Can't make Windows 8.1 installer "see" mSata!!

[cybermaniak]

The problem is on a Laptop Asus Q550LF, I'm having a lot of trouble to make Windows see the mSata for install. I want to install in UEFI, on BIOS mSata is correctly detected, USB is created for UEFI it boots correctly, but loads OEM splash screen before installer load, this is a retail USB, but as soon as Windows installer is loaded the mSata is gone, only the main hard drive is listed. So i have to reboot BUT on reboot the mSata is lost under BIOS, I have to turn off manually and turn it on, and then it shows again under BIOS.

However this only happen when trying the Windows installation. I already have OS X running on the laptop with out problems, So it seems that the problems it's Windows related or OEM UEFI, so anyone know how to bypass this problem ?

Thanks.,

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

You maybe can't use an mSATA-connected hard drive to for a Windows install on that particular laptop model - that's the most likely explanation. Read the Asus manual.

 

[cybermaniak]

You maybe can't use an mSATA-connected hard drive to for a Windows install on that particular laptop model - that's the most likely explanation. Read the Asus manual.

Thanks, well I forgot to mention it's a Crucial M500 240gb, well maybe that would be the explanation, however I have read some threads with people running Windows 8 on mSata (but they don't say which brand are using), they cloned the actual installation, So i give that a shoot, with out luck, as soon as tries to boot, it send me an error something regarding Locked Drive Error code: 0xc000000e tried to fix the MBR, with out luck. So then I installed on a lenovo (Windows 7) as a secondary drive, and formated in NTFS which should be seen on windows 8 as a secondary disk, but it's not recgnized, I can't even see it on Disk Management. Could be that it's faulty ? but then why on Windows 7, Ubuntu, OS X it can be used i have been all day trying to make it work on Windows 8 and no dice !!

My next attempt will be try a clean install of windows 8 on the lenovo and see how it reacts.. if it fails then I would say this m500 is not Windows 8 friendly.

 

[cybermaniak]

Update: I tried the msata m500 installed on the Asus Q550LF and did a full install of Windows 7 Ultimate (UEFI) with out problems. Also did a clean install of Windows 8.1 on the Lenovo and the installation was flawless. So there is definitely something wrong with the combo (Asus Q550LF + mSATA M500 + Windows 8.1) Anyone have an idea on what could be wrong?