Gigabyte Bios Mode not Compatible with Optane Memory

[MV13]

How do I get the Bios and Optane to recognize each other or work? I have a new Gigabyte Aorus Z370, the bios has been updated to F6. Intel I7 8700K. New Intel Optane 32GB installed in correct M2 slot. Upon running SetupOptaneMemory app it says Bios configuration not compatible with Optane memory. I am trying to have Optane speed up a 10GB secondary storage drive that is new and Basic. Win10 64 is running on a separate SSD. The Optane drive is installed, set to Basic in disk manager, but unformatted (unallocated). The 10GB drive is set to basic in disk manager, and also unformatted (unallocated). I added a 7 MB partition to the end of the 10GB drive. If I go into Bios and disable CSM, and activate Intel RST for SATA per the Optane instructions, the whole system cannot boot to Windows and keeps booting to the Bios screen. What am I missing?

[idata]

Hello mvachon,

Thank you for your interest in the Intel® Optane™ Memory. I understand you are experiencing certain difficulties setting up your system. You mention that the drive you want to accelerate is unformatted, please keep in mind the following (https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000027987/memory-and-storage.html https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000027987/memory-and-storage.html): Please format the secondary drive accordingly and try again. In case you have any update or question, don't hesitate to contact us. Regards,Andres V.

[MV13]

Okay, I got that set up correctly. One of the forums suggested I needed to move my Windows drive from MBR to GPT. So I did that. But now I'm getting the message "Unsupported System Drive Last Partition."

However, I have formatted the drive as so:

I believe the next step was supposed to be set up the Bios with CSM disabled, but if I do that the system freezes and crashes upon next reboot.

So, I think the "Unsupported System Drive Last Partition" is due to Optane trying to use my Windows drive, which does not have the correct last partition.

[MV13]

Error code 0xA001004E

[MV13]

Here are a couple of the log files.

[idata]

Hello mvachon,

As stated here https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000024113/memory-and-storage/intel-optane-memory.html https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000024113/memory-and-storage/intel-optane-memory.html, error message 0xA001004E is associated to not having at least 5 MB of continuous unallocated space at the end of the drive you would like to accelerate. Could you please provide visual aid that your secondary drive is formatted with a GPT partition and that it has the adequate unallocated space? Additionally, please attach the report generated by the Intel® System Support Utility for Windows* (https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows- https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows-). Finally, could you please tell me which ports you are using to connect the drives and the memory to the motherboard? I'll be waiting for your response. Regards,Andrés

[MV13]

Thanks for the help! As you can see here, the drive is GPT.

[MV13]

Here is the Intel SSU report.

[MV13]

And then for the ports.

My Windows OS is on the Samsung 850 SSD. On SATA Port 0.

The Optane chip is on the M2P_32G M.2 port of the gigabyte MB.

The target secondary drive is WDC WD100EFAX-68LHPN0 on SATA Port 1, called V: Vachon.

[idata]

Hello M V,

Thank you for the information provided. Since you mention that the Optane Memory is connected to the M2P_32G M.2 port, is the PCIe Storage Dev on Port 21 set to RST Controlled? Additionally, could you please test connecting the secondary SSD to a different SATA port in order to discard the possibility that the issue may be due to lane sharing? I'll be waiting for your response. Regards,Andres V.

[MV13]

Whenever I try to enable Port 21 set to RST Controlled, I can no longer boot my machine.

When I disable CSM, Activate RST, and set this port to RST Controlled, I lose the ability to boot to the Windows drive.

I rebooted with the drive installed to another SSD port, and that seemed to have no effect. The Gigabyte manual says the M2P_32G does not share a lane with the hard drive SSD ports, but it does share a lane with the PCIEx4 sitting below it.

[idata]

Hello M V,

During the BIOS configuration, after disabling CSM Support, and setting the "PCIe Storage Dev on Port" as "RST Controlled", are you also setting the "SATA Mode Selection" as "Intel RST Premium" and disabling the "Use RST Legacy OROM" option? Regards,Andres V.

[MV13]

Trying those steps together crashes my system.

I can disable CSM support by itself, and upon reboot they OS works.

