Installing new SSD in laptop Windows 8, No media present

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johnsoncory89

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Jan 7, 2014
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Hi everyone,

I am trying to install a new SSD in my Toshiba P50t-a. I recently fixed a BIOS issue I was having but it seems the issue persists when I try to install windows onto the SSD and boot.

Heres the details: I have a Samsung Evo 250, which I ran Secure erase on before trying to install. I installed it into the laptop, and inserted my USB recovery media. I then powered the laptop on and went into the BIOS. I disabled secure boot, and left UEFI on. Then I changed the boot order and exited. At this point the recovery ran and installed successfully. The computer restarted and I went back into the BIOS and restored all of the defaults except secure boot. Then once again I exited and the toshiba screen came up. After that a message said: "Checking for media presence, No media detected." This is where I am stuck, I cannot seem to figure out what went wrong. I have used the recovery media before in this same fashion for a new drive in the past with no issues.

Also, if I reinstall the original HHD this does not happen, it boots right into windows. Another interesting detail is in regards to ACHI. I can only get the option to enable it if I am in CSM mode. If I keep it in UEFI the menu for SATA disappears.

Could someone please review my installation and let me know what if anything I did wrong? Should I have enabled CSM before the installation and then switched back to UEFI after it completed? Any advice will be much appreciated. Thank you!

Ill also add that I chose Toshiba Recovery "Factory out of box" option with my recovery media.
 
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Alright guys, I am not trying to bump this thread, but I posted this over 2 days ago and have yet to get a response. I have observed over a dozen new threads light up with views and answers but can't get a single person to help me out. All I am looking for is someone to tell me whether I did it right or not, and if not what I need to do different. Ive spent the better part of a week searching the web for a solution but continue to be unsuccessful. Hence why I am here hoping this community will help me out and see something I missed. Please, there has to be someone in the storage section of this forum with experience installing windows 8 on an SSD that can lend a hand.
 
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Hi Cory,

Did you ever resolve this issue?

Since I am batteling with a similar issue, I might be able to partially help you out.
The problem I have noticed thusfar is certain Toshiba laptops (my case: Satellite L50) and many different SSD's are not detected on system startup in the BIOS.

My guess is that there is an issue in the BIOS of the Toshiba laptop(s), where detection of SSD's is incorrect or too slow. In my case the detection works only 1 on 30 times. But when it works, the SSD performs good.

A (for me unacceptable) workaround is to change the BIOS setting "SATA interface setting" from "Performance" to "Battery life". This way the SSD gets always detected, but at the cost of speed (about factor 4). SSD's these days can read and write around 450 MB/s. This battery life setting limits this to 133 MB/s (= SATA1).

The Toshiba servicedesk more or less ignores my story, by telling me that if I change anything on the laptop, they can't help. They tell me that only Toshiba certified components are used. When I ask for the list of these components, I got the answer that this list does not exist.

Anyway, let me know if this temporarily resolved your issue or if you found a different solution.

If this is the same issue for you as for me, please file a ticket / complaint at Toshiba and ask them to investigate this issue. The more people complain, the more likely it will be that a BIOS update will be produced and hopefully this SSD issue be resolved.

Cheers,
Arthur.
 
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Hello Arthur,

Fortunately I did end up fixing this issue. What I did not put in my post was that I updated my BIOS/UEFI from version 1.10 to 1.30 prior to doing the clean install with my SSD. The only reason I did so was because Toshiba had sent me the update via Toshiba Service Station, with instructions that 1.30 should be installed before updating to Windows 8.1. After spending days upon days trying things different I decided reverting back to BIOS/UEFI 1.10 was my best option. After doing so windows installed flawlessly and I have not had the issue since.

The best part about this was the response I got from Toshiba. Basically they said I shouldn't have updated the BIOS and that if I tried reflashing to BIOS 1.10, I could damage the motherboard and it wouldn't be covered under warranty. They wanted me to take the new SSD out and send the computer in for repair. Ironic considering I only updated it because Toshiba Service Station said it was required prior to installing Windows 8.1.

After checking Toshiba's support website, it appears the L50 uses the same BIOS/UEFI the P50 does. Id be willing to bet you have one of the updated versions which seem to be causing the conflict with SSD's. My advice would be to flash BIOS/UEFI 1.10 and see if that fixes your problem. That said, there are a number of dangers involved with flashing a newer or older version of BIOS. What you need to decide is whether or not its worth the risk for you to be able to use your SSD.

Let me know if you have any more questions. Im happy to help in any way I can.

Good luck!
-Cory
 
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After searching a lot, I have found the BIOS archive for the PSKK6E BIOS, which is used in the Toshiba Satellite L50-A-1EH.
If you select the filter "By BIOS", v1.10 - v1.70 are all still available.

http://support.toshiba.com/support/driversResults?freeText=1200005863

After trying a lot, I found out that v1.10 and v1.20 work fine with SSD's (Samsung and Kingston tested).
From version 1.30-1.70 the SSD is almost never recognized in the BIOS in SATA performance mode.

In other words, Toshiba introduced a bug in v1.30 and has not fixed it yet.

Hopefully this helps other people, searching for the same solution.
 
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Hi Arthur,

I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond earlier, but I'm glad you found a solution to your problem. When I checked Toshiba's website and seen that the L50 appeared to utilize the same BIOS, I was about 90% sure you had the same issue I did. Glad to see I was right.

Thank you for your response and the information included. I was not aware that v1.20 worked. To be honest, when I reverted back to v1.10 and realized I had fixed the problem, I left it as is for fear of causing another issue.

Like you said, hopefully down the line this information will help someone else.

-Cory
 
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