Installing windows on Intel Optane with IRST

[Chrise931]

I have tried the RST driver from intel's website for 10th/11th gen CPU's and I have tried several of the ones listed on the HP support page for my product.  None seem to make my SSD able to be accessed and wiped to reinstall windows.  Is there a trick?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

See if the driver that I zipped up and attached below works:

Unzip and copy all of the files in the folder in the attachment to a USB flash drive.

Have the flash drive and your Windows installation media plugged into USB ports.

Boot from the Windows installation flash drive.

When you get to the screen where no drives can be found, click on the Load driver option, browse to the flash drive with the storage controller drivers on it.

If you check the box, it will only include the compatible driver.

If Windows still can't find the drive, uncheck the box to include the compatible driver and try any of the ones listed.

Click Next, and Windows should install.

Your PC is also supported by the HP cloud recovery tool which you can use to make a bootable USB recovery drive that will reinstall Windows the drivers and the software that originally came with your notebook and it should have the IRST drivers installed in the factory image.

Here is an info link for how to use the utility.  You will need a 32 GB USB flash drive for this.

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

You can download the software from the Microsoft Store

HP Cloud Recovery Tool - Free download and install on Windows | Microsoft Store

Since you have to use the utility on another PC, you will need to enter your PC's product number in order to proceed to make the recovery media.

Your PC's product number is 341T3UA#ABA

[Chrise931]

I will try this.  Thank you, even if it dont work, this is amazing information to have. 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome. 

[Chrise931]

Tried with a Win 11 installer from Microsoft.  Used the f6 driver provided for Optane.  I got driver failed to install.

Tried the cloud download, made the USB drive successfully, It loaded for about 5 minutes then gave a BSOD with stop code: driver_pnp_watchdog.  Tried twice on 2 different usb ports, same result.

Pulled the SSD out.  Put it in an adapter, wiped all partitions until only one at unallocated.  Tried again.  Same results.  

I ran full hardware scans.  nothing shows ad failed.  Not sure where to go from here.  New SSD?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Unfortunately, I don't know what to tell you.

Those drivers should have worked.

The cloud recovery tool should have worked.

Does the entire drive show up when you formatted it?

Those NVMe SSDs with Intel Optane are tricky.

Sometimes the Optane section of the drive fails and sometimes the main drive fails and the reports test OK.

If the drive shows the two partitions with their correct sizes, it is unlikely to have failed.

I'll leave that up to you if you want to replace the drive but I would definitely not get another Intel SSD with Optane.

A standard Crucial P3 SSD should perform even better anyway, but if that isn't the problem, you will have wasted your money (unless you can return the drive for a refund).

Amazon.com: Crucial P3 1TB PCIe Gen3 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD, up to 3500MB/s - CT1000P3SSD8 : Electroni...

[Chrise931]

Installed a samsung NVMe drive I had laying around.  The recovery manager from the clous USB I made actually started to load, started formatting and it seems to be going much further than the last attempts with the Optane drive in it.  I think we may be good now. Really appreciate your suggestions.  

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.

[Chrise931]

Recovery complete.  Success!!!