Windows 11 Install Can’t Detect SSD – Missing F6 Folder from Intel RST Driver Package

[Mizell]

My HP EliteBook 840 G8 came with Windows 11, but a few months in, it couldn’t detect the hard drive during boot. I installed Windows 10 Pro, which has worked fine since. Now that Win 10 is reaching end-of-life, I tried doing a custom Win 11 install, but the installer can’t detect the SSD.
I followed this HP support article - https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_4859717-4859823-16, created a bootable ISO using Rufus, and downloaded the Intel RST drivers via HP Web Product Detection. The article mentions loading drivers from an "F6" folder—but that folder wasn’t included in the downloaded package. Here is the downloaded package:

    

I tried manually loading drivers from the “driver” folder, but the Win 11 setup still doesn’t see the drive.
Any idea why the F6 folder is missing, or how I can get the correct drivers so the installer can detect the SSD?

[tk_srq]

@Mizell,

SP161528 is Intel RST driver v.18.7.6.1010 which is good for Intel Core 10th and 11th gen processors (Intel). Your model has a 11th gen processor.

IRST v.19.x.x. drivers are for Intel Core 11th-13th gen processors, and an F6 folder can be extracted from them.

But the extracted 'driver' folder contains all VMD and Optane drivers that the Windows installer needs in order to detect the storage drive to install W11 on.

You can just copy the entire 'driver' folder to the root directory of the W11 installation usb drive. When you click on Load Driver, be sure to navigate to the driver folder and click OK.

If you still have the installation problem, you can use HP Cloud Recovery Client which restores the storage drive to a factory state. See this article for how to use this tool.

 HP Business PCs - Using the HP Cloud Recovery Client in Windows 11 and Windows 10 | HP® Support

Here is the download link to the recovery client.

HP EliteBook 840 G8 Notebook PC Software and Driver Details

[Mizell]

Following steps from post above, I did the following:

1. Copied the 'Driver' folder to my bootable Win 11 ISO USB created using Rufus.

2. During custom setup, I selected and loaded the Intel RST drivers when prompted.

3. However, Windows 11 setup still could not detect the SSD.

Next, I booted using the HP Cloud Recovery Client, which did detect the SSD and successfully installed a clean version of Windows 10.

Question: Why didn’t HP Recovery Client give an option to install Windows 11?

I then tried another clean install using the bootable Win 11 ISO. Again, SSD was not detected. I loaded Intel RST drivers as before, but setup still  could not detect SSD.

Any suggestions on how to get the SSD recognized during Windows 11 setup?

[tk_srq]

My suggestion is to use a newer IRST driver and a W11 installation usb drive created with Microsoft Media Creation Tool instead of an ISO file + Rufus. 

You can follow the steps described in this post for the IRST driver installation. SP146929 is IRST v,19.5.2.1049 which works for Intel core 11th-13th gen processors platform.

Solved: HP Laptop 17-by4063cl (446R0UA) Will not show up in Win 10 o... - HP Support Community - 947...

Step 6:

If the storage drive is displayed with multiple partitions, delete each of all the partitions to just see unallocated space on the screen and click Next to proceed the installation.

Click the link below and go to EliteBook 840 G8 which indicates the recovery client can install W11 23H2 or W10.

HP Cloud Recovery

I don't know why you were not given an option for W11 or W10. You can try this newer version of the recovery client.

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp162501-163000/sp162904.exe

[Mizell]

Microsoft Media Creation Tool Setup Not Launching

I’ve downloaded the Microsoft Media Creation Tool, but the setup isn’t launching on my notebook. Here’s what I’ve already tried to resolve the issue:

• Disabled antivirus software (temporarily)

• Disabled internet proxy settings

• Reset Windows Update components using the Windows Update Troubleshooter

• Restarted my device multiple times

Despite these efforts, the Media Creation setup still doesn’t load. 

Could this be a problem with my notebook itself, perhaps a hardware defect or another underlying issue?

