PH315-52-78VL Second SSD Not Detected by BIOS or Windows

HimboPrime

I have the PH315-52-78VL and bought a WD Blue SN570 NVMe SSD for additional space. I have installed the SSD according to Acer's instructions and it appears to be seated properly in the slot, but in BIOS it is not detected no matter what I try. I also cannot change any boot options in the boot tab on the BIOS, the entries are greyed out. Changing the mode to AHCI causes Windows to bluescreen when it tries to boot and then go into a boot loop. The new drive is not visible in Windows in Disk Management.

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title]

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/690513/second-ssd-not-detected-by-bios-or-windows

If you are installing a clean unformatted out of the box new M.2 drive like the WD SN570 into the Predator PH:315-52s SSD2 (see caption below of the PH:315-52s 2x M.2 SSD slots) which is the slave drive slot, then you need to initialize this drive in Disk Management and then give it a drive letter like "D" as only then this new WD SN570 SSD will be recognized and shown in Windows File Manager.

You don't need to go into the BIOS and change anything, change your BIOS back to Default Settings, as that is why you are getting Blue Screens and BSODs. Installing this new M.2 SSD WD SN570 drive into SSD2 slot, is a simple thing to do, as you haven’t done the basics and that is why its not being recognised.

HimboPrime

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1224203#Comment_1224203

As per my original message, it does not show up in disk management at all, therefore there is no way for me to assign a letter to the partition.

There is already an SSD in the highlighted "SSD2" slot according to your photograph. It is the one that came with the system and has Windows on it. Currently, the new SSD is installed in the slot you have labeled SSD1.

My BIOS settings are set to the default.

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1224213#Comment_1224213

Have you updated the bios of this laptop to its last bios 1.12 version that is titled "Updates BIOS default setting", as maybe that will fix this problem. As the SSD1 is the boot M.2 SSD slot and that is where the boot OS M.2 SSD drive should be installed, swap the M.2 SSD2 boot drive and put it into SSD1 where the boot drive should be, then put the WD SN570 M.2 drive into SSD2 and see if it works!

Acer fits into the PH315-52 oem and into SSD1 a generic PCIe 3x4 - WD SN720 type M.2 SSD drive and Acer specs for the SSD2 is a slower PCIe 3x2 and has also provisions to work with an M.2 SATA drive, so SSD2 slot works with end an key type M and an end key type B&M (that has two slots) type drive. Don't put the WD SN570 into the SSD2 drive as it will work instead of at 3500MB/s read/write, it will work at 1700MB/s speeds and at half its potential speed.

Note: if and after doing the above, and the OS does not boot or is not being recognized in SSD1 slot then that SSD1 slot is faulty, as the M.2 plug pins might be lose and/or not soldered properly and are not connecting to the mainboard traces properly or the traces are broken and the mainboard is faulty from new? Have a technician with a microscope and micro soldering equipment to check this M.2 drive plug and either resolder the plug or fit a new M.2 plug.