Clean install win 11 on Aspire 5. Cannot find ssd or Intel RST Driver

Hello,

I am trying to do a clean install of win 11 on a laptop I purchased second hand. Downloaded the media file and put it on a 16gb usb. Had troubles with it not showing my ssd harddrive. And then copy and pasted the setupRST.exe from Intel on the usb drive as well. It then said I needed to insert a drive with the correct drivers on it. I have also tried disabling the VMD controller and it basically shut down my laptop. There has to be a way to do this. SO many people are having the issue on different brands as well. Luckily my laptop still works but I still want a clean install for this device. Any help greatly appreciated! Cannot get beyond the not recognising my harddrive part. I also have no trackpad usage while this is going on. Only the tab button, direction arrows and enter work. And one of the function buttons ( i think) to highlight the terms agreement. Please tell me Acer has an answer to this nonsense!

Cheers

Accepted answers

GAMING6698

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/703150/clean-install-win-11-on-aspire-5-cannot-find-ssd-or-intel-rst-driver

Download windows 11 iso and use Rufus to make bootable USB.

If you laptop bios mode is UEFI then create Bootable usb in GPT Partition through Rufus otherwise you won't see you ssd when installing.

Steps-

1.Download the Rufus tool from the official website at https://rufus.ie/en/. And Windows 11 iso
2. Insert a USB drive into your computer that has at least 8GB of space available.
3. Open the Rufus tool and select the USB drive you want to use from the device list.
4. Under the “Boot selection” section, click the “Select” button and browse to the location where you have the Windows 11 ISO file saved on your computer.
5. Once you have selected the Windows 11 ISO file, select the GPT partition schema For Windows 11 GPT partition schema depending on your system’s requirements. (For Boot Disk select GPT Partition Schema for Windows 11)
6. Choose the file system you want to use. For Windows 11, it is recommended to use NTFS.
7. Ensure the “Create a bootable disk using” option is selected and click on the “Start” button to begin the process.
8. Once the process is complete, the USB drive will be ready for use as a bootable Windows 11 installation media.

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1267474#Comment_1267474

You have to install the Wi-Fi driver like in this guide " [Fixed] Windows 11 Install Stuck on the “Let’s Connect You to a Network” Screen" I don't know why Microsoft have this error with the connection to the web and the Wi-Fi or LAN does not install automatically?

I had the same problem with a Win-11 clean installation and had to follow that guide a few times until the Wi-Fi card appeared in Device Manager so that I can install the drivers and get the internet on my laptop, this was with a Swift SFX14-51G laptop that didn't have the Win-11 23H2 version. So, keep trying and follow that guide above until your Wi-Fi card appears in Device Manager and you can install the WLAN drivers. Good luck.

If this answers your question and solved your query please "Click on Yes" or "Click on Like" if you find my answer useful👍

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1267482#Comment_1267482

Yes, I should 😁and I will as I've got all he information, but I'm very happy to help people like you out and I'm glad that I've helped you out to solve that problem. Good luck

If this answers your question and solved your query please "Click on Yes" or "Click on Like" if you find my answer useful👍

All comments

GAMING6698

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/703150/clean-install-win-11-on-aspire-5-cannot-find-ssd-or-intel-rst-driver

Download windows 11 iso and use Rufus to make bootable USB.

If you laptop bios mode is UEFI then create Bootable usb in GPT Partition through Rufus otherwise you won't see you ssd when installing.

