Gaminglaptop-While new installation Win11 not detects SSDs-by setting VMD feature disabled BSOD come

Mehrad

Hello, I'm Mehrad and I have just bought a new Acer gaming laptop and when I wanted to install Windows 11 I noticed that the VMD feature does not allow me to detect the SSDs of the laptop, so I had to disable this VMD feature in the BIOS settings so that I can install Windows and now after installing Windows and its drivers when the action is taken When I reactivate VMD, I encounter a blue screen and my Windows does not come up and the VMD must be turned off, and on the other hand, when I want to install the Intel Rapid Drive driver, I encounter an error and I cannot do it, my laptop has two 1 TB SSDs. I wanted to know if this VMD feature must be enabled? Or do I have to do something special?

[Edited the topic title to include the topic issue.]

tech_saavy

Hi Mehrad! It sounds like you're facing a couple of challenges with your new Acer gaming laptop and the VMD (Volume Management Device) feature in the BIOS, which is tied to managing storage devices like NVMe SSDs, especially when using RAID configurations or Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology (IRST).

What is VMD (Volume Management Device)?

VMD is a feature on modern Intel chipsets that’s primarily used to manage multiple storage devices connected to the system, especially in RAID configurations. When VMD is enabled, it abstracts access to the storage devices, and this can sometimes cause issues if the proper drivers are not installed or if the system is not properly configured.

Why are you encountering the Blue Screen when enabling VMD?

The blue screen after enabling VMD typically happens when Windows is expecting the VMD-managed SSDs to be controlled by a driver that’s not installed, or there’s a mismatch between how the SSDs are configured in BIOS and what the Windows installation is expecting. When you disabled VMD for the installation, Windows likely installed the drivers for the standard AHCI or NVMe mode, and enabling VMD afterward causes the system to try accessing the drives in a way it doesn't have the correct driver for.

Steps to Resolve This:

1. Ensure Proper Driver Installation for Intel RST:
   • First, make sure that you have installed the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) drivers for your chipset. The error you're encountering when trying to install these drivers may indicate that they are either not the right version or not compatible with your setup.
   • Download the latest version of Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) directly from the Intel website. You’ll need this to make sure that Windows can work with RAID or VMD-managed storage devices.
2. Reinstall Windows with VMD Enabled (with Intel RST):Since you already installed Windows with VMD disabled, you will need to reinstall Windows after enabling VMD, but this time with the correct drivers for Intel Rapid Storage Technology installed. Here’s how:
   • Re-enable VMD in the BIOS.
   • Ensure that the Intel RST driver is installed before doing the reinstall.
     • You may need to integrate the drivers for Intel RST into your Windows installation media using the Windows Media Creation Tool or a tool like Nlite.
     • Alternatively, during the Windows installation process, you can select "Load Driver" when prompted (usually when selecting the disk partition), and provide the IRST drivers on a USB drive.
   • After installing Windows, you should be able to install the Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers without any errors.
3. Check BIOS/UEFI Settings:
   • If you continue to encounter issues, check your BIOS settings to ensure you are not switching between AHCI and RAID modes after installation, as this can also cause problems. Some systems might need you to explicitly set the RAID mode in BIOS to make sure VMD works correctly.
   • If your system is using RAID, make sure the drives are configured correctly in the BIOS/RAID management utility, as the system might need specific RAID volume configurations for it to detect the SSDs properly with VMD enabled.
4. VMD Necessity:
   • VMD is required if you’re planning to use Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) or a RAID configuration. If you're not using RAID or other advanced storage configurations and just want to use the SSDs in a simple AHCI or NVMe mode, you can probably disable VMD. However, if you’re using multiple SSDs in RAID or need specific Intel features (like Intel Optane support), then VMD must be enabled.
5. Try Updating BIOS:
   • If all else fails, you might want to ensure your BIOS is fully updated, as Acer or Intel might have released a newer version of the BIOS that fixes any incompatibilities with VMD, RAID, or IRST drivers.

Summary:

• VMD should be enabled if you want to use RAID or other Intel storage management features like IRST. If you're not using these features, you could disable it, but this may not be ideal in your case, since it’s causing issues with the detection of your SSDs.
• Ensure Intel RST drivers are correctly installed before enabling VMD.
• Reinstall Windows with VMD enabled, integrating the appropriate drivers for Intel RST during the installation.

Let me know if you need further clarification or assistance!