I'm running Linux and trying to set up a Windows 11 dual-boot system. I created a partition for Windows, but when I boot from the Windows installation USB, Setup doesn't show that partition—or sometimes the entire SSD. What could be preventing the installer from detecting the drive?
2 Answers
On newer Intel systems, the installer may not see the SSD because Intel VMD or RST is enabled. You can either disable VMD/RAID in the firmware settings and switch storage to AHCI, or download the matching Intel RST driver, extract it onto the installation USB, and use “Load driver” in Windows Setup. Also make sure the space you want to use is unallocated, since Windows Setup won’t normally install directly into Linux file systems.
Check the partition layout and back up anything important before changing it. If the partition was formatted as ext4 or another Linux file system, Windows may ignore it. Delete that partition from Linux and leave the space unallocated for the Windows installer. Some people also prefer installing Windows first and Linux afterward, but either order can work if the boot and partition settings are handled carefully.
A virtual machine is another option if you only need occasional access to Windows, but dual boot makes more sense when you need near-native performance.
That was the problem—the installer needed the RST drivers. I loaded the storage and network drivers manually, and Windows Setup detected the drive normally.