Steps-

1.Download the Rufus tool from the official website at https://rufus.ie/en/. And Windows 11 iso
2. Insert a USB drive into your computer that has at least 8GB of space available.
3. Open the Rufus tool and select the USB drive you want to use from the device list.
4. Under the “Boot selection” section, click the “Select” button and browse to the location where you have the Windows 11 ISO file saved on your computer.
5. Once you have selected the Windows 11 ISO file, select the GPT partition schema For Windows 11 GPT partition schema depending on your system’s requirements. (For Boot Disk select GPT Partition Schema for Windows 11)
6. Choose the file system you want to use. For Windows 11, it is recommended to use NTFS.
7. Ensure the “Create a bootable disk using” option is selected and click on the “Start” button to begin the process.
8. Once the process is complete, the USB drive will be ready for use as a bootable Windows 11 installation media.

bunyips

Thank you for this. Just gave it a go but still will not show ssd. I wonder why they have made this such a difficult task for such a basic need? Am going to get another usb drive with the Intel RST driver on it and see if I can run it when the prompt comes up telling me there are no ssd drives to view. What a pain in the ****. I left apple products two years ago and have had very little problems with my Windows 10 devices. Will work it out eventually I suppose but I bet people without any tech skills spend a lot of money going to geeks when this stuff happens. Well done Manufacturers!! lol …

ps… thanks again for the help

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/703150/clean-install-win-11-on-aspire-5-cannot-find-ssd-or-intel-rst-driver

What is the exact Aspire 5 laptop model number, as you need to go to the Acer Support page for your Aspire 5 laptop number and then download the "IRST (Intel® Rapid Storage Technology) Driver " for your exact laptop model that Acer has, do not just use any Intel IRST driver, as that is the problem why the IRST driver that you have installed doesn't show the Aspire 5 laptops boot M.2 SSD drive after you have installed the IRST. Try that as it will work 100% and also when you construct the Win-11 USB installation drive, do it with rufus-4.4.exeand the .ISO Win-11 downloaded from Microsoft first, as this will boot the USB and a reboot. Good luck and hope this helps you out.

Note: if you get stuck on the common installation bug of Win-11 of “Let’s Connect You to a Network” and your Wi-Fi card or LAN is not recognized and showing in the installation process then follow this guide here; " [Fixed] Windows 11 Install Stuck on the “Let’s Connect You to a Network” Screen" as it should fix the problem.

If this answers your question and solved your query please "Click on Yes" or "Click on Like" if you find my answer useful👍

bunyips

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1267420#Comment_1267420

Hi Steven....It worked! But now I have no trackpad and very limited keyboard.I thought no problem I guess I will need to download every single driver available for this model laptop. My problem is I no longer have access to the internet either. So am unable to download anything to get this device to operate as it should. I have an android phone so at least I can still ask questions. Really appreciate you helping me do a clean install. How do I get this laptop to work properly again without internet or access to another non apple computer. Thank you

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1267474#Comment_1267474

You have to install the Wi-Fi driver like in this guide " [Fixed] Windows 11 Install Stuck on the “Let’s Connect You to a Network” Screen" I don't know why Microsoft have this error with the connection to the web and the Wi-Fi or LAN does not install automatically?

I had the same problem with a Win-11 clean installation and had to follow that guide a few times until the Wi-Fi card appeared in Device Manager so that I can install the drivers and get the internet on my laptop, this was with a Swift SFX14-51G laptop that didn't have the Win-11 23H2 version. So, keep trying and follow that guide above until your Wi-Fi card appears in Device Manager and you can install the WLAN drivers. Good luck.

If this answers your question and solved your query please "Click on Yes" or "Click on Like" if you find my answer useful👍

bunyips

You should write a guide on this subject Steven!! It all worked. Borrowed a wifi plugin off the guy downstairs and downloaded the entire library of Acer Aspire A515-56 drivers and installed the lot. All working and computer is working fine!! Cheers!!

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1267482#Comment_1267482

Yes, I should 😁and I will as I've got all he information, but I'm very happy to help people like you out and I'm glad that I've helped you out to solve that problem. Good luck

If this answers your question and solved your query please "Click on Yes" or "Click on Like" if you find my answer useful👍

Darren_Johnson

Yes, I installed Windows 11 on my 15 year old Acer Aspire V5, with no problems. (even though my old laptop didn't meet Microsoft's stupid system requirements).