SSDs INVISIBLE IN WINDOWS 11 INSTALL PROCESS

[fastrack-1966]

I've installed Win11 on many laptops incl HP but for the first time had to get an Intel Rapid Storage Tech driver before the setup would recognise the laptop's SSD. The laptop is 

15s-fq4553sa

At the Win11 screen where you expect to see the drives only the USB stick was visible. At last I clicked the Load Driver button, never used it during setup before and I've been installing on HPs since the days of the Vectra PC. That was the trick - I had got the driver from here:

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/drivers/hp-15.6-inch-laptop-pc-15-d4000/model/2100852836?sku=53A19EA&se...

copied to the USB stick and guided setup into the folder, remembering that the stick is Drive C: which was confusing. Has anyone else had this issue, why was the Pavilion 15s-fq4553sa left out of the loop? I assume it is unlikely to be the drives, they all work elsewhere and I tried three. One is now running Win11 on the laptop perfectly.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

All Intel desktop and notebook PCs with 11th > 13th gen core processors need to have the IRST drivers installed because they are not included in the Microsoft W10/W11 installation media.

You can also use the HP cloud recovery tool to make a bootable USB recovery drive that will reinstall the HP factory image on the drive which should have the Intel storage controller drivers included.

Here's an info link for how to use the software:

HP Consumer PCs - Using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool in Windows 11 and 10 | HP® Support

When using the software on another PC you have to enter the PC's product number in the tool's search window in order to proceed to make the recovery media which in the case of the 15s-fq4553sa is 53A19EA#ABU