Hey everyone! I recently tried to clean my NVMe SSD using the command prompt and diskpart, but now my laptop is booting straight to the BIOS. I attempted to install Windows 11, but my SSD isn't showing up there, even though it's recognized in the BIOS. I tried connecting a different NVMe SSD, but that one isn't recognized either in diskpart or during the Windows installation. To troubleshoot, I connected an SSD via USB to see if I could format the NVMe SSD, but unfortunately, neither NVMe drive appears in disk management or device manager. I even installed drivers for the wiped SSD, but that made no difference. I even ran the Windows Deployment Toolkit, and the SSD is still missing from there. I'm really at a loss here. I've heard some suggestions about motherboard drivers—any insights would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
If the drives still aren't detecting, make sure you download the right drivers from your SSD manufacturer's website and load them during the Windows 11 installation when it asks where to install. Just make sure they're unzipped and ready to go! You can even keep them on the same USB drive you're using for the installer. Let me know if you need help with that!
First off, make sure you check the storage mode in your BIOS. Set it to "AHCI" instead of "RAID". This is usually a simpler fix than bothering with drivers, and RAID can slow things down unless you have specific needs for it. Give it a try and see if your drives show up during the Windows install!
Yeah, that should help! If you still have issues, you might also want to check if you have any BIOS updates available.
Just remember, the driver usually needs to come from the motherboard or storage manufacturer, not strictly the SSD. But yeah, AHCI mode is definitely the easier way to go!