How do I boot Windows 10 from Samsung EVO 960 on an ASUS Z170-A?

[Lukas_28]

I've recently installed a Samsung EVO 960 250GB in my PC with the intention of running Windows 10 on it. I've been trying to install it for days now but I can't make it work. A boot manager never installs. When the installatiom finishes nothing happens. The SSD is still recognized in BIOS but it doesn't boot from it.

I've tried multiple tutorials I've seen with similar motherboards and BIOS but nothing has worked so far.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I really need this to work ASAP.

 

[Calvin7]

Disable Compatibility Support Mode

Install Windows 10 in UEFI Mode.

How to create a bootable UEFI USB drive with Windows 10 Setup
http://winaero.com/blog/how-to-create-a-bootable-uefi-usb-drive-with-windows-10-setup/

 

[Lukas_28]

Disable Compatibility Support Mode

Install Windows 10 in UEFI Mode.

How to create a bootable UEFI USB drive with Windows 10 Setup
http://winaero.com/blog/how-to-create-a-bootable-uefi-usb-drive-with-windows-10-setup/

Yeah you basically summed up every single tutorial I've watched. It doesn't work. When the usb installs everything to the ssd it works fine, but when the PC restarts it doesn't recognize the ssd as a bootable device. It goes straight into BIOS and doesn't finish the setup.

 

[ArtPog]

1. Are you communicating with this forum using the PC with the Samsung 960 installed? Or are you using a different PC?

2. If it's the same PC with the Samsung problem, then you're obviously booting to another drive installed the system, right? So what's going on there?

3. You've tried a fresh-install of the Win 10 OS onto the SSD? Using the MS Media Creation Tool with a USB flash drive?

4. And when you state "I can't make it work", what does that mean precisely? Assuming you're using the MCT the system doesn't boot to the Win 10 OS setup screen? Or there's a problem with the install process itself? Or the install process completes to the end but the system doesn't boot after the final restart? Be precise. Statements like "it doesn't work" are virtually meaningless for diagnostic purposes. Capiche?

 

[Lukas_28]

1. Are you communicating with this forum using the PC with the Samsung 960 installed? Or are you using a different PC?

2. If it's the same PC with the Samsung problem, then you're obviously booting to another drive installed the system, right? So what's going on there?

3. You've tried a fresh-install of the Win 10 OS onto the SSD? Using the MS Media Creation Tool with a USB flash drive?

4. And when you state "I can't make it work", what does that mean precisely? Assuming you're using the MCT the system doesn't boot to the Win 10 OS setup screen? Or there's a problem with the install process itself? Or the install process completes to the end but the system doesn't boot after the final restart? Be precise. Statements like "it doesn't work" are virtually meaningless for diagnostic purposes. Capiche?

1 and 2. No I'm not posting to this forum from the same computer.

3. Yes multiple times.

4. The flash drive installs windows onto the drive, but when the pc restarts after the installation, it doesn't boot windows, it goes straight into BIOS. The drive shows up in BIOS (As long as CSM is enabled) but without a windows boot manager. I've tried doing this with CSM disabled, and then enabled after installation. It doesn't seem to affect anything except for the drive disappearing from the boot order list.

 

[ArtPog]

1. OK. So apparently no problem installing the Win 10 OS in terms of any error msgs. during the setup process. And it continues to a seemingly normal finish to the final reboot. But when the system reboots the BIOS/UEFI is accessed and doesn't continue to an installed OS.

2. You're certain you've properly connected the 960 in your system of course.

3. After you exit the BIOS/UEFI and the system begins the bootup process have you tried accessing the boot menu (or whatever it's called by your motherboard) via the appropriate F key? Is the 960 listed perhaps multiple times on the listing? Tried to boot via that means?

4. For diagnostic purposes, any chance of temporarily installing a HDD or SSD in the system and attempting a Win 10 installation with that drive?

