settings a few days ago, so my SSD is clean of personal data, but I'm wary of completely wiping it without knowing if I can access anything afterward to help with the OS installation. I really don't know much about computers, and I'm confused about BIOS settings, especially since most advice I found isn't tailored for MSI. By the way, the virus I encountered was an information stealer, and I've run all the malware checks I could find, but I'm still worried about it possibly being reinfected. Any tips would be hugely appreciated!
3 Answers
Sometimes, an SSD needs to be scrubbed before the BIOS will recognize it. I have an MSI board too, and there should be a tool in the BIOS for wiping the SSD. It's worth trying, and it won’t cause any harm at this point! Just take a look around in the BIOS settings for that option.
If your BIOS isn't showing storage settings properly, you might need to adjust how you access the BIOS. Try restarting and hitting the appropriate key for entering BIOS setup. Also, once in, see if there's a workspace labeled something like 'primary storage' where you could find settings related to the SSD.
You might want to check the BIOS settings and make sure that the storage mode is set to AHCI. This is usually the easiest fix, and it could improve the performance of your SSD as well. Look for a secure erase option while you're in the BIOS to completely wipe the SSD, which may help the system recognize it better.
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