I can't download new windows

[Luka361]

I swapped my SSD from 512gb to 2tb and started to download windows on it, but windows can't recognise it, I went to bios and all settings are right and the bios can see the SSD and it says it's working. It's an M.2 NVME. The google told me that I need to download Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver but I can't find it on the HP website. What should I do?

[Samrit26]

Hello,

If the BIOS sees your 2TB NVMe SSD but Windows setup doesn’t, that means the storage controller is running in RST (Intel RAID/Optane) mode, and Windows installer doesn’t have the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) driver built-in.

Here’s the correct, HP-specific way to handle it for the HP 250 G8 (1T4K6AV).

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1. Confirm BIOS storage mode

1. Boot into BIOS (F10 at startup).

2. Under Storage → Device Configuration or Advanced → Storage Options, check the SATA Controller Mode.

   • If it says RAID (RST), Windows needs the IRST driver during installation.

   • If you change it to AHCI, Windows will detect the SSD natively (no driver required).

Recommendation:

• If you don’t plan to use Intel Optane or RAID, switch to AHCI mode, save changes, and reinstall Windows.
  That’s the simplest and most stable configuration.

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2. If you must keep RAID (RST) mode

If you prefer keeping RST (for cloning, or existing deployment image compatibility), you’ll need to manually load the Intel RST driver during Windows installation.

Steps:

1. On another PC, go to the HP driver page for your model:
   https://support.hp.com → search HP 250 G8 Notebook PC (1T4K6AV).

2. Under Driver – Storage, download:
   Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver (SoftPaq SP134041 or later).

   • If not listed, you can use this direct HP SoftPaq link (generic but valid for G8 series):
     https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp134001-134500/sp134041.exe

3. Extract the .exe (right-click → Extract) to a USB drive.
   Inside you’ll find a folder structure like:

   f6vmdflpy-x64 |-- iaStorAC.inf |-- iaStorAC.sys |-- iaStorAC.cat

4. When Windows Setup says “No drives found”, click Load Driver, then browse to that folder on the USB.
   It will detect your SSD immediately.

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3. If you want to simplify permanently (recommended)

If you don’t need RAID:

• Switch BIOS to AHCI mode.

• Boot the Windows installer again — it will now see the NVMe SSD without any driver.

This method also simplifies future reinstalls and avoids dependency on Intel’s driver.

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4. Extra check – NVMe drive compatibility

Your HP 250 G8 supports:

• PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 NVMe SSDs (M-key, 2280 form factor).
  Avoid SATA M.2 drives, which look identical but won’t enumerate under NVMe mode.

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To summarize:

BIOS Mode	Driver Needed	Recommended?
RAID/RST	Yes (load IRST manually)	Only if using Optane or RAID
AHCI	No (Windows detects automatically)	Yes — simplest for standalone SSDs

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