Installing Win7 on Intel 600p SSD and GA-2170x-Gaming 3

[bakedj]

SOLUTION: http://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/solid-state-drives/Intel_6_Series_PCIeNVMe_InstallGuide.PDF

Sorry if this is the wrong spot for this.

I am trying to install Windows 7 on a brand new Intel 600p SSD on a Gigabyte GA-z170x-Gaming 3 motherboard. I do not have an optical drive so I have been trying to do so with a USB stick. I got it to start the Windows 7 setup but it gave me a cd/dvd driver missing error. I used the info here https://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/125921-how-to-add-drivers-manually-to-a-usb-drive-to-install-windows-7-using-a-usb-3-0-port to get past that error.

Now I am having the problem that it doesn't list my SSD when it asks me where I'd like to install it to. It -IS- listed in the bios. It is just that the Win7 Installation isn't detecting it. To further problems, I plugged my old pc back in to try to figure out what the problem could be and now it is refusing to power on. I have access to a computer with Vista on it.

How do I proceed from here? Any help would be appreciated.

Note: My HDD has been failing on my old computer (that has Win7 on it) and I think it may have finally died. I'm guessing anything that will help will be similar to the process in the link I posted, I don't know if that requires Win7 or not. I'm stuck working with Vista for now.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I tried diskpart and list disk in the command prompt and it did not list my SSD.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, @bakedj!

I'd strongly recommend you check if you have properly set the SATA mode for the SSD in the BIOS to AHCI. If it's already in that mode try swapping between IDE & AHCI and see if the Windows 7 installation media will be able to detect the drive then. If that doesn't help, set the mode back to AHCI and then boot into the recovery/repair options from the Windows 7 installation media. Afterwards use the Command Prompt from the advanced options and use the DiskPart Command to clean and format the SSD from there. Hopefully, this will make the SSD visible in the installation wizard.

Remember to unplug all secondary HDDs or other storage devices from the motherboard until you have the OS up and running from the SSD. This is how you will avoid the so-called OS confusion that occurs when you have multiple SATA devices connected while installing Windows.

Backing up all your important files off-site is also essential before you tamper with the storage configuration. Better safe than sorry, right? Check this guide if you need further assistance with the step-by-steps Windows Install & Optimization for SSDs & HDDs.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions.
SuperSoph_WD

 

[bakedj]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I can't seem to find an option for IDE in my BIOS, I did try RAID though and it didn't help. Tried the command prompt > diskpart > list disk in both modes and it still didn't list the SSD. I've followed several guides now to no avail.

On the bright side of things, I managed to get my old pc to boot up, and my HDD isn't dead. I have caved and now have it in the new pc. It didn't want to load windows, had to switch some settings to legacy only. That got it to at least try to start windows, unfortunately unsuccessfully. It is now attempting repairs, but it is taking forever.

I followed the guide in the link I posted in my original post to get the USB 3.0 drivers to work, and followed this http://winaero.com/blog/how-to-install-windows-7-on-a-pci-express-nvme-ssd/ guide to add NVMe support after I got my old pc running again. I really thought that was going to fix it. Nope. I've tried messing with the settings in BIOS to no end. If I can't get the HDD to work in the new pc so I can format the SSD, I really don't know what to do or try anymore. With my luck so far, even that won't work. Lol.

Update: Startup repair failed to fix the problem, so I can't even boot to windows on the new pc using my old HDD. It gets to the point where it says "Starting Windows.." then fails. And despite submitting a support ticket with Gigabyte over 12 hours ago, they haven't even read it yet. Great support team they have.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Okay, @bakedj!

What about making sure you have the latest drivers installed for your mobo and also the latest BIOS version available for it. You should be able to find all this information on the official motherboard manufacturer's website. Find your model there or google it and then you should see all the drivers & utilities under the Support/Download tab. While on it, you should also be able to find the manual of the mobo that can easily guide you to all the settings in the BIOS.

If the SSD is not working in the old PC as well as the new one, I suspect the issue is most probably coming from the solid-state drive itself. I'd advise you to check its warranty and see if it's still covered. You might need to send an RMA request and replace the drive if it's faulty.

SuperSoph_WD

 

[bakedj]

No place in my old pc for the SSD. Unless I'm just stupid and can connect an m.2 SSD somewhere other than directly to the motherboard, which may very well be the case, as this is the first SSD I've owned and before this had never even heard of m.2 Lol. I'm going to make sure I have the latest BIOS and drivers from Gigabyte, then I'll report back later today, I need some sleep for now. If all else fails, I may have to cave and take it to a shop, which is an evil in my mind. Thanks for all the help.

 

[bakedj]

So, I'm looking at the driver and bios page on Gigabytes site right now.

BIOS page: http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5833&dl=1&RWD=0#bios

My BIOS version is F7, so I'm assuming I should grab the F20 update? I'm a little hesitant to do that due to it saying "* This BIOS prohibits updating to earlier version BIOS." On the other hand, all this has me feeling a bit dumb so I'm worried I'm looking at it completely wrong and that maybe I want to grab the F7 update, since that is what my version is?.... I don't know. At this point, I'm just afraid of messing things up even further. I've never really messed with updating a BIOS before. Would love it if you or someone more knowledgeable than me could chime in.

Driver page: http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5833&dl=1&RWD=0#driver

I'm really not for sure at all what to get from the driver page.

I'm going to unplug this computer and plug the new one in (such a pain having to do a dozen times Lol.) to verify the bios version and date listed, then I will update this with that info.

Update: BIOS version F7 and date 06/03/2016.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, @bakedj!

Since you are not comfortable doing this by yourself, you can take the PC to the nearest PC repair service shot and let the guys there do the BIOS update for you. Since the F7 version has been updated recently, I'd definitely give this one a try rather than the F20.
Another alternative for you to update/Flash BIOS would be to follow the steps that should be listed and explained the User manual of your motherboard. If you don't have a hard copy of it, you could check the downloads on your mobo model's official product page (the manufacturer's website). I also saw a couple of lists regarding SSD/M.2 compatibility support, check if your SSD model is listed there as well.

Hope this helps you. Let me know if you have more concerns & questions.
SuperSoph_WD

 

[bakedj]

SuperSoph, you are awesome. Thank you very much for all your help.

I did it! It took like 3 days of frustration, but I learned a lot. Mostly that Windows 7 and modern hardware can be very complicated to get to work together. Lol. I steered clear of updating the BIOS because I read a lot after my last post, seen one too many horror stories about updating the board to f20 for my liking, and a lot of other stuff that convinced me the BIOS was fine how it was. It was all down to getting Windows 7 to recognize that SSD. I tried several guides, all of which seemed to work perfectly for some and not work at all for others. Here is what finally got it to work for me..

http://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/solid-state-drives/Intel_6_Series_PCIeNVMe_InstallGuide.PDF

Ironically, Windows 10 played a part in it. The very OS that I have vowed to stay away from for as long as possible, or at least until it's updates stop messing so much stuff up for so many people all the time. Had to download the Windows 10 ISO and copy its boot.wim and setup.exe to my Windows 7 USB. Of course there was more to it than that, but it is all in the link I just posted. I'll update my original post with the link.

Again, thank you very much, SuperSoph!

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

I'm glad you managed to resolve the issue all by yourself, @bakedj! )

I hope everything works out for the best and your system performs flawlessly. I'm happy I was able to help out even a little bit!
My last recommendation would be to always remember to backup your files on multiple storage drives/locations to avoid any potential data loss!
Better safe than sorry, right? 😉 If you ever find yourself in trouble with the PC, we are always here to help out!

Best of luck & have a great weekend!
SuperSoph_WD