I replaced the SATA hard drive in my ThinkPad E595 with an SSD. Steam worked normally when it was installed on the old HDD, but now the installer says an internet connection is required even though my internet works. The SSD has been initialized and formatted, but CrystalDiskInfo only detects it intermittently. Windows 11 starts normally, and the BIOS storage mode is set to NVMe. What should I check to fix this?
1 Answer
The intermittent detection is the biggest clue here. Steam’s connection message may be misleading if the destination drive disappears while the installer is running. First check whether the SSD is consistently visible in BIOS, Disk Management, File Explorer, and CrystalDiskInfo. Reseat the drive and its SATA connector or adapter, and test with another compatible cable or enclosure if possible. Also confirm that the replacement drive is actually a SATA SSD; an NVMe setting in BIOS does not make a SATA drive work as NVMe. If the drive still vanishes, check its SMART health and firmware, then test another SSD because the drive or adapter may be failing.
The operating system boots normally, and the BIOS is set to NVMe, but I haven’t confirmed whether the SSD is consistently visible there. I’ll check the connection and the drive health first.