Solved Installed a NVMe SSD, but Win7 doesn't detect it.

[ian50]

robra

[Apologies to SIW2 if I'm crashing a thread here]

To summarise:

1) You have installed an SN850 NVMe in its' motherboard slot which your BIOS sees but Win 7 has not so far

2) You have installed an SSD and then successfully installed Win 7 on this, although it still cannot see the SN850 still in it's slot

If this is correct, then you have Win7 successfully installed on an SSD with the SN850 slotted in on the same motherboard but as yet unrecognised.

The two msu files that SIW2 supplied for you - from nvme-win7x64.zip - are or are not now installed on the successful Win 7 SSD ? If not, you should double-click them and then reboot. This will install those two files into your Win 7 SSD and should allow Win 7 to see the SN850.

If that is successful, one way then to make the SN850 useable from there is to clone the SSD across to the SN850. I've done that successfully on a number of machines without issue, although some say it's not the best method. (Micron, aka Crucial, for example, supply a tutorial on doing this and recommend it). It's also a no-lose situation if you are at the WIn 10 end.

 

[robra]

SIW2 - I checked Disk Management last night and then again earlier today. The SN850 was not showing up.

ian50 - I didn't see your post until after I checked Disk Management earlier today. I'm pretty sure that SIW2 included those in the installation extract that he created for me. At the same time I also saw nothing to lose by trying to separately running the Hot Fixes. I just now ran them and much to my amazement the SN850 now shows up in Windows 7!!

This was quite a relief because I took an action when I had run out of ideas and thought that I may have screwed up the drive. What I did a couple of days ago during one of my many W7 installation attempts when W7 install kept insisting on having a driver. I attempted to load drivers (during the install) for each of the 6 NVME manufacturers where I saw drivers in the tools that SIW2 had provided. The installation program accepted the Phison drivers and I thought that I was off to the races. The installation proceeded! However, on the first reboot during installation, when the SN850 would begin booting to W7 to finish the installation, it would immediately blue screen and the system would reboot. In BIOS, the SN850 was at the top of the boot list so apparently the BIOS saw it as the drive with the operating system (even though I couldn't see the drive in W7). Once I had Windows 7 installed on the Intel SSD the BIOS continued to want to boot to the SN850 instead. I continually had to intervene to point it to the Intel SSD as the boot device.

After running the Hot Fixes today I could see that the SN850 had all of the OS files on it (in addition to the SSD). I went into W7 WinPE to reformat the SN850 and of course it couldn't see that drive. I then used a W10 WinPE and could see the drive and reformatted it. I am incredibly relieved that I didn't screw up the drive.

I am somewhat on the fence at this point about whether to stay with my now activated Windows 7 or do the free upgrade to Windows 10 (which eventually becomes Windows 11). As many do, I find Windows 7 very appealing. However, we are all finding out that Microsoft is doing everything they can to make it very painful to stay with Windows 7.

The drivers are disappearing and as soon as I happen to call a software company for tech support as soon as they find out I'm on Windows 7 they're pretty much hands off.

If I do go the route of the free upgrade to Windows 10 I'm disappointed that I activated the installation last night with the SSD as running the OS. I'm not sure how restrictive they are on hardware changes as part of the upgrade. I'm wondering if I should do the upgrade with the SSD running the OS then after Windows 10 becomes activated then maybe I can install the OS on the SN850. I'm just not sure what path would need to be taken.

Regardless, I'm impressed that you were able to read through all of the dialogue on the issue I have had with the SN850 and after sifting through all of that you were able to figure out the one last missing piece. Hats off to you!

Bob

 

[SIW2]

I have just installed win7 on my new machine. MS continues to provide updates for MSE till Jan 2023, I expect to keep using win7 till then at least.

as soon as I happen to call a software company for tech support as soon as they find out I'm on Windows 7 they're pretty much hands off.

I have never had the misfortune of calling a software company for support, and see no likelihood of doing so.

 

[ian50]

robra

That's ok - I had thought the two NVMe hotfixes were likely not yet active in your Win 7 installation on the SSD.

Irrespective of whether you finally decide on Win 10, you now have the capability of using Win 7 on the SN850. It is now even possible for you to install a dual boot - Win 7 and Win 10, your choice at boot time.

There are two (2) common freeware programmes (amongst many) that can be used for cloning from the SSD to the SN850. Macrium Reflect 7 or Aoemi Back Upper. Either work fine, although Macrium has a boot editor-fixer option when it is booted off a stand-alone USB. Micron, or Crucial, have a tutorial you can find on their NVMe pages.

The only thing to be careful of when cloning from the SSD across to the SN850 is that when the clone progress is done, do NOT just immediately re-boot, but turn the machine completely off and physically remove the SSD before re-booting. Else you have two boot discs in the machine simultaneously ... disaster will follow.

Although I'm practised enough at this now, it was SIW2's tutorials and comments that gave me the initial impetus.

 

[robra]

SIW2 - If I had a higher level of expertise I would be much more inclined to stay on 7. The machine I'll be retiring I built in 2009. I was running it with Windows Server 2008 R2 most of that time and absolutely loved it. Earlier this year I went to Windows 10 with it and can't tell you how much I've missed that OS. It (2008 R2/W7) was pretty much rock solid. Windows 10 is a bad joke.

