Disable Intel RST in Laptop BIOS

[WesleyVdPlas]

I need to disable Intel RST to be able to install an operating system on my laptop. Currently, RST is interfering with the installation of Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, as well as Linux for that matter. It needs to be disabled and set to AHCI mode. Currently, no operating system is installed on my laptop due to a software reset. The hard drive is fully operational and passes all tests. It is also detected properly by the BIOS as well as the operating systems, but it cannot be accessed due to RST being enabled.

Normally, you can disable RST from within the BIOS, but that option does not display in the BIOS of this machine. There is a way to change RAID settings and enable/disable RAID, but no way to disable RST. How can I access the Advanced BIOS options to disable RST? This is essential for me to be able to install any operating system on this device. Again, currently there is no operating system installed.

[VH2000]

RST is not a BIOS Feature. It's a Intel driver for Windows. So you never find it in the BIOS.

Use the AHCI setting in BIOS and you will be able to install& run Windows.

You might have to clean your disk first and delete all (!) partitions during setup

[WesleyVdPlas]

Thanks for your response. I am well aware I must set the AHCI setting in the BIOS (see my original post's " It needs to be disabled and set to AHCI mode"). I am also well aware that Intel RST is the name of a driver in Windows, and that most of the heavy lifting is done there. However, you are not correct in saying it is not a BIOS feature (at least, not completely). Intel RST can be setup within BIOS (even in this one), and if enabled, exposes a non-standard access point of the hard drive to the operating system. As such, even though indeed the BIOS doesn't handle the bulk of RST, it does change the way the hard drive looks to the operating system, and that's where the problem lies. Whatever factory default my laptop has, it's incorrect. All operating systems I have attempted to install have complained and told me to set RST to AHCI within BIOS, indeed consistent with what you suggested next. As I explained in my initial post, no such option exists in this laptop's BIOS, likely because it has been hidden by HP. In this BIOS, there actually is an RST RAID setup menu, but no way to disable it and set it to AHCI. Please note that I am completely okay with all of my partitions being deleted, since they're empty anyway.

My original question is exactly this, how do I access the AHCI setting in BIOS (as opposed to keeping it in RST/RAID mode)? No such option is available, even though on previous models I know such an option exists, as well as AHCI being the more standard mode (so why is it not available within this BIOS?). I expect it's hidden, and to access it I need to access the advanced BIOS options, which are currently unavailable. Hence my original question on how to access the Advanced BIOS options. As such, I hope some HP employee will tell me what key combination I will have to use to access this, otherwise I will be forced to send my laptop back for a refund, because I find it unacceptable that the BIOS is locked down to this extent. It makes my laptop not fit for purpose. Again, I want to reemphasize that this prevents me from installing any OS.

I know there have been many people before me who have run into the same issue (I do my research), but none of them have had any response from HP with a solution.

[VH2000]

If you have a Intel C600 Chipset Intel suggests to activate the IDE-Mode first. Then in the Win environment you can install the AHCI Driver. That's all what I could find.

[WesleyVdPlas]

To give extra information, the BIOS looks like this:

Under Configuration, we can find the main settings where I would expect the AHCI option to reside. Note that there are no AHCI/RST/RAID options in Main, Security, Boot Options or Exit. So, in Configuration, we have the following screen:

  Main  Security  Configuration  Boot Options  Exit
  Language                   [English]

  Virtualization Technology  [Enabled]

  Hyper-Threading            [Enabled]

  Fan Always On              [Enabled]

  Action Keys Mode           [Enabled]

  USB Charging               [Enabled]

  Battery Remaining Time     [Disabled]

  Adaptive Battery Optimizer [Enabled]

> UEFI HII Configuration

If I select UEFI HII Configuration, I get to find the RST settings menu:  I

                     Configuration 

  UEFI HII Configuration

> Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology

Entering Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology I get the menu:

                     Configuration 

Intel(R) RST 17.8.0.4507 RAID Driver

> Create RAID Volume

Non-RAID Physical Disks:

> PCIe 1.0, SK hynix PC601 (serial number..........)

953.8GB

> PCIe 2.0, SK Hynix PC601 (serial number..........)

953.8GB

I have already tried enabling RAID in all possible combinations, as well as disabling RAID several times, but nothing works. There is no option to set to AHCI mode.

[WesleyVdPlas]

---

@VH2000 wrote:

If you have a Intel C600 Chipset Intel suggests to activate the IDE-Mode first. Then in the Win environment you can install the AHCI Driver. That's all what I could find.

---

I cannot set it to IDE in the bios either, unfortunately, since there's no option to change the operating mode. Thank you for trying to help, though.

[WesleyVdPlas]

For future reference, and hopefully to get HP's attention, I will link all threads that discuss the same issue and haven't gotten a solution. Note that some have been marked as 'solved', but if you read on you see that it is actually not solved at all and the solution is simply "HP doesn't want to help you, look elsewhere" or just gives a completely unhelpful, unrelated answer to a question that was never asked, which is, in my opinion, just insane. I honestly won't ever buy a HP product again with the level of nonsense they're willing to pull.

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-System-and-Recovery/Disable-RST/m-p/8123278

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Software-and-How-To-Questions/Install-Ubuntu-Unable-to-disabl...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-System-and-Recovery/How-to-disable-RST/m-p/8040847

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-System-and-Recovery/Disabled-Optane-in-Bios-without...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Boot-and-Lockup/Instructions-needed-for-disabling-RST/m-p/8017...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-System-and-Recovery/Completely-DISABLE-Intel-RST-BI...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Boot-and-Lockup/Facing-issues-while-installing-Ubuntu-Receivi...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Boot-and-Lockup/Disabling-Intel-Optane-when-it-says-quot-Ther...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Software-and-How-To-Questions/Disable-Rapid-Storage-Technology...

There's probably a lot more, and I could find a bunch more where the answer was "You can't change operation mode, it's set to AHCI by default" (which it obviously isn't in my and many others' case).

I have tried contacting support, but their support app crashed three times after I sent the support ticket. I cannot get into direct contact through chat, and this forum has dozens upon dozens of questions that remain utterly unanswered. I've spent a week trying to get any type of response from HP, but they are simply unwilling to help in any way.

[VH2000]

I checked the Spec and I found that it is delivered with 1 NVMe-disk.

If you check the Service manual you find 2 disks. (What happens if you disconnect 1 disk and a Raid Config shouldn't be possible)

And if you check the user manual you find the nonsense par excellance! 

They give advices to defragment a disk. 

[WesleyVdPlas]

That is very interesting, and thank you for checking! I was already surprised to find two NVMe disks being reported by BIOS with both 1TB of hard drive space (giving me 2TB in total), even though the laptop was advertised as having only 1TB total. I feel like HP did something wrong during the factory BIOS configuration for something like this to happen. In any case, I can sadly not fix that myself due to HP having locked down the BIOS.

Do you happen to have a link to the service manual? For me, most links I click here https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-envy-15-ep0000-laptop-pc-series/32552523/model/37718556/manu... link to an "Oops! We can't find that page" error page.

[VH2000]

Take this: 😀

https://support.hp.com/ie-en/product/hp-envy-15-ep0000-laptop-pc-series/32552523/model/37718556/manu...