Intel VMD prevents Windows from booting — how to enable it on existing installation?

[Cerphentos]

Hello!

I’m trying to use a ssd as cache for my hdd. i have an image/video hoarding problem, and i like to see my files from time to time so i often open my hdd to see my files, according to copilot, Intel RST could do the work, but it could help me more.

 I’m trying to enable Intel VMD in BIOS. However, my current Windows 11 installation was created with VMD disabled (AHCI mode). When I enable VMD in BIOS, Windows fails to boot — it doesn’t detect the drives.

Here’s what happened:

• I enabled VMD in BIOS and rebooted.
• Windows failed to boot properly — I got a recovery error screen.
• I opened the command prompt from the recovery tools, but diskpart showed no drives (list disk was empty).
• I reverted BIOS settings to disable VMD, and Windows booted normally.
• I tried installing Intel VMD drivers from my motherboard’s support page, but I’m unsure if I used the correct version or installed them properly.
• After reinstalling the drivers and re-enabling VMD, the issue persisted — Windows still couldn’t detect any drives.

My setup:

• System SSD (NVMe): XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE — boot drive
• Secondary SSD: KINGSTON SNVS500G — intended for caching
• HDD: ST8000DM004-2U9188 — main storage
• MOBO: PRO Z690-A WIFI (MS-7D25)
• CPU: i7-12700KF
• OS: Windows 11 Pro x64 (24h2 – 26100.6584)

Goal:

I want to keep my current Windows installation and enable VMD without reinstalling the OS. Is there a supported method to inject the VMD driver into my system and make it bootable under VMD? Which exact driver version should I use, and how should it be installed to ensure Windows can load it during boot?

[Mike_Intel]

Hello Cerphentos,

Thank you for posting in Intel community Forum.

For me to better understand and diagnose the issue further, let me ask you to provide detailed responses to the following questions. This information will help me isolate the problem and determine the most appropriate course of action moving forward.

1. Are you also trying to create RAID volume?
2. Do you have a full data backup of your Windows 11 system?
3. Have you also tried contacting the motherboard manufacturer regarding this inquiry? If yes, can you share their feedback?

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Cerphentos]

1. I'm not entirely sure if what I want qualifies as a RAID setup. My goal is for my HDD and one SSD to appear as a single volume in Windows Explorer, with the SSD acting as a cache for the HDD. I’m unsure whether this configuration would be considered a RAID array.

2. Not exactly — I don’t have a full backup of my Windows 11 system, but I don’t keep anything critical on the C: drive. If reinstalling Windows becomes necessary, I’m prepared for it. My personal files are stored on the HDD and backed up to a NAS.3. I haven’t contacted the motherboard manufacturer yet. I wasn’t sure whether to start with Microsoft, MSI, or Intel, so I decided to begin here.