No access to internal SSD, when outside Win10 on an Acer Swift 5 SF514-54T

I have a brand new Acer Swift 5.

I need to install a second OS (linux).

I have a SSD as C: in Win10.

I try to access the SSD when booting a USB live with Kubuntu18.03, but the SSD does not appear in the command line by the df command.

I only see the USB drive and other external drives.

The same thing happens when i try to backup the whole SSD drive via Clonezilla(on USB live).

The internal SSD does not appear there either.

I have entered a Supervisor password.

I have disabled Secure boot, to be able to boot a live USB.

I have tried both enabled and disabled TPM(TCM) state in bios.

So how can I access the internal SSD outside Win10?

i7-1065G7

Bios version 1.02 InsydeH20

Gop Version Intel(R)GOP Driver[14.0.1023]

SSD(WDC PC SDAPNUW-512G1014) 512GB

16GB

Serial No/product no NXHHYED001

Product name Swift SF514-54T

W10 home.

Accepted answers

JackE

Yes leave in AHCI mode. Did you put isos on GPT partition FAT32 format USBs for UEFI bootstrap or Legacy BIOS using Rufus? Jack E/NJ

All comments

JackE

Please check what SATA modes are set in BIOS information and main tabs. Jack E/NJ

Kristian_A

Thank for your answer.
Original settings was
Bios Information tab:
Sata mode: Optane without RAID

Bios Main tab:
Sata mode: Optane without RAID

I tried ACHI mode, but it gave basically the same result. The main SSD(512GB) is missing when running:
-Kubuntu installer on USB Live
-Clonezilla on USB live
- Kubuntu live on USB.

I have tried different Linux commands: df, lshw, fdisk -l and they all confims no detection of the internal SSD.

But the internal SSD works well inside Win10

JackE

Yes leave in AHCI mode. Did you put isos on GPT partition FAT32 format USBs for UEFI bootstrap or Legacy BIOS using Rufus? Jack E/NJ

Kristian_A

JackE, Thank you very much. It made the trick!!!
Lessons learned for USB Live use:
use Rufus 3.8 + GPT + UEFI(non CSM = non legacy) settings.
use BIOS SATA mode="ACHI" in Laptop(InsydeH2O BIOS)

Win10 needs Laptop Bios SATA mode ="Optane without RAID" to boot properly into Win10.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/iu/xgpf1ig491zy.jpg

JackE

Congrats. Optane memory should be semi-useful with a mechanical drive, and fairly useless with a SSD. Your Win10 setup probably was also used for machines with mechanical drive. Jack E/NJ

therma

Hi Kristian,

Just got my Acer Swift 5 and got same issue installing Ubuntu: SDD is not visible.

May I ask you how you changed Optane for AHCI?
I don't see any modifiable parameter for that in the BIOS.

Following screenshots of my bios

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/u6/5y0zmql8ep03.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/xk/q4dfqktunsma.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/6g/rqno6jpx7ukx.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/fn/xdpobi46paxx.jpg

Kristian_A

HI thema, see pcs for my bios settings.

I see the SSDs are different.

I have a bootable USB attached. It is prepared as described above.

I see you are missing the Sata mode in the Main tab.

The Bios and the GOP version are different.

I don't know if the Intel VTX does matter in the Advanced tab.

I do not understand your computers behaviour.

/Kristian_A

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/5n/uk85lbgnbrxc.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/n1/rlcsvnrnac9p.jpg

Commodore_1995#

Press ctrl+s in main tab @therma

therma

Thank you guys for your support,

Pressing ctrl-s in the main tab of the bios make the SATA option to magically appear.
Don't know why Acer is hiding this configuration in the latest version of the bios.
Anyway changing it to AHCI allowed me to see the SSD drive from the live USB.

I just finished the installation of Kubuntu 19.10 and it seems to work very well.
Note that I tried to boot Clonezilla and KDE Neon from live USB but both failed with black screen on startup.
Only (x)Ubuntu live USB seems to be bootable on this machine.

If I want to boot on windows I need to go in the bios first to set the SATA option back to Optane.
Not a big deal for me since I'm not planing to use windows very often.

Note that I had to install package: xserver-xorg-input-synaptics in order to be able to use the trackpad correctly