I'm having trouble getting Linux installed on an older laptop. My Samsung 500GB NVMe SSD isn't appearing during the installation process, and it's not showing up in GParted, either. However, it is visible in the BIOS and in the Disks overview. I attempted to partition it from the Disks overview, but encountered permission issues. This problem persists with a newly purchased Lexar 1TB drive as well. I'm considering several possibilities: the drives may not be formatted correctly, they could be encrypted, or possibly broken, but both drives show up in Windows. There's also the chance that the NVMe controller is malfunctioning. I'm curious if using an external adapter would help diagnose the issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
Have you tried removing all partitions from the drives? Sometimes, a fresh start can resolve detection issues during installation. Give it a shot and see what happens!
First thing to check is your BIOS settings. Make sure that no RAID features like Intel RST or VMD are enabled. These can sometimes mess with how drives are detected by Linux. If you're using an AMD system, look for any hidden settings that might affect storage.
If you have TPM and Secure Boot disabled, you might need to check for any BitLocker issues, especially if you’re switching between Windows and Linux. Consider deleting TPM keys and resetting the TPM to factory settings.
You might want to consider possible drive failures. It can happen, especially with NVMe drives. Sometimes BIOS has hidden settings that affect how drives are recognized, so digging a little deeper into those menus could help.
I did check, but I didn't find any RAID settings. I plan on trying an old external HDD to see if I can get a full install going. That might give me better access.