SSD Won't Boot Windows 10 After Installation

[adir98]

Hello,

I purchased a Kingston SA1000M8 240GB M.2 NVMe SSD drive. I installed it into my H97-PLUS motherboard and tried to clean install Windows 10 on the SSD.
First thing I got was errors saying the current select disk is GPT.
I was able to fix it by updating the BIOS and downloading Windows 10 to a flash drive with Microsoft's Creation Tool.
So now I don't get any errors.

The problem however is that after the Windows 10 installation is done, I'm taken to the BIOS Menu, and the SSD is the only disk in the priorities list, because I unplug the flash drive after the installation is done.
In the BIOS the SSD is showing by it's model name (SA1000M8), I think that if the process was successful, it should be named "Windows Boot Manager".
But it isn't.

When I plug the flash drive back in, enter the Windows installation and enter the disk selection screen, I see that the installation has created partitions of the SSD.

I followed tutorials and read other threads and nothing I did helped me solve this problem.

I found this 11 steps tutorial in this thread http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3343374/samsung-ssd-work-boot-drive.html
That didn't work either.

All drives except the SSD and the flash drive are unplugged during the Windows installation.

As I mentioned before, I have the latest BIOS version available (2603).

Is that possible that the motherboard doesn't support this specific SSD as bootable?

I've been trying to fix it for the last couple of days and I'm clueless.
I'd appreciate any type of help.

Thanks a lot!

 

[karenjoly]

Just a couple of thoughts
Are you referring to partitions on the M2 drive which show up when you are asked to pick a disk or partition om which to install windows ? These should be deleted and windows installed on an empty disk - unallocated space.
Is the board set for UEFI mode ? Boot another drive and see whether the M2 is GPT
partitioned.
Here is the procedure I use
Insert the usb created by the MS media tool, with the windows install files, into the board. Then go to the board setup and ensure the board is configured to use UEFI settings, not compatibility or legacy mode.
On the motherboard boot device menu, select the command that identifies both the firmware mode and the device. For example, select UEFI: USB Drive (Windows Boot Manager manager may also work) and list that device in the first boot slot on the board.
Reboot. Install begins.
When choosing an installation type, select Custom. On new devices, the drive will show a single area of unallocated space. If there are partitions, select each one and then "delete".
Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows detects that the PC was booted into UEFI mode, and formats the drive using the GPT drive format, and begins the installation.

 

[adir98]

Just a couple of thoughts
Are you referring to partitions on the M2 drive which show up when you are asked to pick a disk or partition om which to install windows ? These should be deleted and windows installed on an empty disk - unallocated space.
Is the board set for UEFI mode ? Boot another drive and see whether the M2 is GPT
partitioned.
Here is the procedure I use
Insert the usb created by the MS media tool, with the windows install files, into the board. Then go to the board setup and ensure the board is configured to use UEFI settings, not compatibility or legacy mode..
On the motherboard boot device menu, select the command that identifies both the firmware mode and the device. For example, select UEFI: USB Drive (Windows Boot Manager manager may also work) and list that device in the first boot slot on the board.
Reboot. Install begins.
When choosing an installation type, select Custom. On new devices, the drive will show a single area of unallocated space. If there are partitions, select each one and then "delete".
Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows detects that the PC was booted into UEFI mode, and formats the drive using the GPT drive format, and begins the installation.

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, I am referring to the partitions on the M2 drive that show up in the disk selection step of the installation.
I am not creating the partitions manually (clicking on the "new" button), I let the installation create the partitions.

The board is set to UEFI mode.
When I open command prompt (SHIFT + F10), and type the following:
> diskpart
> list disk
I see that the M2 drive is marked with a * under the GPT column in the table that pop up.

My current settings of the settings I understand that crucial in BIOS are:
CMS : Enabled
OS Type: Windows UEFI
M.2 is set to second in the boot priorities and its set to first in the hard drive bbs priorities.
The first in the boot priorities is the flash drive.

In the BIOS I don't have "Windows Boot Manager" at all, only the SSD with the label "KINGSTON SA1000M8240GB" and the flash drive with the windows installation from MS Media Tool.

What I do is let the flash drive boot, enter the installation, I skip the serial number part, choose Windows 10 Pro and accept the ToS.
After that I make sure that the M.2 Drive is empty with unallocated space.
I then click "next" and the installation begins.
After a few minutes (3-5) the installation process ends, a window counting 10 seconds down for the computer restart pops up.
After the computer shuts down, I remove the flash drive (I tried both with keeping it in and removing it, both didn't work) and wait for the computer to boot up with the personalization settings of Windows, except instead I get the Windows 10 installation window just like the first time I started the computer.

