Windows 10: Please help! Win10 install won't detect Samsung 950 pro (MSI Z170a M7)

Hi all,

I'm new to the tenforums (nice to meet you all) and need some guidance on getting Windows 10 working on a 950 pro using an MSI Z170a gaming M7 motherboard. I want to remap the disk controller from SATA to PCI-E which the motherboard supports via RST RAID configuration in UEFI bios. Two major blocking issues I can't get past. See this thread on the MSI forums for more details: Gaming M5 and 950 Pro on Win10 > NVMe driver/Magician issues

1- If I try and install Win10 with pci-e remapped, Win10 install won't detect the SSD. The screen where you choose a drive to install to is blank and the ONLY way I've been able to find the drive is by using the MSI install disk which includes a version of RST drivers. However if I complete install using this method, I can't install the Samsung 950 pro 1.0 NVMe drivers and Magician doesn't see the drive as a 'compatible' device.

2- If I ditch pci-e remapping and just install as a regular SATA device, I can install the NVMe driver and Magician works. BUT the drive is setup as a SATA device and I specifically purchased this hardware to run at pci-e x4

It looks like very few people, if any, have this same issue which boggles me since I've now tried 3 different motherboards (2 M7s and 1 M5) and 2 separate brand new 950 pros without any success. Samsung tech support and MSI tech support both seem to have no idea how to troubleshoot this. I can't believe I'm the only one facing this issue, but hours of searching and troubleshooting I have hit a brick wall. I'm at my wits end.

Please help!

System specs:
MSI z170a Gaming M7 on v194 bios (I have tried all avail beta and supported versions)
6700k cpu
32gb Corsair Vengeance 3000k 15cas
XFX Radeon R9 390
Samsung Pro 950 m.2
Enermax 1200w PSU

:)

 

Windows BSOD issues - Have DMP files

BugCheck 3B, {c0000005, ffff8f4c0ea61abd, ffffb701a20f9980, 0}

Bug Check 0x3B SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION | Microsoft Docs

Probably caused by : win32kbase.sys ( win32kbase!HmgLockEx+2ed )

BugCheck C4, {2000, fffff80cef5a3679, 0, 6452644e}

DRIVER VERIFIER DETECTED VIOLATION (c4)

Bug Check 0xC4 DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION | Microsoft Docs

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for ndisrfl.sys

*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for ndisrfl.sys

Probably caused by : ndisrfl.sys ( ndisrfl+3679 )

First please disable the Driver VERIFIER software

Motheboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M7

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz, 4008 Mhz

BIOS VERSION: 1.E0

BIOS DATE: 07/22/2016

You need to update the BIOS and Drivers.

Support For Z170A GAMING M7 | Motherboard - The world leader in motherboard design | MSI USA

Regards.

 

Windows BSOD issues - Have DMP files

Please provide for me more information about your correct Motherboard model

The correct model is: MSI Z170A GAMING M7 ? if yes, you have newer BIOS and Chipset Driver version also.

Check the Motherboard maker website for
BIOS and Driver updates

Current chipset Driver version

Support For Z170A GAMING M7 | Motherboard - The world leader in motherboard design | MSI USA

The Current Driver version for your GTX 1080 Discrete Graphics Card

NVIDIA DRIVERS GeForce Game Ready Driver WHQL

And the first thing, if you overclocked something the first step is to set to
DEFAULT

Regards.

 

I have the same situation. I have to same system and the same problem.
I will be monitoring this thread to see if anybody has an answer for us.

 

Have you attempted a Slipstream install? Nice rig by the way! I don't know what your tech level is but it kind of sounds like you know a bit. I do and it sure sounds like a driver issue and that Windows 10 is not recognizing the controller that your drive is connected to. If Windows recognizes a disk controller, it will then recognize a drive connected to it in almost all cases. We are in a transition with newer PCIx based disk controllers and UEFI CMOS setups so a HD controller is a possible culprit. Not sure why you need RAID for a single drive though but I'm guessing that's your only option. That may work with a single drive but it'll slow your POST and boot time as it will likely search for a valid RAID array each time you boot. Anyhow, slipstream the Windows 10 driver for the PCIx controller into the Windows 10 install. I have this same drive in my new laptop so I have not had to deal with it but I feel your pain. Been through this kind of stuff a zillion times. I may be wrong but it sounds like the old F6 to install drivers message we got in previous versions of Windows. Google slipstream Windows 10 installation and see what you come up with. I used to us nLite to create slipstream disks to add newer hardware drivers as well as later updates and SP's. It can be a pain to get it to work but it's pretty cool when it does. The fact is, sometimes we have hardware that is simply newer than the version of Windows (or whatever OS) and Windows doesn't know it exists and we need to "force feed it" a bit. BTW: It may be possible without using slipstream (like the old F6 method) but I haven't visited that part of Windows 10 just yet. Best of luck! Let me know how it works out.

 

Hmm...

My OS is on an Intel 750 PCI-E/NVME drive, in an Asrock X99 motherboard.

I don't recall having to do anything special to install the OS on the drive. (That was after I'd updated the UEFI on the board to make it NVME friendly.) The drive appears in the UEFI settings as an NVME device, rather than on a SATA port.

A Z170a board doesn't do the same? I'm surprised, as it's much newer than X99.

 

I was having the same problem, but was finally able to get it to work. I added the drivers into the windows install media (note - you don't have to do this, you can load drivers from within setup), but was still having problems - the drive wouldn't show up. I enabled M.2 Genie, whatever that does and also disabled Windows 7 installation in the BIOS. Not sure which of those two, or both fixed it, but my 2 Samsun 950's in RAID-0 showed up after that and install took like 10 seconds (maybe 15, crazy fast)! Loving it!