Question Windows 11 install loop with an Asus Rog Strix 670E in UEFI, CSM disabled ?

[juniormint90]

PC Hardware
CPU : AMD 7950
MB : Asus Rog Strix 670e

Bios
CMS disabled
UEFI enabled
USB is UEFI bootable
NVME is GPT formatted
NVME is recognized by the system
issue persists with or without other drives connected.

This is honestly a shot in the dark. I have seen a number of people with the same issue and I have tried every conceivable orientation I can think of to make it work.

I am attempting to install Windows on an NVMe SSD from a USB boot drive. When booting I can confirm the Bios recognizes it has a NVME installed by checking the NVME settings in the BIOS. It definitely sees the NVME. I can confirm it can see and access the USB with windows install on it.

I can boot from the USB. I can install Windows as normal for the INITIAL part. The issue is on the very first restart. When I install windows it works fine. I can see my NVME. I can see the USB. I can delete partitions. I can make partitions. I can install windows. It runs the install. The install completes. The install restarts.

This Issue persists with or without removing the USB regardless of what stage I remove it.

When doing the initial restart where windows needs to continue / finish install the NVME simply does NOT show up as bootable. It does NOT show up as a boot drive. F8 does not show any bootable drive. F10 shows no bootable drive. BIOS shows no bootable drive. BIOS shows NVME is connected. Windwos install shows NVME connected. Cold restart, hot restart shows no bootable drive. NVME does not show up as a bootable drive after initial install. If I leave the USB connected it shows up as the only bootable drive.

HOWEVER, if I turn on CSM mode I can in fact BOOT from the NVME.... I install in UEFI, boot from CSM. This gives me an error that my computer does not meet the requirements of windows 11. Restart. Disable CSM, no boot drive. Enable CSM - boot drive.

I have used windows media creation tool to create the USB. I have used the settings appropriate for a USB bootable windows and the NVME shows up when installing windows and "installs" like normal. Loop to install screen. I have tried to use Rufus. I have tried to use a completely different computer. It still does not show up as a bootable drive. I have used a different USB that my brother was able to install windows from. Loop to install. Failure to boot. Even on the laptop I am using now the NVME will show up in F8 but only lead to a reboot upon trying to boot / finish install.

My only thought is the NVME is bad. I have tried everything. To further complicate it however, when installing to my SSD I cannot seem to get them to show up as boot either. I cannot confirm they are GPT but windows 11 was previously installed on them and they show up in the windows installer.

I have no idea what to do. I have ordered a new cheap NVME 500gb to see if a fresh one will allow me to install and perhaps i can try to clone to the original NVME but other then that I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. Previously the NVME worked fine as a storage device and I had little issue with it. I had one crash early on but I was able to reformatt it and it has worked since as a storage device. It simply fails to be readable as a BOOT drive without CSM enabled.

Also very hard to for me to test the other SSD's as I have no ready way of plugging them into somewhere else to see if another computer can install windows on them but my computer fails to stick the install (show up as bootable) after installing to normal SSD

 

[SkyNetRising]

Do you have multiple drives connected?

When installing windows, have only single drive connected.
Disable secure boot in bios.
Clean target drive before installing windows onto it.
Use diskpart clean method. Drive should be empty (no partitions).

 

[juniormint90]

NVME is recognized by the system
issue persists with or without other drives connected.

So no... No other drives are connected.
UEFI is secure boot which allows the install to run and is the recommended setting for installing windows (must be ran in UEFI compatible mode)
"Other OS" also causes the issue and doesn't work

 

[alceryes]

Check for newer BIOS revision?
Make sure Secure Boot and TPM are enabled in BIOS?
Download Windows 10 installer and see if that works?

 

[juniormint90]

Check for newer BIOS revision?
Make sure Secure Boot and TPM are enabled in BIOS?
Download Windows 10 installer and see if that works?

I updated the bios to the newest version last week. Just now as I was doing random things to see if it would work I managed to get windows installed on my previous HD which is a old SSD and not an NVME. I used the same settings as i tried before when it failed multiple times so im not sure why its working now but the NVME is still not the boot drive, i am simply trying other SSD until something worked.
I started to download the windows 10 installer but was informed it might have a security issue when installing in UEFI mode (secure boot). Asus seems very adamant in every post I have found that in order to install on an NVME you must install using UEFI and not "other os". UEFI is secure boot.
As I now have a working OS on my computer I am planning to try and clone to the NVME using a clone software or a backup image if possible.
My goal is to have windows running on the NVME and not the old SSD.
The steps I took was to set the BIOS from UEFI (secure boot) to Other os which failed the last 5 times I tried to install windows on the SSD. I also removed the USB drive I was using to install the second the instal started to complete and go into restart

 

[juniormint90]

More info:
Now that I have a working copy of windows installed I attempted to reinstall on the NVME. The nvme will install initially but upon restart the system loads windows boot select. Here I have the option of which drive (volume) i wish to boot from. When choosing the NVME the system reboots and returns to the windows boot selection screen.

 

[SkyNetRising]

UEFI is secure boot which allows the install to run and is the recommended setting for installing windows (must be ran in UEFI compatible mode)

UEFI is not secure boot.
Secure boot is option, when booting in UEFI mode.
You can boot in UEFI with or without secure boot.

Secure boot basically restricts your booting options.
After windows is installed, you can enable secure boot, if necessary.
But during install have it disabled.

 

[juniormint90]

Perhaps the information I get from ASUS is wrong then as under secure boot there is the option to run in UEFI mode or "other OS" and ASUS support has stated that UEFI is secure boot but that it should not interfere with modern UEFI install processes.
In the settings of my motherboard it also gives a small note at the bottom that says "UEFI mode is secure boot enabled" and that "other OS" is the selection to use when trying to run with secure boot disabled.

That out of the way, I purchased a 25$ Crucial NVME and was able to install windows on that with no issues.
My original NVME is a Samsung Evo 970 Plus which I have noted seems to be plagued with issues regarding being used as a boot drive. Storage is fine but boot is just not possible or quite rare with the Evo 970's.
Thank you for all your help though, it was much appreciated.