Author: parsec
Subject: Z170 ProM4s build help
Posted: 10 May 2016 at 1:21am
I see now that culdog1 and SacsTC are using different M.2 SSDs, so different that it's beginning to make me wonder... but as more information like this is known, there must be other things we don't know. Or it might be a problem with the UEFI/BIOS on this board.
I just want to say again that I use NVMe SSDs and SATA drives on multiple PCs using ASRock boards. I even have an Intel 750 NVMe SSD as the OS drive (Win 10) on a Z77 Extreme4 board, with two Intel SATA SSDs as data drives. My ASRock Z170 board is currently using only M.2 SSDs, no SATA drives, but I know I've had SATA drives working with it in the recent past. I'll revisit that PC to confirm the use of SATA drives is fine.
I'm reviewing information below, please correct it if it is wrong. We also need clear answers to several questions you'll find below.
You are both using the Z170M Pro4S board. http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z170M%20Pro4S/
SacsTC is using an M.2 Samsung 850 EVO, which is a SATA SSD. To use any SATA M.2 SSD as the OS drive, there aren't any special UEFI configurations needed.
culdog1 is using an M.2 Samsung 950 Pro, an NVMe SSD. NVMe SSDs require some configuration of the CSM option in order to allow them to be used as an OS drive.
Questions:
UEFI/BIOS version you are using?
You may already know all of some of the things I will review below, so bear with me, no offense!![Embarrassed]( "Embarrassed")
Regarding the UEFI option settings, some of the settings we need to use are NOT default settings. That means each and every time we clear the UEFI/BIOS, or do a UEFI update, these options must be reset to the settings we need to use. Using a UEFI profile is a convenient way to save and restore your settings. A UEFI update will remove any saved profiles, be prepared to deal with that.
In the UEFI, what is the SATA Mode in Storage Configuration? Default is AHCI.
Please verify that the SATA Controllers option is Enabled. Also check the SATA Aggressive Link Power Management option, be sure that it is Disabled.
When you connect HDDs, that cause the boot failure issue, are they recognized in the UEFI? That would be in the Storage Configuration screen, and in the System Browser tool.
In the Storage Configuration screen, there will be an entry for each SATA drive. Clicking on an entry of a drive reveals its sub-options. Among the sub-options is one called Drive Type, or similar to that. Settings are either Solid State or Hard Drive, please set these options accordingly for your SATA drives.
One thing to try when installing the HDDs, clear the UEFI/BIOS before starting the PC after connecting the HDDs. Do not think you can get away with not doing this.
You'll need to restore all you non-default UEFI settings after doing that, including checking the Boot Order. That is very important, and may be related to your problems. Assume nothing is right automatically regarding Boot order.
The one possible (maybe, could be) exception to this is the CSM setting, and ONLY applies to Z170 and other Intel 100 series chipset boards. That is, once Windows is installed in UEFI mode on an NVMe SSD, it seems the UEFI is smart enough to use the appropriate underlying settings to allow an NVMe SSD to boot without setting the CSM option correctly after a UEFI clear or update. I tried this myself as an experiment and Win 10 booted fine.
If you check Device Manager, do you find an entry for ATA/ATAPI Controllers (or similar entry.) If so, what driver is being used for the Intel SATA controller?
Did either of you install the Intel IRST RAID driver? That is also an AHCI driver, and would appear in Device Manager under Storage Controllers. I'm trying to establish if the Intel SATA controller is working and which driver is being used.
That's enough for now, I'm out of time too. Any other information, like the models of HDDs you are using, would be good to have.
Subject: Z170 ProM4s build help
Posted: 10 May 2016 at 1:21am
I see now that culdog1 and SacsTC are using different M.2 SSDs, so different that it's beginning to make me wonder... but as more information like this is known, there must be other things we don't know. Or it might be a problem with the UEFI/BIOS on this board.
I just want to say again that I use NVMe SSDs and SATA drives on multiple PCs using ASRock boards. I even have an Intel 750 NVMe SSD as the OS drive (Win 10) on a Z77 Extreme4 board, with two Intel SATA SSDs as data drives. My ASRock Z170 board is currently using only M.2 SSDs, no SATA drives, but I know I've had SATA drives working with it in the recent past. I'll revisit that PC to confirm the use of SATA drives is fine.
I'm reviewing information below, please correct it if it is wrong. We also need clear answers to several questions you'll find below.
You are both using the Z170M Pro4S board. http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z170M%20Pro4S/
SacsTC is using an M.2 Samsung 850 EVO, which is a SATA SSD. To use any SATA M.2 SSD as the OS drive, there aren't any special UEFI configurations needed.
culdog1 is using an M.2 Samsung 950 Pro, an NVMe SSD. NVMe SSDs require some configuration of the CSM option in order to allow them to be used as an OS drive.
Questions:
UEFI/BIOS version you are using?
You may already know all of some of the things I will review below, so bear with me, no offense!
Regarding the UEFI option settings, some of the settings we need to use are NOT default settings. That means each and every time we clear the UEFI/BIOS, or do a UEFI update, these options must be reset to the settings we need to use. Using a UEFI profile is a convenient way to save and restore your settings. A UEFI update will remove any saved profiles, be prepared to deal with that.
In the UEFI, what is the SATA Mode in Storage Configuration? Default is AHCI.
Please verify that the SATA Controllers option is Enabled. Also check the SATA Aggressive Link Power Management option, be sure that it is Disabled.
When you connect HDDs, that cause the boot failure issue, are they recognized in the UEFI? That would be in the Storage Configuration screen, and in the System Browser tool.
In the Storage Configuration screen, there will be an entry for each SATA drive. Clicking on an entry of a drive reveals its sub-options. Among the sub-options is one called Drive Type, or similar to that. Settings are either Solid State or Hard Drive, please set these options accordingly for your SATA drives.
One thing to try when installing the HDDs, clear the UEFI/BIOS before starting the PC after connecting the HDDs. Do not think you can get away with not doing this.
You'll need to restore all you non-default UEFI settings after doing that, including checking the Boot Order. That is very important, and may be related to your problems. Assume nothing is right automatically regarding Boot order.
The one possible (maybe, could be) exception to this is the CSM setting, and ONLY applies to Z170 and other Intel 100 series chipset boards. That is, once Windows is installed in UEFI mode on an NVMe SSD, it seems the UEFI is smart enough to use the appropriate underlying settings to allow an NVMe SSD to boot without setting the CSM option correctly after a UEFI clear or update. I tried this myself as an experiment and Win 10 booted fine.
If you check Device Manager, do you find an entry for ATA/ATAPI Controllers (or similar entry.) If so, what driver is being used for the Intel SATA controller?
Did either of you install the Intel IRST RAID driver? That is also an AHCI driver, and would appear in Device Manager under Storage Controllers. I'm trying to establish if the Intel SATA controller is working and which driver is being used.
That's enough for now, I'm out of time too. Any other information, like the models of HDDs you are using, would be good to have.