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1.1. Windows 10 install with NVMe SSD and SATA drives
Symptoms
Windows 10 Install Fails
The current Dell Windows 10 media will fail to install on computers that are configured with both Serial ATA (SATA) Hard Disk Drives (hard drive)s and Non-Volatile Memory (NVMe) high-performance Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) Solid-State Drives (SSDs).
NVMe SSD drives are available on select Dell computers such as:
- OptiPlex 7440, 7040, 5040
- Latitude E7470, E7270, E5270, E5470, E5570
- Precision 3510, 5510, 7510, 7710
- XPS 9350, 9550, 9250
- Alienware X51, 15 R2, 13 R2
If the computer only has a SATA Drive present, turning off the device will result in a failure to detect any storage devices.
Cause
There is an incompatibility between the Current Windows 10 recovery environment (WinRE) storage drivers and the NVMe high-performance SSD drivers when there is a combination of SSDs and HDDs on the same computer.
Resolution
Workaround
The current workaround is to disable all the SATA Storage device (HDD/SSD) controllers in the computer Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) before performing the Windows 10 install to the NVMe SSD from Dell media.
After disabling the SATA Storage Device, you also have to ensure that the BIOS is set up correctly by following these Steps:
- Enter the BIOS by pressing F2 multiple times while the Dell Logo is shown.
- Go to Boot Sequence and set Boot List Option to UEFI
- Go to SATA Operation and choose AHCI
- In Advanced Boot Option, you click Enable Legacy Option ROMs
- Set Secure Boot to Disable
Once the Windows installation is completed, the SATA Storage Device controllers can be reenabled without any issues and both the NVMe drive and one or more SATA drives will function normally. No further changes are necessary.