Hard Drive and Driver Questions - NUC10i7FNH

[DalTex]

Disk Drives: Did I install Win 10 Home 64 bit to the wrong drive? I have two 1tb SSDs. I installed to Disk 0, which I thought was the M2 SSD. I want windows installed on my fastest drive, the M2 SSD.

Drivers: After Win 10 install, I downloaded the Intel Driver and Support Assistant, which tells me I don't need any updates. However, if I look at the Intel download page, there are updates which *may* be more recent than the drivers in my NUC (hard for me to tell). Should I rely on the Intel Driver and Support Assistant?

[AlHill]

You have two issues here.

Issue 1, If you want Windows 10 on the other m.2, then install it on the other m.2

Issue 2, IDSA is reporting the drivers that have been validated for your NUC. There may be later drivers available which have not been validated (yet), and can be ignored unless you need them or have a problem. And, you still Microsoft who will install whatever drivers they want you to have, and set a flag blocking the drivers you want. This is all done to improve your customer and web experience.

Doc (not an intel employee or contractor)

[DalTex]

Thanks, you have answered my second question.

Regarding the drives, only one of the SSDs is an M2 (looks like a memory stick) using PCIe x4 0. The other is an SSD (looks like a credit card) that runs thru an internal sata connection and the drive is basically 1/4 the speed of the stick drive. My goal is to have Windows and my most used files on the faster M2 (stick) drive.

So I still would like to be able to identify which physial drive is Disk0 and which physical drive is Disk 1, without having to open up the NUC and remove the non M2 drive.

[DalTex]

Ok, I figured it out.

Go into Disk Management

At the bottom it shows Disk 0 and Disk 1, right click on Disk 0, choose Properties

Select the tab Details

In the drop down select Hardware ID

It then displays the brand and model of the drive

And disk 0 is the drive connected to the internal sata port - it is not the M2 (memory stick looking) SSD. So I get to redo the OS install.

[AlHill]

Go to START, and pull down to Windows Administrative Tools, Computer Management.

Then, select Disk Management. Each disk will be numbered - Disk 0, DIsk 1, etc. You be able to determine by inspection what Disk 0 is and what Disk 1 is.

Then, when you install W10 again, choose CUSTOM, and delete all partitions on the Disk X that are there (assuming you have backed up any data you want). If you want to wipe both disks, do so.

Then, select the disk X you want to install Windows on.

After Windows is installed, you will want to use Disk management again to initialize the other disk (which will likely become the D drive).

Doc

[LeonWaksman]

The easiest way to avoid such mistake again, is to remove/disconnect the SATA SSD during Windows installation.

Leon

[DalTex]

Yes, or have two drives of different capacities.

That said, the NUC is really really tiny, and the SATA cable seems not robust (maybe not replaceable). So minimizing having to get in and out is a good thing.

I pressed F2, went into BIOS and turned off the sata port. I set the boot order to USB first.

I began a clean install of Win 10 from USB (retail version)

When it began to reboot, I pressed F2 and turned off boot from USB, while leaving the USB in place (not sure if necessary to leave in place but I did)

Completed the install.

Installed the wireless drivers

Did windows update, including reboot

Then rebooted into BIOS and turned SATA port on.

Identified SATA drive using Disk Management

Did quick format of SATA drive

Good news is the install is quick, and any questions as to choices during install had already been decided