Hi Richard Pulman,
I’m following up to check whether the issue has been resolved. If the information provided was helpful, please click "Accept Answer" to help others in the community. Thank you!
Problem with boot form NVME SSD during windows 11 clean installation
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Richard Pulman
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Reputation points
Unable to boot NVME SSD WD blue SN5100 1TB on AsRock B760M-HDV/M.2 mainboard with Intel core I7 14700 processor during clean installation of Windows 11 pro. Computer is not connected to the internet.
SSD is visible in UEFI in storage configuration - M2_1: WD Blue SN5100 1TB - but is not in boot order, only UEFI: USB DISK 2.0 PMAP Partition 1 is in boot order.
Secure boot is Enabled, secure boot mode is Standard, Default secure boot keys were installed.
Windows for business | Windows Client for IT Pros | Devices and deployment | Set up, install, or upgrade
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Richard Pulman 0 Reputation points
2026-03-01T15:32:56.76+00:00 AI answer was unusable, because it repeats only exactly the same, which I did several times without success.
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2 answers
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Jason Nguyen Tran 12,485 Reputation points Independent Advisor2026-03-05T07:14:25.34+00:00 -
Jason Nguyen Tran 12,485 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-01T16:07:03.0833333+00:00 Hi Richard Pulman,
The good news is that the drive is being detected, so the issue is more about configuration than hardware failure. On newer boards like the AsRock B760M, NVMe drives often require that the installation media is set up in UEFI mode and that the partition style is GPT rather than MBR. If the installer was created in legacy mode, the SSD won’t appear as a boot option.
Here are a few steps to try: recreate your Windows 11 installation USB using the Media Creation Tool, making sure it’s set up for UEFI/GPT. In BIOS, confirm that CSM (Compatibility Support Module) is disabled, since enabling it can hide NVMe drives from the boot list. Also, check that Secure Boot is enabled with default keys, which you’ve already done, and that the NVMe slot is set to PCIe mode rather than SATA. Once Windows is installed in UEFI/GPT mode, the SSD should appear in the boot order automatically.
In short, the SSD is fine, it’s the boot configuration that needs adjusting. Recreating the installer in UEFI/GPT mode and disabling CSM usually resolves this. I hope this helps you move forward with your installation. If you find this answer helpful, please consider clicking Accept Answer so others can benefit too.
Jason.
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Richard Pulman 0 Reputation points
2026-03-06T19:41:02.3866667+00:00 295
I've tried that before, it didn't help. I want to try it again, but first I'll make the SSD drive as if it were brand new and unused. When I set the installation media to gpt (DISKPART convert gpt), what exactly filesystem on the USB should I use to create the installation media? fat32 or ntfs?
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Jason Nguyen Tran 12,485 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-07T00:55:09.32+00:00 When you recreate the installation media, the filesystem format on the USB drive depends on how you plan to boot. For UEFI systems (which your AsRock board and Windows 11 require), the safest choice is FAT32, because UEFI firmware natively supports FAT32 for booting. This ensures the installer is recognized and loads properly. However, FAT32 has a 4 GB file size limit, and sometimes the install.wim file in Windows 11 media exceeds that size. In that case, the Media Creation Tool automatically splits the file so it still works with FAT32.
If you manually build the USB and run into the file size limit, you can use NTFS for the main partition and create a small FAT32 boot partition. Tools like Rufus handle this automatically when you select UEFI/GPT mode. The key point is that the boot partition must be FAT32 for UEFI to detect it, but the data partition can be NTFS if needed.
So in short: FAT32 is the recommended format for the installer USB in UEFI/GPT mode, but NTFS can be used with a dual‑partition setup if file sizes exceed FAT32 limits. Once the USB is prepared correctly, and the SSD is converted to GPT, the installation should proceed smoothly and the boot entry will appear after Windows writes the EFI partition.
I hope this clears things up and helps you move forward. If you find this answer helpful, please consider clicking Accept Answer so others can benefit too.
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Richard Pulman 0 Reputation points
2026-03-07T10:02:53.57+00:00 Hi,
I tried to create the installation media as gpt, I did the following: clean, concert gpt, create partition primary and format quick fs=fat32, then I ran the media creation tool, but as a result the installation USB is not gpt, at least it doesn't appear so,
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Richard Pulman 0 Reputation points
2026-03-07T12:32:49.38+00:00 Then I tried to insert a SATA drive there and install Windows 11 on it, but it failed again in the same way - it sees the drive but doesn't see it in the boot order. I suspect the motherboard is faulty.
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