HP Pavillion gaming notebook upgrade 970 Evo Plus nvme m.2 ssd not recognized by bios.

[super1702]

Hello,

I am trying to upgrade the stock PM991 Nvme 256gb with the samsung 970 evo plus 1tb ssd, however the drive is not showing in the windows partition management nor as an option in the bios boot list. Spoke with samsung and they directed me to HP support because it could be a bios setting that does not show in bios menu (hidden key). Note, the device manager shows the drive as scsi and not achi (whatever that means). I also ran the hp diagnostics and drive is recognized there and passed the extensive test. Is the HP pavillion gaming computer set to some setting which only allowed the OS to boot from the stock 2

[Alden4]

Hi @super1702,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It seems like you're encountering a BIOS or compatibility issue with your new Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD on your HP Pavilion Gaming computer. Let's break this down and address the potential causes and solutions:

Drive Not Showing in Partition Management/Bios Boot List

• Drive Recognition: Since the HP diagnostics recognize the drive, it's likely properly installed.
• Device Manager as SCSI: This typically indicates the system is operating in RAID mode instead of AHCI, which can cause issues with some NVMe drives.

 Possible Causes

• BIOS Settings: The BIOS might be configured to RAID or Intel RST mode rather than AHCI.
• Hidden Key Settings: Some BIOS setups have hidden options or require additional steps to change advanced settings.
• UEFI/Legacy Mode Conflict: Your BIOS might be configured for legacy boot, causing issues with a new NVMe drive.

 Steps to Resolve

A. Check and Change BIOS Settings

1. Access BIOS:
   • Restart your computer and repeatedly press Esc or F10 during startup to enter the BIOS.
2. Check for Boot Mode:
   • Look for the Boot Mode or Storage Configuration settings.
   • Ensure the system is set to UEFI mode (not Legacy) if you plan to boot from the new NVMe drive.
3. Switch to AHCI:
   • If the storage configuration is set to RAID/Intel RST, switch it to AHCI.
   • If the option isn’t visible, try the following:
     • Enable advanced options in BIOS (usually a hidden key like Ctrl + F1 or Fn + F1 after entering the BIOS).
4. Save and Exit:
   • Save the changes and restart the system.

B. Update BIOS

• Check for a BIOS update from HP’s support website for your Pavilion Gaming model. A newer BIOS version might resolve compatibility issues.

[Alden4]

C. Reinstall Windows in UEFI Mode

1. Backup Data:
   • If your system was initially set up in Legacy mode, switching to UEFI may require reinstalling Windows.
2. Create a Bootable USB Drive:
   • Use the Windows Media Creation Tool to create a UEFI-compatible bootable USB.
3. Reinstall Windows:
   • Install Windows on the new drive after setting the BIOS to UEFI and ensuring it recognizes the SSD.

 Verify the SSD Firmware

• Ensure the Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD has the latest firmware. Use the Samsung Magician software on another PC to update it, if necessary.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

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Alden4

HP Support