Intel NUC8i5INH doesn't detect a Samsung 950 Pro m.2 drive ?!

[Escape75]

I have just purchased a brand new and sealed NUC8i5INH, and it works fine with the included Intel Optane 16GB drive, but when

I insert my Samsung 950 Pro m.2 which works fine in a USB NVME enclosure as well as my Desktop PC, the NUC doesn't see it.

Under BIOS it says not detected and the ID shows up as FFFF:FFFF ...

Already running the newest BIOS version 0041, etc.

Seems like a NUC bug to me in the BIOS

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello @Escape75

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

In regards to this behavior, in case you haven't tried yet, we recommend reviewing and trying the steps in this article: What To Do When an M.2 or 2.5" SSD Isn't Recognized as a Boot Drive by an Intel® NUC.

If the behavior persists, please provide the following details so we can check this further:

1- Have you tested another known working M.2 drive on this Intel® NUC? If yes, please provide details and the model that you tried.

2- Is the Samsung* drive the OS boot drive or an "only data/storage" drive?

3- Part number of the Samsung* 950 Pro M.2 drive:

4- Screenshots from the BIOS showing the Drive section status (and where the ID "FFFF:FFFF" is shown).

5- If you are able to boot into Windows, please run the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) to gather more details about the system.

• Download the Intel® SSU and save the application on your computer
• Open the application, check the "Everything" checkbox, and click "Scan" to see the system and device information. The Intel® SSU defaults to the "Summary View" on the output screen following the scan. Click the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View".
• To save your scan, click Next and click Save.
• Once you have saved the file (.txt file), please attach it to your reply.
• To upload and attach a file, use the "Drag and drop here or browse files to attach" option below the response textbox.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Escape75]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your quick response, here are the requested screenshots ...

I was not able to take a screen shot of the BIOS screen with the Samsung drive as it's now getting stuck

on the Intel Logo with no way of entering the BIOS,- I believe last time I was able to enter it by holding

the power button for 3 seconds then entering the BIOS that way via recovery.

So basically the included Intel Optane drive works fine (even as a regular drive) and is detected,

the Samsung drive causes the BIOS to freeze,- that same drive works on another system fine.

Neither drive has any data on it, they have been wiped (I have also tried to format as NTFS).

FFFF:FFFF shows up normally when there's no drive connected so that's why the Samsung

was also showing FFFF:FFFF meaning it was not getting detected at all.

*I suspect it has something to with with that drive's legacy BOOT ROM code.

At the moment I'm unable to run Intel SSU as I don't have Windows running on the system.

Thank you!

[n_scott_pearson]

Have you tried putting this drive back into this other system in which it worked previously? It wouldn't be the first time that I have seen a drive fail after being removed from one machine and installed into another.

Hope this helps,

...S

[Escape75]

Yes, the drive works for sure, I am able to format and copy files to it using an external NVME enclosure.

[Escape75]

I quickly installed a temporary copy of Windows 7 x64 on the Intel Optane 16GB drive and run SSU from my NUC.

It was interesting getting the USB3 drivers to work as well as add NVME support, not to mention the 16GB drive size

In any case here's the report, although like I said the system doesn't POST with the Samsung NVME so this has nothing to do with the operating system.

Update: I received my Samsung 980 NVME and it works as expected, so the issue is an incompatibility between Samsung 950 Pro and the NUC.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Escape75

Thank you for your response and for the details. Please allow us to check this further and we will be posting back in the thread as soon as more information is available or if further assistance is required.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Escape75

After checking this further, the fact this problem does not occur when using different SSD models is pointing out that this is an actual compatibility issue.

Checking the Intel® Compatibility tool for NUC8i5INH, we can see that the Intel® NUC is compatible with Samsung* 960 and 970.

In this case, we would recommend checking for SSD firmware update for the SSD or keep working with the other models that are properly detected. Please refer to the SSD maker for firmware updates. For your convenience, here is the link to Samsung* Memory and Storage Support.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Escape75]

Thank you for your response and compatibility confirmation.

Unfortunately there's no further firmware updates for the Samsung SSD, and I'm already running the newest Intel NUC BIOS,

so it's a good thing I've ordered a different model (Samsung 980) to use with the Intel NUC which *solves* my issues.

Thanks.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Escape75

Thank you for your response and feedback.

In this case, since there are no firmware updates available for the drive, our recommendation is to continue using the SSD that is working fine. We understand this might not be the answer you were looking for, but it is good to know that the Intel® NUC works fine with another drive so you can continue using the device. Thank you for your efforts.

For any other inquiries, please don't hesitate to contact us back. Otherwise, please feel free to let us know if you agree to close this inquiry.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Escape75

We have not heard back from you so we will proceed to close this thread now. In regards to the compatibility issue with the drive that was not detected, our final recommendation is to keep checking for future firmware updates for the drive, or even change the drive with the manufacturer.

If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

It has been a pleasure to assist you with this request.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Escape75]

Hi,

Yes please go ahead and close this thread, there's nothing further that can be done unless there's a firmware update from either or even both products.

I have a working system now so hopefully this thread helps someone else who runs into the same issue.

Thanks!