New build wont boot from SSD after installing windows on it.

[imthepayne]

First I had an issue installing windows on SSD from a CD. It kept giving me an I/O error. I saw a thread on here to change the sata controller from AHCI to IDE. That worked to get windows on the drive but it wont boot from the SSD even though its the first boot drive on the list in BIOS.

MB: Asus x99 A II
SSD: Samsung 850 Pro 256g

Please help Thank You

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Welcome to the community, @imthepayne!

I'd recommend you check if you have the latest SATA controller & Chipset drivers manually installed from the motherboard manufacturer's official website. While at it, check your BIOS version as well and make sure you have the latest one. This I/O error could be caused by a miscommunication between the SSD & the motherboard, so you should also see if you will be able to successfully install Windows, if you plug the SSD to a different SATA III (6 Gb/s) port on the mobo and use a different SATA cable. Moreover, if you have access to another PC, plug the SSD there and see how it will get recognized.

Give these a try and let me know how it goes. Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[imthepayne]

Welcome to the community, @imthepayne!

I'd recommend you check if you have the latest SATA controller & Chipset drivers manually installed from the motherboard manufacturer's official website. While at it, check your BIOS version as well and make sure you have the latest one. This I/O error could be caused by a miscommunication between the SSD & the motherboard, so you should also see if you will be able to successfully install Windows, if you plug the SSD to a different SATA III (6 Gb/s) port on the mobo and use a different SATA cable. Moreover, if you have access to another PC, plug the SSD there and see how it will get recognized.

Give these a try and let me know how it goes. Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

Thank You for replying to my post. Last night, before I saw your post, I updated the BIOS but not the SATA controller/chipset. Is that usually separate from the BIOS? I used a USB stick to update BIOS can I do the same for SATA? I'll look for that update and try it tonight. Thanks

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, @imthepayne!

Yes, you can refer to your motherboard manual on how to perform this. Your mobo should also have a CD with all the hardware-specific drivers on it. You can update the drivers from there as well. If you already have Windows OS up and running, another alternative would be to manually download the drivers and then update them through Device manager. Try swapping between the SATA modes as well. Usually, the SSD is supposed to work best when configured in AHCI.

Hope it helps. Keep me posted.
SuperSoph_WD

 

[imthepayne]

Hey there again, @imthepayne!

Yes, you can refer to your motherboard manual on how to perform this. Your mobo should also have a CD with all the hardware-specific drivers on it. You can update the drivers from there as well. If you already have Windows OS up and running, another alternative would be to manually download the drivers and then update them through Device manager. Try swapping between the SATA modes as well. Usually, the SSD is supposed to work best when configured in AHCI.

Hope it helps. Keep me posted.
SuperSoph_WD

So I couldn't find anything online or in the manual about updating the sata controller/chipsets without using windows. So I plugged in a regular HHD, installed windows on it, It finished installing and made it to the desktop and then just logged off and restarted, never came back. I'm trying to install Win7 pro by the way then i thought maybe my windows 7 version is too old. I ordered an OEM version of Win10 now i just have to wait for it. So im guessing it is a stability/hardware issue the my old win 7 copy wasnt seeing the hardware or something. you think?
Thanks for your help

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Unfortunately, @imthepayne, it's totally possible that the Windows Installation media is corrupted. You could try downloading the same version from MS official website and re-creating your bootable drive/media. You should be able to use the same activation code/product key if Windows 7 was previously installed on the same system.

Best of luck!
SuperSoph_WD