Incomplete optane drive after system restored

[KateGo]

Hi, recently a tech totally messed up my laptop while added a 2nd NVME drive to my MSI P65 9SE laptop. When I went to pick it up it was booting in a loop and would not accept my windows PIN or fingerprint. I looked a away for a minute, and when I looked back he had booted from a thumb drive and was running checkdisk claiming that there were bad sectors on the C drive. I had to go to another appointment, and assumed that he would be able to fix it for me overnight. But when I arrived it was soooo much worse. He had tried to install an image using acronis, totally failed. Windows would not start. It could not recover itself. I made him give me a refund and took back my laptop.

The day before I made a backup image with Macrium Reflect so I made a bootable USB with Macruium on it (on another computer) and restored the system image. It is now booting properly, but the Intel RST tool is showing an error; "PCIe SSD Controller 13, Port 0: Offline". From what I am reading, this is the Optane module that helps speed up the drive, and possibly there is a BIOS setting that could be causing this (I don't know what the dude changed while working on my laptop).

What are the correct BIOS settings needed for the Intel Optane H10 drive?

Windows is booting now. Should I reset to non optane in the BIOS?

Will I need to reinstall windows?

How do I verify that the drive is good and safe to use? Should I replace it too?

thank you so much!

[BrusC_Intel]

Hello, @KateGo.

Good day, and thank you for posting on the Intel Community Forums.

I received your thread regarding the Optane Memory H10, I will be glad to assist you.

Please review the answers below and let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

What are the correct BIOS settings needed for the Intel Optane H10 drive?

- This could be different depending on the system manufacturer, so the best option is to check with them to get specific instructions for this particular system. Generally, you will need to have SATA mode in "Intel Rapid Storage Technology Premium...", remapping "disabled" (for Optane H10), and CSM disabled.

Windows is booting now. Should I reset to non-optane in the BIOS?

Based on your screenshots, looks like there was a problem with the Optane Memory pairing, resetting it to "non optane" should clear the metadata of the Optane Memory portion of the SSD and you should be able to activate the acceleration again, but I would like to know what you see in the Intel RST window or Intel Optane Memory and Storage Management application first.

Will I need to reinstall windows?

This is usually a good option since BIOS changes or even resetting the module to non-optane could cause the boot issues to reappear. Some systems even offer the option to be restored back to "factory state" which could be another option after you back up your information.

How do I verify that the drive is good and safe to use? Should I replace it too?

The SSD should be working fine if both portions are properly recognized (the Optane and Storage sections), you may also verify this via the Intel Memory and Storage Tool:

- Download: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/30161?v=t

If possible, I would like to know if you can provide me with the following:

1. Full system report using Intel SSU to get a complete view of the hardware:

- Download: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows-

• Open the application and click Scan to see the system and device information. The Intel® System Support Utility 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. You can save the file to any accessible location on your computer.

2. Screenshots from:

• Disk Management
• Device Manager (here expand Disk Drives and Storage Controllers).

3. Do you know what application is currently used to manage your Optane configuration?

It could be Intel Optane Memory, Intel Optane Memory and Storage Management, or Intel Rapid Storage Technology. You can check this in the Windows start menu and see the status of the Optane Memory there as well.

I will follow up on January 25th or we can schedule a different date to follow up if necessary, and keep in mind you may also contact us via phone or chat support to get immediate assistance and even request a remote connection in case you would like us to take a quick look personally at no cost (https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support.html#@18).

Best regards,

Bruce C.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[BrusC_Intel]

Hello, KateGo.

I wanted to follow up on your thread to check if you have any questions regarding my previous post.

The next follow-up will be set for January 28th or we can schedule a different date if necessary.

Best regards,

Bruce C.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[BrusC_Intel]

Hello, @KateGo.

This message is to follow up on your thread to check if our assistance is still required.

I previously shared some information regarding Optane configuration and tried to gather some additional system details to provide a more solid diagnostic, along with the option to contact us directly for a remote session in order to take a quick look at your system.

The thread will be closed right now since there has been no confirmation, please open a new thread if you still need assistance because this one will no longer be monitored, or contact us via any of the other support methods (https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support.html#@17).

Best regards,

Bruce C.

Intel Customer Support Technician