5. The 960 is MBR-partitioned?

 

[Lukas_28]

1. OK. So apparently no problem installing the Win 10 OS in terms of any error msgs. during the setup process. And it continues to a seemingly normal finish to the final reboot. But when the system reboots the BIOS/UEFI is accessed and doesn't continue to an installed OS.

2. You're certain you've properly connected the 960 in your system of course.

3. After you exit the BIOS/UEFI and the system begins the bootup process have you tried accessing the boot menu (or whatever it's called by your motherboard) via the appropriate F key? Is the 960 listed perhaps multiple times on the listing? Tried to boot via that means?

4. For diagnostic purposes, any chance of temporarily installing a HDD or SSD in the system and attempting a Win 10 installation with that drive?

5. The 960 is MBR-partitioned?

1. Yes.

2. Yes.

3. I will try and get back to you with the results.

4. It worked with fine my previous drive, which was an HDD.

EDIT: I got the same result as in BIOS with the boot menu. The SSD doesn't show up as a bootable device, and not at all if CSM is disabled.

 

[ArtPog]

BTW, I keep neglecting to ask you - what's the make/model of your motherboard? And is this an OEM machine or did you (or someone) build it?

 

[Lukas_28]

BTW, I keep neglecting to ask you - what's the make/model of your motherboard? And is this an OEM machine or did you (or someone) build it?

It's an ASUS Z170-A, it's in the title of the post lol. And I built the machine. But like I said in my prevois post it worked fine with other drives.

 

[ArtPog]

Sorry for my query as to the motherboard. Unfortunately I'm too often negligent re reading (and absorbing) the title of a post. I've got to train myself better.

 

[Lukas_28]

Sorry for my query as to the motherboard. Unfortunately I'm too often negligent re reading (and absorbing) the title of a post. I've got to train myself better.

Np. Don't know if you saw but I edited the post above with the answers, the boot menu showed the same thing as BIOS.

 

[ArtPog]

Yes, I saw your note; it's just so difficult to determine from this distance what is causing the problem.
Have you used Samsung's Magician to test the drive - just as a precaution?
Assuming your previous HDD (or any other HDD) still contains a viable Win 10 OS - again just as a diagnostic - experimental process - could you give any consideration to cloning the contents of the HDD onto the SSD and test the system via that means? Or is it too late for that?

 

[Lukas_28]

Yes, I saw your note; it's just so difficult to determine from this distance what is causing the problem.
Have you used Samsung's Magician to test the drive - just as a precaution?
Assuming your previous HDD (or any other HDD) still contains a viable Win 10 OS - again just as a diagnostic - experimental process - could you give any consideration to cloning the contents of the HDD onto the SSD and test the system via that means? Or is it too late for that?

I do have samsung magician. The SSD showed up there when I first installed it, but now it doesn't recognize it anymore. It's still recognized by windows and bios tho.

 

[ArtPog]

If your previous HDD with boot capability is still around can you not install & boot to it? And with the Samsung performing as a secondary drive try using the SM program again - just on the off-chance you may be dealing with a defective drive. It's doubtful, I know but I don't know what else to suggest at this point other than cloning the contents of the HDD (assuming it's a viable boot disk) to the Samsung.

 

[Lukas_28]

I still Think the problem lies with something in the BIOS. Something is making it not recognize the SSD as a bootable drive, casue the SSD works fine for Everything else. I've transfered stuff from my old drive to it without a problem.

 

[ArtPog]

You may very well be right. I assume you've read & re:read the ASUS User Manual re the installation & BIOS settings re this M.2 SSD.
Perhaps a call to ASUS tech support is in order. I haven't dealt (via phone) with them in a number of years but I recall they were responsive & quite knowledgeable during that time.

 

[ArtPog]

Well, you were very kind to select my last response as "Best solution". I think you did so out of sincere courtesy and not because my response resolved your problem. Anyway, thanks. But please keep us informed when you do resolve this problem since it could be quite helpful for many of us.