Has anyone else encountered this problem or found a workaround? Any further troubleshooting steps or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Mizell]

Moderator:

Two days ago, I opened a discussion under Notebooks hardware and Upgrade Questions, but I noticed it has been moved to the Business Notebooks section. I believe the original category is more appropriate for the nature of my question, and it may reach a more relevant audience there.

Could you please move the discussion back to the Notebooks Hardware and Upgrade Questions forum? Thank you for your assistance.

Regards,

Mizell

[tk_srq]

Are you trying to boot into the W11 installation usb drive from F9 on bootup? If not, do this.

Turn on the notebook and immediately hit the F9 key repeatedly for boot option menu. If you see USB Flash Drive (or USB Hard Drive), select it and hit the Enter key to boot from the usb dive to install W11.

If you don't see the USB drive entry, boot files on the usb drive may be corrupted. Download the media creation tool again and create a new bootable installation usb drive and try again.

If the usb drive still isn't present in F9, use a different usb drive. You just need a min. 8 GB drive.

Did you try the newer version of the recovery client I posted? If it still only installs W10, run it a while to make sure everything works.

You can then go to the MS W11 download site and do an upgrade to WII by clicking on the Download Now button of Windows 11 Installation Assistant. This in-place upgrade doesn't affect HP software and applications installed by the recovery client, and this seems to be only way for you to get W11 if you are unable to install W11 from the recovery client or media creation tool.

[Mizell]

I'm following up on previous suggestions but still unable to install Windows 11 on my HP notebook but Windows 10 installs fine. Here's what I've tried:

1. Media Creation Tool (MCT):
   MCT setup launches briefly, then closes with no error message. It doesn’t proceed to setup.

2. Boot from W11 USB (F9 Boot Menu):
   The Windows 11 installer loads, but it cannot detect my SSD – install cannot proceed.

3. HP Cloud Recovery Tool (latest version):
   Successfully detects SSD but only offers Windows 10 installation. No option for Windows 11.

   Question: Why is Windows 10 able to install, but Windows 11 cannot detect the same SSD?

4. Windows 11 Installation Assistant:
   Launches correctly and begins the install, but errors out mid-way and exits with no clear explanation.

5. W11 ISO via Rufus (UEFI/GPT):
   Boots successfully, but Windows 11 setup again fails to detect the SSD.

Question:
Could this be a hardware-related issue (e.g., SSD compatibility, firmware, BIOS setting), or is there a known limitation with this model regarding Windows 11 installation?

At this point, I’m out of options and frustrated — I just don’t understand how Windows 10 installs fine, but Windows 11 refuses to work no matter what I try.

[tk_srq]

Hey, your frustration is perfectly understandable. I feel bad that none of my suggestions worked.

Check the health of the SSD drive with a diagnostic tool. Turn on the notebook and immediately hit the F2 key repeatedly for hard drive tests. Run SMART check and long (extended) DST test (this test takes a while to complete). If the tests generate an error, you may need a new drive. 

If you haven't already tried a different usb drive for a W11 installation media with MCT, please do so.

W11 requires TPM 2.0 and secure boot. If the W10 created with the recovery media runs fine, open Devie Manager and click and expand 'Security devices' to see if Windows recognizes TPM 2.0.

If TPM is not listed, you need to enable it in the BIOS. You also need to be sure that secure boot is enabled in the BIOS.

The in-place W11 upgrade process was halted, and the recovery media didn't offer an option for W11, so be sure that TPM 2.0 and secure boot are configured right.

[Mizell]

I've tried to upgrade my HP Notebook from Windows 10 to Windows 11, but Windows 11 setup consistently fails to detect my SSD.

I followed several suggestions from a helpful HP support thread, but the problem still persists.

Today, Windows Update offered the free upgrade to Windows 11, but once again, it couldn’t detect the SSD.

I also tried using the Media Creation Tool (MCT). It briefly launches, then closes without any error message and doesn’t proceed to setup.

I haven’t run a diagnostic or checked the SSD for errors or other attributes—but since it runs Windows 10 without any problems, I suspect the issue lies elsewhere, possibly compatibility-related.

TPM 2.0 is enabled, and Secure Boot is on.

I appreciate the assistance so far, but I’m unsure how to proceed.