NVMe SSD Can't Boot & Not Visible in BIOS With Intel Optane

[Morash]

Hi  everyone,

I posted this question in the boot section more than two weeks ago, but I don't know why no one answered in spite of several bumps 😕

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Boot-and-Lockup/NVMe-SSD-Can-t-Boot-amp-Not-Visible-in-BIOS-W... 

So I'm reposting it here. hopefully it will get some attention!

____________________________________________________

Dear Experts,

My HP14 laptop came with Intel Optane memory. I disabled it in Windows and there was nothing to disable in BIOS. I replaced it with a 256GB Samsung PM981a NVMe SSD, but it didn’t show in BIOS settings! Also, it showed an empty slot in RST UI and Win10 Optane App, but the crazy thing, it’s fully visible to Windows!  I was able to clone my system partitions (ESP, MSR, Windows, and Recovery) to it without any problems, but failed to boot from it.

My UEFI BIOS is updated to latest version F.58, and I have searched thru it with a magnifying glass, but there doesn’t seem to be any option to add a Windows boot manager entry or boot device for NVMe, or switch from RST to AHCI mode. But If I put Optane back in, it will be shown, as if it's manufactured to work with it only. By the way, I have used an identical Samsung NVMe drive in another HP laptop WITHOUT Optane, and it worked flawlessly

As a workaround and after a long and painful night of failed attempts, countless reboots and blue screens, I was finally able to run Windows from NVMe by booting it from the ESP on the HDD in a dual boot. It takes a few seconds longer than usual to boot but other than that, it works perfectly. I have completely uninstalled and deleted  ALL RST driver versions from both NVMe and HDD Windows device managers, but RST V.17.8.0.4414 still shows  in BIOS with only HDD visible, even though NVMe drive is there and working!

Is there any way to fix this? I.e. to make it boot directly from ESP on NVMe not HDD, since with this arrangement the NVMe drive will always be dependent on the HDD to boot? Some of my failed experiments to fix this included disconnecting HDD and installing Windows and Linux on NVMe hoping it will force it to boot, but nothing worked!

In my opinion, the only way to fully fix this is by updating the BIOS to another version from a similar pc which doesn’t have Optane. There is no chance in this lifetime or any other lifetime that I want to use this Optane crap again. I really wonder how a technology leader like Intel can make this garbage, and how top computer brand companies like HP and others put it in their machines and sell them to the public, when instead they could have for the same cost or just a little bit more put at least a 120GB SSD for Windows C: drive ! I found some good use for this Optane drive though, I put it in an NVMe-USB adapter, and it made a pretty fast USB drive 😁

I know there were other models from the same series which came with NVMe SSD  instead of Optane. How can I find them, and will it be possible to use their BIOS in my laptop?

Appreciate your answers and comments

EDIT:

I have done some digging, and found same series model cf0006nh has only NVMe SSD without HDD, but it has the exact same BIOS version and SP file! I have tried a BIOS rollback and update, but nothing changed. Any ideas how to completely get rid of this bloody Optane and remove its remnant RST driver from BIOS??? 

[banhien]

@Morash 

Please try

   (a) Remove the old HDD, keep it outside few days for backup.

   (b) When you are happy, format is and put it back for storage

Regards.

[Morash]

.@Banhien

Thank you for your reply,

I already tried disconnecting the HDD and fresh installing Windows on NVMe. It installs but won't boot and it's not shown in BIOS boot device list. As mentioned in my question I can run Windows on NVMe only by booting from HDD. So if I remove HDD,  then PC can't boot.

[banhien]

@Morash 

Please try the following way from step 8:

              https://www.diskpart.com/windows-10/install-windows-10-on-m.2-ssd-7201.html

You may have to re install Windows on M.2 SSD properly

Regards.

[Morash]

Thanks again for trying to help, but I explained everything in my question!

There is no setting in my BIOS to make it boot from NVMe drive. My PC came with Intel Optane and it doesn't show the new NVMe drive in BIOS. Please see picture.

[Morash]

Bump!