 

[GuitarStosh]

Just for everyone's knowledge I am experiencing the same issues only in slightly different circumstances. I have been searching for a few days now and I as well can find no definitive answers to the inconsistent recognition and flakey behavior of system and booting once NVMe EVO is installed. I am beginning to believe this is purely a Samsung issue as similar occurrences with other similar MBO and 'disappearing HW' and flakely recognition states abound. My dilema:
Current before M.2 attempts:
ASUS Z170-AR MBO
Samsung EVO 850 SSD 500GB - Boot drive - connected to SATA OS Boot port (1 of 4)
2 Toshiba 4TB Drives - HDD
1 older HDD (forget exact model-disconnected for time being as it was connected to SATA Express and short on ports - part of the reason I went with M.2)

1 BDRE -LG
Corsair Memory
1 GPU - don't have exact model at finger tips but didn't think relevant
Win 7 Ultimate - It all worked wonderfully, very fast boot from SSD, great performance overall.

Then - I wanted to re-purpose the 500Gb 850 to a laptop and thought, hey, i'm going to splurge and get an NVMe and really get great performance and try the latest and greatest. I wish I had just saved the $100 and just bought another 850! All of this to install a new drive is just plain silly and it appears the technology is not ready for prime time yet. I welcome someone to prove me wrong but considering all the posts I have seen with many with all different kinds of systems but yet same strange behavior without definitive answers leads me to my conclusion.
Sorry for the ramble but frustrated obviously.
My plan was: drop in the NVMe, Clone 850, Pull out 850, set BIOS to boot from new NVMe. Done.
After 2 days, I'm still trying to get the 960 recognized by OS so I can clone to it. Magician can't see it.
Shows up in BIOS fine, always has. But in BIOS I am unable to save the option to for M.2 support. Everytime I try to save and go back in, back to SATA Express. (In the Save step, it tell me it is changing the setting?) But now my system will start to boot, then hang. Reboot, gee now it works fine. (boots fine but will not recognize the drive still in OS. Sometimes it doesn't boot after a few attempts, then I need to go into BIOS, do something silly, sometimes just select defaults (which it was already set to) and then it will boot from 850. No reason it should but does. or I specific tell it it boot from 850 even though 1st priority, and that works, nothing else changed. Just weird and inconsistent.
All of this seemed to start, after I tried installing Samsung Driver to get win7 to recognize the drive. But I did do that pretty quickly early on based on one post recommendation elsewhere due to lack of NVMe boot in Win7 Natively.. I can see in BIOS fine. I actually had to let Windows repair the install once to get past the boot hang. I think it removed the new driver but can't be sure. Back to booting intermittently and still no drive recognition by OS.
I don't believe the driver actually installed properly, perhaps confused by the 850 being there as well.
Anyway - don't know about others but I have CONSISTENTLY had issues with anything Samsung and SW/Drivers/whatever. Not purposely bashing Samsung, I have a lot of their stuff everywhere. But this is just par.

Does anyone have any ideas? I am still within my window to return the 960 and seriously considering it.
Magician won't see it unless I follow hugely strange BIOS setting changes, pull other drives, disable other stuff etc etc. I will not start from a scratch install, pull msi and stick on USB as part of that, or do Win10, have my reasons I won't get into but if I have to go down that path, benefits of new faster drive are now gone as far as I am concerned. It really was pretty awesome with 850 already compared to my old system before recent upgrade. ASUS manual? nothing there. just - oh you can't use SATA Express and M.2 at the same time. The depth of their install instructions....

I have read - 'pull out all drives' then try, that usually works - but for clean OS install right? Can it do that and then put all drives back in so I can clone? And it will magically then all work again? (This is my 'not ready for prime time part'...)

Anyway - Just wanted to say 'good luck' and let you know you don't appear to be alone by any means no matter what you are running. Maybe other MBOs are just 'luckier'? (one other poster with MSI seems to be having exact same issues)