[SOLVED] NVME M.2 SSD not showing in BIOS but Windows 10 can be installed to it

[bob.kapersky]

I recently bought a Samsung 980 1tb m.2 nvme ssd to install in my system (i5-4690k, Gigabyte z97x-GAMING 5 mobo).

I've disconnected all other SATA drives that were plugged in, but for some reason the M.2 drive is not listed as a bootable drive in the BIOS, even after clearing the CMOS.

I have a USB I'm using as a Windows 10 boot drive, and during the Windows installation I can install Windows to the SSD just fine and the drive is listed in diskpart. When I had my old HDD hooked up I could also see the M.2 drive in Windows Disk Manager (so I assume it must be properly seated)

I have tried following these instructions here, however my BIOS menu does not have all the same options listed in these steps so I have tried many permuations of different BIOS settings but to no avail: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/cant-boot-from-m-2-nvme-ssd.3365143/

Any help is kindly appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]

This is not uncommon in an older system like this AND in some cases the drive may NEVER show up among bootable devices, but will ONLY show up as "Windows boot manager" and then only after having installed Windows to the drive. There might also be other UEFI or NVME options in the BIOS that must be enabled in order for those options to appear so looking through your BIOS options for those might be a good idea.

If Windows is installing to the M.2 drive and it is booting to Windows, why would it matter whether it shows up in the list of boot menu options anyhow, other than Windows boot manager, which is what SHOULD be selected as the primary boot device once a full UEFI Windows installation has been done.

In some cases it might also be necessary prior to installing Windows to ensure that CSM (Compatibility support module) is disabled in the BIOS and that secure boot is ENABLED, in order to achieve a full GPT UEFI installation, but if Windows is installed and it is booting to the drive then I fail to see where the problem is and I'm sure you can explain further why or what the concern is.

 

[bob.kapersky]

This is not uncommon in an older system like this AND in some cases the drive may NEVER show up among bootable devices, but will ONLY show up as "Windows boot manager" and then only after having installed Windows to the drive. There might also be other UEFI or NVME options in the BIOS that must be enabled in order for those options to appear so looking through your BIOS options for those might be a good idea.

If Windows is installing to the M.2 drive and it is booting to Windows, why would it matter whether it shows up in the list of boot menu options anyhow, other than Windows boot manager, which is what SHOULD be selected as the primary boot device once a full UEFI Windows installation has been done.

In some cases it might also be necessary prior to installing Windows to ensure that CSM (Compatibility support module) is disabled in the BIOS and that secure boot is ENABLED, in order to achieve a full GPT UEFI installation, but if Windows is installed and it is booting to the drive then I fail to see where the problem is and I'm sure you can explain further why or what the concern is.

Thanks for your reply. To clarify my initial post, I cannot boot into the M.2 drive at all as it won't show up in the boot order. I can only install windows to it.

Weirdly I also don't have the "Windows Boot Manager" option in the boot order.

I have disabled CSM and enabled Secure boot prior to installing windows but no luck that way either.

 

[Darkbreeze]

What is your current BIOS version?

 

[bob.kapersky]

What is your current BIOS version?

F5

 

[Darkbreeze]

So, you don't even have the correct BIOS version installed that is officially required for support of your 5th Gen 4690k, which required version F6 AT LEAST for official support. F7 improves upon that support. Before you do anything else, I would update your BIOS to version F7. That alone may resolve your issues. After updating, it is recommended that you do a hard reset of the BIOS as outlined below in order to ensure that you FULLY reset the hardware tables.

BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for about three to five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes while the CMOS battery is out of the motherboard, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 15-30 seconds, in order to deplete any residual charge that might be present in the CMOS circuit. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP, A-XMP or D.O.C.P profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the BIOS to fully reset and force recreation of the hardware tables.

 

[bob.kapersky]

So, you don't even have the correct BIOS version installed that is officially required for support of your 5th Gen 4690k, which required version F6 AT LEAST for official support. F7 improves upon that support. Before you do anything else, I would update your BIOS to version F7. That alone may resolve your issues. After updating, it is recommended that you do a hard reset of the BIOS as outlined below in order to ensure that you FULLY reset the hardware tables.

BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for about three to five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes while the CMOS battery is out of the motherboard, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 15-30 seconds, in order to deplete any residual charge that might be present in the CMOS circuit. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP, A-XMP or D.O.C.P profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the BIOS to fully reset and force recreation of the hardware tables.

Thank you for your response, updating the BIOS worked to fix the problem.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Nice man. Glad it was an easy fix.