I rarely call tech support (so painful) but I am envious of your level of proficiency.

ian50 - thanks for easing my mind that there's nothing wrong with my drive. It's good to know that prior to going to W10. For cloning, I used WinPE/ImageX for R2 & W7 and use DISM for W10 (very inefficient and cludgy compared to ImageX) because our friends at MS took ImageX away when going to W10. When I do move the W10 OS to the SN850 I plan to do a clean install just for peace of mind.

Thanks to you both!

Bob

 

[SIW2]

Here you go View attachment 10.1904-IMAGEX.zip

 

[robra]

This is truly unbelievable! I had absolutely no idea. Your creation I presume? It will make Windows 10 just a little less painful.

 

[robra]

I have just installed win7 on my new machine. MS continues to provide updates for MSE till Jan 2023, I expect to keep using win7 till then at least.

Hi SIW2 - What do you recommend as the best way to obtain the MSE security updates?

 

[SIW2]

Mse downloads them automatically. https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=5201

 

[robra]

Mse downloads them automatically. https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=5201

Thanks for that link. On that page I see that it only mentions Vista & Windows 7. Will it work on Windows Server 2008 R2?

Also, will it co-exist with Malwarebytes?

Thanks!

 

[SIW2]

Will it work on Windows Server 2008 R2?

Install Microsoft Security Essentials In Windows Server 2008 to 2012 R2 ~ My Geeks

Also, will it co-exist with Malwarebytes?

yes

 

[robra]

That's the best news that I've heard all week!

About a month ago you helped me (Installed a NVMe SSD, but Win7 doesn't detect it.) to get my NVME drive working with Win7 on a new build (ASUS TUF Gaming X570-PRO (WiFi 6) motherboard). Although the win7 installation version that you helped me with was not able to see the NVME drive to install directly on the NVME I was able to install win7 onto a SSD instead then ran the NVME hotfixes that you provided which then did allow win7 to see the NVME.

Because of the general complexities of being on Windows 7 I did then opt to do the free upgrade to win10 but after a month of dealing with win10 I'm very frustrated by it and have decided to "dust off" the Windows Server 2008 R2 that I left over a year ago on my old machine and install it on my new build after all. I have been doing more research over the past week and the MSE situation seals the deal.

My intent at this point is have dual boot capability between win10 and 2008 R2 and only use win 10 when I absolutely have to (I read somewhere that on a go forward basis TurboTax will no longer install on win7/2008 R2, for example).

I would like to do a clean install of Windows Server 2008 R2 onto the NVME and move my current win10 install to a regular SSD (or maybe leave both on NVME). I'm planning to incorporate NVME hotfixes (you provided), USB3 drivers (you provided), Intel NIC driver (the NIC on my mb is Intel rather than Realtek) into both the 2008 R2 installation and win7/2008 R2 winPE on flash drive. The Intel I225 inf file will need a small mod since Intel was kind enough to remove win7 applicability from the driver.

I probably would not have circled back to the decision to install Server 2008 R2 on the new machine if it were not for your help.

I actually feel like I'm upgrading from win10. Thanks so much!

 

[robra]

Hello SIW2 - I just have 1 question on the USB drivers to be used in Windows Server 2008 R2. All I need to do is incorporate your windows6.1-kb2864202-x64.msu, UAPSTOR, & XHCI files into the install iso to enable USB 3.0/3.1 during installation? The reason that I'm asking is because I'm also seeing references to SiMPLiX and UpdatePack7R2 various places and am not familiar with those items.
Thanks

 

[SIW2]

Yes.

You could just run 7updater without simplix pack. I am too lazy to explain how to integrate the hotfixes and drivers for nvme and usb3.

 

[robra]

Yes.

You could just run 7updater without simplix pack. I am too lazy to explain how to integrate the hotfixes and drivers for nvme and usb3.

I can definitely understand that it gets monotonous answering similar questions repeatedly on this topic. My plan was to use DISM statements to add the hotfixes & drivers for nvme and usb3 into the mounted iso. I'm just not sure what the purpose is of simplex or 7updater if I'm going to use DISM statements to integrate (solely due to my ignorance).

If these additional tools are needed if you could just point me to the area to become educated on what they do I would appreciate it.

Edit: If I am totally off track and heading in the wrong direction on this feel free to tell me

Thank you sir.

 

[SIW2]

7updater

 

[robra]

Thanks Simon - It appears that the 7updater adds needed drivers to the clean Windows Server 2008 R2 installation iso thereby eliminating the need to use DISM commands to do the same thing.

I am reading hints in various places that it may make a difference between Intel and AMD CPU which USB & SATA drivers are used. Are different drivers needed for each type CPU? This is my first AMD build.

 

[SIW2]

It depends what you are doing.

Vega 11 (Ryzen 5 APU) Drivers

 

[robra]

I can see that I should have mentioned that the CPU that I'm using (5900X) does not have an APU. I'm using this with a X570 motherboard. I've spent hours searching and reading and have not been able to find a clear answer. Maybe my lack of understanding is the problem.

I also searched for "SATA", for example, on the Microsoft Catalog. The results that I see list Intel specific drivers for Windows 7 but all drivers listed for AMD specify Windows 10 only.

 

[SIW2]

You could try the sha2 update and the Pure drivers for mainboards and CPUs. It is all at the link. And the windows 7 driver for whatever graphics card you have.

Forum - x570 motherboard recommendations for ryzen 5000 series & windows 7