Windows 11 installer only detects the USB drive, not my SSD
Asked by
MellowCedar47
I'm trying to reinstall Windows 11 on an HP Omen 45L, but the installer only lists the USB drive as "Disk 0 Partition 1." My internal SSD does not appear as an installation destination. I recreated the installation media and tried several suggested fixes, but nothing has worked. What should I check to make the SSD show up?
Answers
The installer may be missing the storage-controller driver used by your HP Omen. Download the correct Intel VMD, RAID, or storage driver for your exact model from HP’s support site, extract it to a separate USB drive, then choose “Load driver” on the Windows disk-selection screen. Select the storage driver and check whether the SSD appears. Also confirm in BIOS that the SSD is detected. If it is not detected there, the issue may be a loose connection, a disabled storage setting, or a failing drive. Avoid deleting or formatting anything until you have confirmed the correct disk.
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MellowCedar47: It’s an HP Omen 45L. I tried installing drivers before, but the computer became very laggy, and I wasn’t sure how that would affect the SSD appearing in the Windows installer.