Acer C24-1700 Windows 10 Install - Can't find hard disk - None of the other solutions work

I'm trying to install W10 on a brand-new C24-1700

I get the dreaded "We can't find any drives..." message.

What I have already done:

Added a BIOS password and disabled secure boot
Enabled BOOT menu in the BIOS
Downloaded the Intel RST VMD Driver and placed it on the W10 installation media
Selected the driver in the installation dialog

I still get the same "Can't find any drives" message.

ALSO, the BIOS access keys DO NOT WORK. I see the message at the bottom of the screen but none of the keys have any effect, it just boots to the installed Windows Home. The only way I've found to boot off the USB drive or access the BIOS setup screen is to go through Windows advanced restart options.

I need two solutions:

How to truly enable the BIOS access and BOOT menu keys
How to install W10

Accepted answers

jhg

The problem seems to be that the disk included with this system is not attached via SATA but as an nVME device.

Neither Windows 10 nor Windows 11 recognizes this as an installation target, and adding the RST VMD driver does not help because that driver expects to find a drive on the SATA controller.

The answer turns out to be DISABLE VMD in the BIOS

Why is this not easily findable?

All comments

Commodore_1995#

Try downloading and extracting the chipset driver: ChipsetIntelChipset Driver10.1.36.64.1 MB2022/05/26download

If the problem continues, press the DELETE key to access the bios and disable the vmd controller:

jhg

OK, how is that driver added to the install USB drive? And why is something this simple so difficult?

jhg

The problem seems to be that the disk included with this system is not attached via SATA but as an nVME device.

Neither Windows 10 nor Windows 11 recognizes this as an installation target, and adding the RST VMD driver does not help because that driver expects to find a drive on the SATA controller.

The answer turns out to be DISABLE VMD in the BIOS

Why is this not easily findable?

billsey

You extract the driver to a folder on the install USB drive, then when you get to the prompt where it's asking where to install use the driver button, then navigate to the folder where you extract the files and it should then load the iRST drivers and show you the new drive as a target. In your case the zip to extract to the install flash drive is the SetupRST.zip files included in the download, not the download itself.