How To Install Windows On A PCIe SSD

parsec wrote: scajjr2 wrote: Took advantage of a newegg sale and ordered a Samsung 950 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD for my Z170 Fatal1ty Gaming K4. My thinking is install it, use Samsung software to migrate OS (Win 10 Pro x64) over from the 840 EVO that is currently the boot drive, uninstall the 840, change the boot device in the BIOS, boot into Win 10 x64 and then install the Samsung driver. My main question is do I need to change any setting in the BIOS other than the boot order? Running the latest BIOS (3.10). Sam Sorry I missed this post... so long ago. I'm sure you tried to use the migration software, and I imagine it did not work, the result on the 950 Pro would not boot. As described in this guide, the CSM option, Launch Storage OpROM Policy, must be set to UEFI Only, or an NVMe SSD will not boot. That is the easiest way. Also, setting CSM to Disabled will work too, but that has another requirement, discussed in the guide. The Launch Storage OpROM Policy option has been added to the Storage Configuration screen, in the UEFI/BIOS of some ASRock boards. That would be their Z170 boards, but possibly not with the earlier UEFI/BIOS versions. Setting this option in either place will work. Depending upon which ASRock board you are using, that option may be set automatically if the UEFI/BIOS detects an NVMe SSD in an M.2 slot. In the case of migrating/cloning an OS installation that was not done with either of the two options set as described above, simply setting either option after running the migration software should not work. If it did, I would be interested to know that it did.

Actually just using the Samsung Migration software, changing the boot device to the 950 pro and rebooting DID work. Didn't change anything in the BIOS other than the boot device. I didn't install Win 8 using UEFI and did an in place upgrade of Win 10 last July.

 Bootup time is maybe only a second or 2 faster, but programs loaded from the 950 load much faster.

Sam

Rehmanpa wrote: Hi, I didn't know where to post this but then I found this forum. I was wondering if I could use this SSD as a boot drive with this Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820228166 https://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/QPI/5500/X8DTH-iF.cfm I know it's an older X58 socket but my friends offering me this board for like $50 and I want a workstation anyway. The problem is it has Sata 2 3Gbs ports so i was going to try and bypass with that with a PCI-E SSD (for booting), and this has great performance for the dollar so was wondering if I could use this as the main boot drive? Sorry for rambling ^_^

That OCZ PCIe/M.2 NVMe SSD, or any NVMe SSD will not be usable as a boot drive on that mother board.

The reason is that board's BIOS does not provide support for the new NVMe storage protocol used by this type of SSD. A BIOS update would be necessary, if that is even possible for a board using a legacy type BIOS, rather than the new UEFI type firmware.

Another detail is that board and processor platform is a PCIe 2.0 system. For full performance, all NVMe PCIe SSDs require PCIe 3.0.

So sorry, that platform is to old for use with NVMe SSDs as boot drives. It would probably work as a data drive, but at a somewhat reduced performance level.

Rehmanpa wrote: Thank you so much for figuring that out. I found this article where someone was able to use an NVMe storage device on an older x58 mobo socket for booting: http://mrlithium.blogspot.com/2015/12/how-to-boot-nvme-ssd-from-legacy-bios.html Could I do what this guy did and then use it for booting, or do you think that would only work with an Intel 750 series? EDIT: Sorry I just really don't know much about this stuff and I'm not sure what the difference between a Legacy BIO and a UEFI one is.

I really don't know if that process would work with the RD400 or not. The process itself is complicated, must be done perfectly, and is not just a cookbook, recipe type of procedure. Plus there are a few instructions like this one for example, from that guide:

4. Your'e going to want some kind of MBR master boot sector on this drive I think (I forget how I did this. Maybe bcdboot puts one.).

What would you do at that point? Skip it and hope for the best? Does that inspire confidence about the procedure, or the accuracy of the instructions? One comment on that page included corrections to the instructions.

I want to give this guy credit for doing this, and apparently a few people did get it to work, but he hasn't been answering any questions about it. I don't have the time to try this procedure myself, and I can't help you with it.

A BIOS or a UEFI are both firmware used by a mother board.

BIOS style firmware is the type first used in PCs in the 1990's. It is called legacy or legacy BIOS simply to identify it as not having the features of UEFI firmware. It was designed around the existing PC hardware of the day, which has been left behind for years.

EFI or UEFI firmware is the more advanced replacement for BIOS firmware. It has more features and enhancements compared to BIOS firmware. The differences between the two are huge, although only in the past few years the features available with UEFI firmware are finally being used.

NVMe SSDs require what is called an EFI Option ROM, and to be used as the OS drive, must use the Windows EFI Bootloader. The EFI Option ROM is a module in a board's UEFI firmware. That does not exist in BIOS firmware, and is not compatible with it for several reasons.

That guide is a giant work around for the lack of the EFI Option ROM in BIOS firmware. Enabling the use of that Option ROM in UEFI firmware is done with a click or two.

That work around ignores many of the UEFI booting standards that may have side affects, and cause problems.

Personally, even though the board has a SATA II chipset, I would just get a standard SATA III SSD for that board. If you really work with very large files all the time, you need a modern board to support an NVMe SSD.

Well i just had another thought. How about instead of going through that guide which would be a pain, could I just install VMWare and just use the pci-e ssd to boot windows through VMware since it's a VM not the physical computer?

parsec wrote: Rehmanpa wrote: Well i just had another thought. How about instead of going through that guide which would be a pain, could I just install VMWare and just use the pci-e ssd to boot windows through VMware since it's a VM not the physical computer? How would running a VM either bypass the need for, or provide NMVe support for an NVMe SSD? That is only one requirement that is missing that a VM would somehow need to provide. VMs can have limitations that don't exist in standard environments. I don't see what difference it would make. You could try it of course, but I don't think it would help you. The guide contains more than the procedures and UEFI settings for booting an OS from a PCIe SSD. There are also multiple types of PCIe SSDs that have slightly different requirements. The requirements are few, but necessary. The board you want to use won't even have the settings in its BIOS to cause the use of the EFI boot loader in a Windows installation. That is the main problem using that board.