Critical Failure During Windows 11 Installation from Linux: Disk Drive Not Found - Driver Issue

[studiohonzik]

I am attempting to perform a clean installation of Windows 11 on a machine that is currently running a Linux-based operating system. I have created a bootable USB installation media for Windows 11 and have successfully booted from it.

However, during the "Where do you want to install Windows?" step of the setup wizard, no drives are listed. The message "We couldn’t find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" appears. This indicates that the Windows 11 installer lacks the necessary drivers to recognize my system's storage controller and, by extension, my hard drive or SSD.

I am using a modern laptop/desktop with a solid-state drive (SSD) which likely uses a NVMe or SATA controller. I suspect the issue lies with a RAID or specific NVMe driver that is required. I have already checked my system's BIOS/UEFI settings to ensure the storage controller is set to AHCI mode (if applicable), but the problem persists. I have also tried disabling Secure Boot.

Given that the machine has been operating normally with Linux, I know the hardware is functional. My primary need is to identify and acquire the correct storage drivers that I can load from a separate USB drive during the Windows 11 installation process.

Could you please provide the following:

• A list of common storage controller drivers that are often missing from Windows 11 installation media, particularly for systems with modern hardware (e.g., Intel RST, AMD RAID, or specific NVMe drivers).

• A guide on the proper procedure for loading these drivers during Windows 11 setup.

• Instructions on how to find the specific make and model of my storage controller from within my Linux OS, so I can download the exact drivers needed from the manufacturer's website.

Thank you for your assistance. This issue is a complete blocker for me.

[tk_srq]

@studiohonzik,

We need the exact model number or product number (ProdID) of your notebook to answer your questions. The information is on the bottom cover of the notebook in small print.