 

[karenjoly]

The M2 slot shares resources with sata slots
M.2 Socket 3 shares bandwidth with SATA6G_5 & SATA6G_6 ports. Are these sata ports occupied ?
I would contact tech support.

 

[Peter Martin]

Afyer install is done you shutdown and pull the usb. Then boot

 

[adir98]

The M2 slot shares resources with sata slots
M.2 Socket 3 shares bandwidth with SATA6G_5 & SATA6G_6 ports. Are these sata ports occupied ?
I would contact tech support.

Nothing is plugged to the motherboard except the SSD and the flash disk.
I even unplugged the CD ROM.

I took the computer to a local store and he suggested that the SSD doesn't match to the motherboard.

Afyer install is done you shutdown and pull the usb. Then boot

That's exactly what I do.

 

[adir98]

In my motherboard, the m.2 socket is of M or B key type, not entirely sure. My SSD is of key type B & M.

Is B&M key SSD compatible with either B or M m.2 sockets?

 

[karenjoly]

The description for that board shows one "M Key" M.2 connection :

"1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, type 2260/2280 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode)."

(The M Key supports PCIe x 4 connections, plus SATA, etc.)

The Kingston drive has a PCIe x2 connection. Drives for this mode have a "B Key" connection.

So a 2 lane device like the Kingston will fit a B Key slot.

However, the drive has both B and M key connectors so it is compatible with the motherboard.

See here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3187751/key-ssd-compatible-key-slot.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2

 

[Calvin7]

Partitions deleted and windows installed on an empty disk

What the OP has indicated the drive shows up as GPT. GUID Partition Table (GPT) disks are not EMPTY. GUID Partition Table (GPT) is a standard for the layout of the partition table of the drive. It seems you have a single GPT partition instead of a drive with no partitions.

 

[adir98]

The description for that board shows one "M Key" M.2 connection :

"1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, type 2260/2280 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode)."

(The M Key supports PCIe x 4 connections, plus SATA, etc.)

The Kingston drive has a PCIe x2 connection. Drives for this mode have a "B Key" connection.

So a 2 lane device like the Kingston will fit a B Key slot.

However, the drive has both B and M key connectors so it is compatible with the motherboard.

See here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3187751/key-ssd-compatible-key-slot.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2

It's good to know that they are compatible.
Do you think that there might be any other hardware failure?
The Disk itself is brand new, I literally bought it two days ago.

Partitions deleted and windows installed on an empty disk

What the OP has indicated the drive shows up as GPT. GUID Partition Table (GPT) disks are not EMPTY. GUID Partition Table (GPT) is a standard for the layout of the partition table of the drive. It seems you have a single GPT partition instead of a drive with no partitions.

In the disk selection step of the Windows Setup, the disk shows as "Unallocated Space".

I did find that in the BIOS, in the CMS page, in the Boot Device Control the option "UEFI and Legacy OPROM" is selected. In that case I see both the Flash Disk and the M.2 disk.
When I select "UEFI First" and reboot into the BIOS, the only boot priority available is the flash disk.
When I select "Legacy OPROM" and reboot into the BIOS, the only boot priority available is the M.2 disk.

I tried to boot override to the SSD with UEFI and Legacy OPROM selected in the BIOS and got an error in the disk selection step of the installation.

(The picture is taken after installing Windows, therefore the partitions)

However, when I boot in the flash disk in UEFI it doesn't show any error.

 

[karenjoly]

Ok

The board option for legacy support is CSM and you say that the current setting shows CMS : Enabled

However , try this

Disable CSM.

Boot only drives with UEFI or WBM as part of the device description.

 

[adir98]

Ok

The board option for legacy support is CSM and you say that the current setting shows CMS : Enabled

However , try this

Disable CSM.

Boot only drives with UEFI or WBM as part of the device description.

Thanks for your help.
I saved the headache and returned this SSD.
I got a SATA 3 SSD instead.

However, now I don't see one of my HDDs (ST1000DM010-2EP102).
It shows up in BIOS, it shows up in Device Manager, but it doesn't show up in the Disk Manager.
I tried creating a partition for it, but I couldn't because it's not there.

I tried replacing and plugging it instead of the other HDD that does work.
That didn't help either.
I tried using another cable and that didn't work too.

The HDD is plugged in the SATA_3 port.

It did work before I formatted the computer.