NVMe SSD on Intel® NUC Kit NUC8i7BEH does not show while installing Windows 10

[Joyo]

Board: NUC8BEB

BIOS: BECFL357.86A.0083.2020.0730.1436

NVMe M.2 SSD: Crucial P1 1TB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (CT1000P1SSD8)

RAM: Kingston 16GB

Issue: When I am trying to install Windows 10, it is not showing the SSD drive where I can install it. Attaching a short video of the issue. I know that the SSD drive is compatible with NUC as a friend of mine is using it but I can't get it to work. 

The drive shows under Legacy Boot device (when enabled), and also in SATA and PCI menu under Devices in BIOS.111111

[LeonWaksman]

1. In order to use NVMe drive, UEFI boot have to be enabled.

2. While installing Windows on this drive you should boot into the EFI option of you Installation Mendia. 

3. The Installation media USB, should be created using Microsoft Media Creation Tool.

Leon

[Joyo]

Thank you for your response.

1. UEFI boot is enabled (see attachments)

2. From where will I find the EFI option? With the USB plugged in it directly takes me to Locale selection and then "Install Windows"! The screen where it asks "Where do you want to install Windows" is blank.

3. Tried with the Media Creation tool but same issue.

[LeonWaksman]

Hi @Joyo 

1. Verify in BIOS Advanced > Devices > PCI that the M.2 slot is enabled and is populated by the SSD. You should see also your SSD in the SATA tab. If not, could be that the SSD wasn't inserted correctly. Power your NUC down and reinstall your SSD. You should see it recognized in BIOS before your start the installation.

2. With the installation media inserted into rear USB slot, power ON your NUC and repeatably press F10 to get Boot Menu.
5. In this menu, choose UEFI option of you Installation media.
6. Follow this tutorial to continue with installation.
7. In para. 8 you may enter Product Key from the Microsoft Distribution you bought or click on the I don't have a product key and Windows will be reactivated  later.
8. Skip on para. 13 and continue in para. 14. Important, do not format drive where you want to install Windows, rather delete all existing partitions from this drive, till you see one unallocated space.
9. Press Next and continue with the installation.

Leon

[Joyo]

Thank you Leon for your prompt response.

I have followed the instructions but its still the same...  

I have taken some screenshots and attached to the PDF file, so that you can verify if I am missing something or not. I am really looking forward to hearing from you. 

[LeonWaksman]

Hi @Joyo 

1. Looks OK, except that  during Windows installation, after accepting Microsoft Licence Terms, you should chose the the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) option, rather than Upgrade option. Did you?

2. Are working with USB created with Microsoft Media Creation Tool?

Leon

[Joyo]

1. Custom install is selected (although I tried Upgrade once - which definitely did not work).
2. Previously I was trying with a USB created using Rufus but last time I used the Media Creation Tool.

Do you think it is an issue with the NUC or does it require some driver or some settings in BIOS??

[LeonWaksman]

1. Your BIOS setting looks OK (set to default setting). No additional drivers needed for this installation. All drivers are included on the installation USB.

2. I suggest that before installing Windows, you should clean the SSD from the Command Prompt:

3. Boot from your Windows 10 installation USB. 

4. Select your language preferences and click/tap on Next. 

5. Click/tap on Repair your computer at the bottom (instead od choosing Install). 

6. Click/tap on Troubleshoot. 

7. Click/tap on Advanced options.

8. Click on Command Prompt 

9. In the Command Prompt write the following commands (click on Enter after each command): 
 Diskpart 
List disk 
sel disk n (where n is the number of your system drive. Since you have only one drive this will be probably sel disk 0)
clean all , your drive will be wiped.

10. Close the Command Prompt window by clicking the X in the upper right corner of the Command Prompt window. 

11. Shut down your NUC and try to install Windows again.

Leon

[Joyo]

Only the USB drive is listed in the list disk command.

Thank you Leon.

[LeonWaksman]

In this case the problem may be in the M.2 slot or the SSD has failure. In order to verify if the SSD works, you may install in other computer with PCIe M.2 slot. You may also use USB to M.2 adapter  (or like this) and test it connected to USB port.

Leon

[Joyo]

Hello @LeonWaksman.,

I really appreciate your help so far. I will keep this thread updated.

[MRoss5200]

Sometime I have found that cleaning the drive of all partitions will fix this issue.

Try these steps:

1. Boot off your Windows Install flash drive using F10 Boot Menu and selecting the UEFI flash drive.

2. When you see the WIndows Installer dialog appear, hold SHIFT and press F10. This will open a command prompt window. Type DISKPART. Then type LIST DISK. Look for your SSD in the listing. It is usually the top drive. Make sure you are seeing the correct drive as this tool will NOT prompt you if the drive you see if correct.

3. When you see your SSD, type SELECT DISK 0 or whatever number is next to your SSD. You should see a message saying your disk is selected.

4. Now this is very important. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE CORRECT DISK SELECTED. This tool will not prompt you if the drive selected is correct. If it is correct, type CLEAN.

5. This will erase everything off of the SSD. There will be no partitions or data left on the drive so make sure you have any data off of it before you do this.

6. After this is done, type exit twice and you will be back at the Windows Installer. Now try to see if your drive is seen by the installer. If not, then your SSD may need a firmware update or is not compatible with the NUC for some reason.

[LeonWaksman]

Hi Mitch

We done this already (see the post above). This SSD is not listed in the Command Prompt windows.

Leon

[PavelPr]

In BIOS 0083, changes were made to the implementation of Kernel DMA protection. For me, it caused an issue with a Thundebolt 3-based eGPU. I know that NVMe devices are also affected by Kernel DMA protection. Maybe, just maybe, there could be a common root cause.

You might want to try what I suggested in the post below, perhaps it's worth a shot at attempting to address the issue you're experiencing, too. I have no way of knowing, though.

https://community.intel.com/t5/Intel-NUCs/NUC8i7BEH-BIOS-version-0083-and-eGPU-issues-and-a-workaround/m-p/1201583#M75767

Good luck!

[Joyo]

@PavelPr 

Thank you, I will give it a try.

[Maria_R_Intel]

Hello Joyo,

Were you able to test your unit with the previously recommended steps?  

Let me know if you need more assistance.  

Best regards,  

Maria R.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[Joyo]

@LeonWaksman and others,

Finally, I got a chance to do the final testing today. 

1. I ordered a SSD drive and installed Win 10 on it and when I tried using the NVMe SSD it worked - it said that it needs to be initialized before I can use it. After initializing, it was showing as Drive D in Win 10.

2. Now that the drive is initialized I tried to format again to install Win 10 in my NVMe drive instead of the SSD - worked fine. 

Hence, I suppose that the issue was that the drive was not initialized.

Thank you for your support so far. You (@LeonWaksman)  were a light in the dark when Intel support also could not provide something concrete and they were hinting that the NVMe drive might not be supported or the drive is non-functional, which of course is totally absurd!

Thanks again! I really appreciate it. 

Best,

Joyo.

[Maria_R_Intel]

Hello Joyo,

We're glad to hear that your issue was solved!

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

Best regards,

Maria R.

Intel Customer Support Technician