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Fix internal NVMe drives not showing up in Windows Setup on Intel 11th generation and higher CPU's

Starting with Intel 11th generation CPU's a new feature is incorporated into Intel Rapid Storage Technology, known as Intel VMD (Volume Management Device). Currently, the Windows Setup does not support this technology out-of-the-box, meaning that the internal drive will likely not be detected when you try to install Windows. This issue only occures on PC's that use internal NVMe (PCIe) drives as the primary boot device.

To fix this, you'll need to download and install the Intel RST driver within Windows Setup through the "Load Driver" interface:

1. Go to this Intel support page and download the SetupRST.exe file to any folder (the web browser will typically default to putting downloaded files in the "Downloads" folder)

2. Open the folder the downloaded SetupRST.exe file is contained in (NOT the .exe itself).

3. Press and hold Ctrl + Shift on the keyboard, and right click on a blank area in File Explorer.

4. Click Open PowerShell window here (the option might be Open Command Prompt window or Open in Terminal instead, but the next step will work in either terminal app).

A File Explorer window open in Windows 11 with a right-click context menu open. The 'Open PowerShell window here' option in the context menu is underlined in red.

5. Type or copy and paste the following command into the PowerShell or Command Prompt window that opens:

./SetupRST.exe -extractdrivers SetupRST_extracted

A PowerShell Windows Terminal window open. The command './SetupRST.exe -extractdrivers SetupRST_extracted' is typed out in the Terminal window and is underlined in red, but is not run.

6. Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt that opens.

You may see an Intel Rapid Storage Technology installation splash screen open. This is normal and the driver extraction process happens in the background. It may take a few moments to finish.

A splash screen open displaying the Intel logo and the text 'Intel® Rapid Storage Technology' to the right of the logo.

The installation splash screen closes automatically when the extraction process finishes.

The extracted files will be in a folder that is put into the same directory the SetupRST.exe file is located. It will be named SetupRST_extracted.

The folder icon and text of a folder named 'SetupRST_extracted' blow the icon in the File Explorer app in Windows 11.

7. Copy and paste the SetupRST_extracted folder to the root of USB drive you are using to install Windows.

8. Boot into the Windows Setup on the USB drive as you normally would.

9. Go through the setup, and when you get to the screen that asks you to select which drive you want to install Windows on, click Load Driver.

An image showing the drive selection screen in the Windows Setup program. The option 'Load Driver' is highlighted by a mouse cursor hovering overtop the 'Load Driver' text.

10. A message will appear asking to look for driver installation media, click Browse to manually locate the drivers you downloaded earlier.

An image that shows a pop-up message that is displayed after clicking on the 'Load Driver' option on the drive selection screen in the Windows Setup program. The message reads as follows: Load driver To install the device driver for your driver, insert the installation media containing the driver files, then click OK. Note: The installation media can be a CD, DVD, or USB flash driver. There are 3 buttons at the bottom of the message is labelled 'Browse', 'OK', and 'Cancel'. The 'Browse' button is highlighted with a mouse cursor hovering over the button.

11. Navigate to the VMD folder located in SetupRST_extracted > production > Windows10-x64 > 15063 > Drivers on the USB drive and select it. Assuming the SetupRST_extracted folder was put into the root of the USB drive, it should be located in the first directory under the USB drive.

A window that appears after selecting the 'Browse' button on the previous pop-up message. The window reads as follows: Browse for Folder Browse to the driver, and then click OK. A directory tree is shown underneath the text, and shows the directory tree for a USB Drive (labelled ESD-ISO) then the following folders in order starting from the root of the USB Drive: SetupRST_extracted, production, Windows10-x64, 15063, Drivers, VMD. The 'VMD' folder is selected and is highlighted blue. Two buttons are at the bottom of the window, 'OK' and 'Cancel'. The OK button is highlighted with a mouse cusor hovering over the button.

12. Click OK.

13. A list of drivers should appear. To see the driver that will work on your specific hardware, check the Hide drivers that aren't compatible with this computer's hardware box. You may only see one driver (usually the correct one) selected in the list. Once you've chosen the correct driver, click Next.

A Windows Setup program screen that is displayed after selecting the 'OK' button on the previous window. The text on the window reads as follows: Select the driver to install A list of drivers is then given. In this case, there is only one driver listed. It is named 'Intel RST VMD Controller A77F', and the directory where the driver file(s) are located is then given. Below the list, a checkbox is selected (checked) and has the text 'Hide drivers that aren't compatible with this computer's hardware' to the right of said checkbox. Three buttons are at the bottom of the screen, 'Browse', 'Rescan', and 'Next'. The 'Next' button is highlighted with a mouse cusor hovering over the button.

***If none of the listed drivers install correctly, cause an error message, or you don't see any compatible drivers listed, then you may need a specific one from your PC or motherboard manufacturer. You can typically find those on the manufacturer's respective website.***

14. You will see a loading bar at the bottom of the window while the driver is installing, and the process may take a moment. When it is complete, you will see the disk selection screen again. If the driver installation worked correctly, you should see all the disk partitions on your internal drive.

The same Windows Setup program screen as the previous image, but has a green loading bar below the list of compatible drivers and above the checkbox and buttons at the bottom of the window.

The drive selection screen in the Windows Setup program, showing a list of several disk partitions available on the internal drive. One of the partitions, labelled 'Windows 10', is selected and highlighted in blue. A 'Next' located at the bottom of the window is highlighted with a mouse cusor hovering over the button.

You should then be able to install Windows as normal.

Last updated on January 25, 2024. (c) 2020-2024 Quinn9282 Productions.