AV16-51P laptop Installed SSD does not showing second SSD in BIOS/Disk Management

so, i'm trying to install a second SSD in my new AV16-51P and it's not being recognized. i'm pretty sure the SSD isn't faulty, since it is seen via a USB connection with an M.2 SATA/NVME docking station. I also tried a different SSD (also verified to be good) and it's not showing up either. neither is seen in disk management nor in the BIOS.

earlier, due to an unrelated problem, i exchanged a different AV16 for this one. i'd installed a second SSD in that first vero with no issues. No love with the current one. Oddly, it did not come with a hold-down screw which the first one did.

any ideas about what might be going on?

Accepted answers

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1335446#Comment_1335446

You have got the bios and M.2 drives mixed up as the Aspire AV16-51P last bios is version 1.08 and this laptop only operated with an "M Key" type SSD of Gen 4 x4 lane type drives that will also operate with a Gen 3 x4 type M.2 SSD as its backward compatible.

The AV16-51P has NO version 1.07 bios its last bios is the 1.08 version, with the M.2 SSD drives, your Aspire AV16-51P laptop does NOT operate with the Samsung 860 EVO SATA III M.2 drive. The Aspire AV16-51P has 2x Gen 4 x4 lane M Key type slots and will not operate with a B&M Key type drive like the 860 EVO SATA III M.2 SSD drive, that is why its not being recognized in bios and its not working, as I don't know how your previous AV16-51P recognized that SATA III M.2 drive .

Note: for the 2nd SSD slot in your AV16-51P ONLY fit a Gen 4 x4 lane SSD drive like the WD SN770 or SN850X or the Samsung 990 Pro or similar Gen 4 x4 lane type drives, which will work 100% and be recognized in your Aspire AV16-51P bios. Good luck and hope this clears everything up for you.

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/1335717#Comment_1335717

I'm glad to help you out, with the bios update, you need to download the bios 1.08 and then in this bios folder you have the executable bios file called JH6VE108, click on that file and allow the bios process to execute, DO NOT REBOOT OR DO ANTHING TO STOP THE BIOS PROCESS FROM COMPLETING and wait until your laptop reboots to the windows LOGIN screen, this can take up to 5min so be patient. That is all that you need to do.

When doing a bios update you must do the following aalso:

Have the laptop plugged into the adapter
Turn off any anti virus or malware software that you have
Turn off all working software's that you have running like MS word, Adobe etc

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

linter

btw / the bios is 1.07. and the available info in the bios is extremely limited and unlike any other BIOS i have seen. obviously, i have no idea why this same samsung 860 EVO SATA M.2 worked in the first AV16 I had but not in the current one. so many problems with this model.

linter

acht. attempting to fix the problem myself, i managed to so screw everything up that i could not even do a clean install of windows. right now, i'm using diskpart / clean all to see if i can get windows to load itself after a supersuper clean wipe. so much stuff lost, so much time. what a freakin disaster, all because of of wanting to use the extra ssd slot. crumb.

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1335498#Comment_1335498

Hi, make sure the new SSD is initialized as GPT for UEFI and not MBR for legacy BIOS. Also check in BIOS if Sata mode is set to AHCI and not RST+Optane.

linter

in disk management, the convert to GPT option is grayed out, suggesting to me that the SSD is already GPT, tho maybe i'm wrong. my bios options are very limited to as to what i can see and change. i've attached a few pix. the one for mode cannot be

changed on the screen pictured. hopefully, you can tell what to try next

linter

p.s. going to any of the screens and hitting ctl + s does not bring up the SATA menu. disabling 'fast boot' does not do anything either.

i am able to see something called VMD Controller, which is in the on state. others have mentioned it but i'm not sure what to do about it. i did turn it off before the hard drive crashed and i had to reinstall windows. not sure what part it played in that fiasco, if any.

should i do as seen here anyway and try again? https://community.acer.com/en/kb/articles/16537-how-to-enable-ahci-mode-on-travelmate-notebooks

linter

well, i'll guess i will try going into safe mode and then disabling VMD controller as suggested here:

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/606504/changing-sata-mode-on-acer-aspire-5

edit: didn't work. boot is protected by some thing called bitlocker. i'll now go search on that. crumb.

linter

that was stupid. went into safe mode, turned VMD off, rebooted, was taken to a screen where i entered the bitlocker number and then went straight to the horrible looping no pin screen. no way out. this is where i got stuck before and had to do disk part, clean all, which is what i guess i'm going to have to do

again. and once i'm done and a clean copy of windows is back on the laptop, i'm going to return it. too many hours spent on something that ought to be easy (and prolly is, if i was more patient and didn't start mucking about).

linter

so i made the exchange and have no idea if i want to put the second ssd in. seems like this model has serious problems with the installation and no solutions. sigh.

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1335446#Comment_1335446

You have got the bios and M.2 drives mixed up as the Aspire AV16-51P last bios is version 1.08 and this laptop only operated with an "M Key" type SSD of Gen 4 x4 lane type drives that will also operate with a Gen 3 x4 type M.2 SSD as its backward compatible.

The AV16-51P has NO version 1.07 bios its last bios is the 1.08 version, with the M.2 SSD drives, your Aspire AV16-51P laptop does NOT operate with the Samsung 860 EVO SATA III M.2 drive. The Aspire AV16-51P has 2x Gen 4 x4 lane M Key type slots and will not operate with a B&M Key type drive like the 860 EVO SATA III M.2 SSD drive, that is why its not being recognized in bios and its not working, as I don't know how your previous AV16-51P recognized that SATA III M.2 drive .

Note: for the 2nd SSD slot in your AV16-51P ONLY fit a Gen 4 x4 lane SSD drive like the WD SN770 or SN850X or the Samsung 990 Pro or similar Gen 4 x4 lane type drives, which will work 100% and be recognized in your Aspire AV16-51P bios. Good luck and hope this clears everything up for you.

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

linter

steven: thank you thank you thank you for clearing this up for me. i really appreciate you stepping in. keeps me from going down the same road again. whew! and onward.

meanwhile, could you point me to directions for how to update the bios from 1.07 to 1.08?

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1335717#Comment_1335717

I'm glad to help you out, with the bios update, you need to download the bios 1.08 and then in this bios folder you have the executable bios file called JH6VE108, click on that file and allow the bios process to execute, DO NOT REBOOT OR DO ANTHING TO STOP THE BIOS PROCESS FROM COMPLETING and wait until your laptop reboots to the windows LOGIN screen, this can take up to 5min so be patient. That is all that you need to do.