But when I try the next steps of:

a) changing SATA from AHCI to Intel RST premium, and

b) RST Controlled, and

c) Disabling RST Legacy OROM,

the system crashes upon next reboot. BSOD. And none of the SATA drives are recognized, including the Optane drive. If I switch SATA back to AHCI, the system will boot back up okay.

[idata]

Hello mvachon,

Thank you for all the information you have provided so far. I'll now proceed to analyze the documents you have attached, as well as the steps that you have followed so far. As soon as I have relevant information I'll contact you through this thread. Thank you for your patience. Regards,Andres V.

[MV13]

Thank you sir! I really do appreciate you giving this some thought. I'll keep troubleshooting and see if I can figure out the problem.

[idata]

Hello mvachon,

Could you please try a reinstallation of Windows* 10 (but taking into the account the following suggestions)? We recommend you to keep the BIOS settings, physically remove the Optane memory and other drives, after that, you can reinstall the operating system. Also, we recommend you to keep 5MB of unallocated space during the partitions set up. Once Windows* 10 is installed then you can physically connect Optane memory and other drives and try again. I'll be waiting for your response. Regards,Andres V.

[idata]

Hello mvachon,

I was wondering if you have any updates regarding the reinstallation of the OS and subsequent setup of the Optane memory module. Regards,Andres V.

[SDamb]

mvachon You may have already resolved this but maybe it will help someone else.

I have the same motherboard and CPU as you and had the same problem today. The idea of reinstalling Windows was a non-starter. The SOLUTION is that BOTH your BOOT DRIVE AND the drive you want to accelerate have to be formatted GPT. It sounds like your BOOT drive is probably not formatted GPT

My boot drive was formatted MBR (master boot record, old legacy format) and so when you disable CSM support in BIOS, you are basically disabling the ability of it to boot an MBR format, which is why you can't reboot into Windows.

If you're running a very recent version of Windows 10, like 1803+, (to check, click Windows button, then type WinVer) it comes with a command line utility you can run to convert your active Windows OS from MBR to GPT. You do this by booting into a WindowsPE environment and then running the commands from an Admin elevated prompt. Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfJep4hmg9o& Shifting from BIOS to UEFI with Windows 10 - MBR2GPT disk conversion tool - YouTube

Burn a http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/sergei_strelecs_winpe.html Windows PE environment to DVD/USB and then boot into that and follow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfJep4hmg9o& the video. Do the validation and then the conversion

It should be painless and quick, but BEFORE YOU DO THIS:

1. Back up/Image your system
2. Set a System Restore Point
3. Create a Windows Rescue Disk, just in case

TIPS - IMPORTANT

• Get the latest BIOS (sounds like you have it, F7 I think)
• When you get to the point of running MBR2GPT.EXE to convert your disk, make sure you're pointing it to the right disk # (use the Windows Disk tool in PE environment to confirm what the # is. Sometimes it's 0 (this is the default if you just run the convert command) but in my case it was Disk 3 and in that case you have to specify the disk# . Just watch the video and you'll see how to do it. I think the command is /disk:(# )
• Right after conversion, reboot and go directly back into BIOS and then re-set all the settings per the Optane instructions (Intel Rapid setting and Disable CSM, etc
• Then you'll finally be able to boot in to Windows
• Then launch the https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27682/Intel-Optane-Memory-User-Interface-and-Driver-for-System-Acceleration?product=99745 optane driver install
• reboot a few times when it tells you, and you're good

I'm seeing decent boosts in game loads and performance after a short bit of testing (18-40% improvements, boosting a mechanical drive so far)

It's a shame this is so complicated but it's part of migrating to newer technologies.

[NAven]

Having this exact same issue. I'm not reinstalling windows, as it is obviously a BIOS issue. The BIOS will not recognize the drives.

[NAven]

I will be sending this Optane crap straight back to Amazon if I can't get an idea on how to actually make it work.

[idata]

Hello Trun,

Thank you for your interest in the Intel® Optane™ Memory. In case you would like us to try to help you solve the issue, please attach the report generated by the Intel® System Support Utility for Windows* (https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows- https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows-)? Also please share what kind of troubleshooting you have performed so far. I'll be waiting for your response. Regards,Andres V.