Can't Detect 960 EVO SSD on H270M-Pro4

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   Hello! First time posting on this forum :)
I recently bought a H270M-Pro4 motherboard and a Samsung 960 EVO SSD. However, the SSD is not recognised by the UEFI at all (i.e. not listed as storage device, not in boot priority, and not in system browser).

Some info on my parts:
H270M-Pro4 Motherboard
Samsung 960 EVO 250GB SSD
Intel i5-7600 CPU with stock fan
Kingston HyperX Fury 16GB (2*8) DDR4 2400 RAM
Corsair CX430 PSU

I followed Method 1 of the guide provided in the forum: 
How to Install Windows On a PCIe SSD
http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp%3FTID=1236&title=how-to-install-windows-on-a-pcie-ssd

In particular, I configured the following in the UEFI:
Boot -> CSM -> CSM Enabled -> Launch Storage OpROM Policy UEFI Only.
Storage Configuration -> SATA Mode AHCI (default)

I used rufus to create a bootable Win 10 Education USB drive. I chose GPT partition for UEFI only, which defaults to fAT32.

I have tried to install the Samsung SSD onto M2_1 as well as M2_2. However, the SSD does not appear in the UEFI anywhere. When I attempt to install windows, the SSD does not appear either (I have installed the most recent Samsung NVMe drivers onto the USB ISO image). Note, at this stage, no other SATA ports or PCI lanes were used.

I temporarily resorted to installing Windows to a standard HDD. In an attempt to run Samsung's NVMe driver, I receive the following message: "Samsung NVM express Devise is not connected. Connect the device and try again."

Hope I can get some help on making use of my SSD! Thank in advance!

~ xiexingwu

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xiexingwu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 17 Feb 2017 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote xiexingwu Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Can't Detect 960 EVO SSD on H270M-Pro4 Posted: 17 Feb 2017 at 8:37pm
	Hello! First time posting on this forum :) I recently bought a H270M-Pro4 motherboard and a Samsung 960 EVO SSD. However, the SSD is not recognised by the UEFI at all (i.e. not listed as storage device, not in boot priority, and not in system browser). Some info on my parts: H270M-Pro4 Motherboard Samsung 960 EVO 250GB SSD Intel i5-7600 CPU with stock fan Kingston HyperX Fury 16GB (2*8) DDR4 2400 RAM Corsair CX430 PSU I followed Method 1 of the guide provided in the forum: How to Install Windows On a PCIe SSD http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp%3FTID=1236&title=how-to-install-windows-on-a-pcie-ssd In particular, I configured the following in the UEFI: Boot -> CSM -> CSM Enabled -> Launch Storage OpROM Policy UEFI Only. Storage Configuration -> SATA Mode AHCI (default) I used rufus to create a bootable Win 10 Education USB drive. I chose GPT partition for UEFI only, which defaults to fAT32. I have tried to install the Samsung SSD onto M2_1 as well as M2_2. However, the SSD does not appear in the UEFI anywhere. When I attempt to install windows, the SSD does not appear either (I have installed the most recent Samsung NVMe drivers onto the USB ISO image). Note, at this stage, no other SATA ports or PCI lanes were used. I temporarily resorted to installing Windows to a standard HDD. In an attempt to run Samsung's NVMe driver, I receive the following message: "Samsung NVM express Devise is not connected. Connect the device and try again." Hope I can get some help on making use of my SSD! Thank in advance! ~ xiexingwu

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 24053	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 17 Feb 2017 at 11:08pm
	Parsec is our storage guru here but as he is not on at the moment I will hazard a few quick suggestions. At this point your goal should be to get the drive to detect so lets forget about UEFI settings for a moment and just start over. Remove all other drives (including USB drives). Clear CMOS, remove the battery as well to make sure it is a thorough clear. Follow this method: http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=630&title=how-to-clear-cmos-via-battery-removal (copy paste link) Once you have cleared the CMOS, install the drive in the upper most M.2 slot and see if it is showed in the system browser in your UEFI. If it is not, power down, remove power and clear CMOS again (just the jumper should be adequate) with the drive installed. Rinse and repeat for the other slot if no success. Post back your findings.


xiexingwu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 17 Feb 2017 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote xiexingwu Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Feb 2017 at 8:24am
	Hi Xaltar! Thanks for your response. I followed your instructions, however, the SSD did not appear on the system browser at any point. 1. CMOS clear (removed all drives and battery). Then installed SSD on M2_1 (closest to CPU). System browser indicated M2_1 as empty. 2. CMOS clear (jumper only with SSD still installed). System browser indicated M2_1 as empty. Repeated the above with M2_2, with the same results. ~ xiexingwu

parsec Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 04 May 2015 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 4996	Post Options Post Reply Quote parsec Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Feb 2017 at 9:34am
	It seems to me that you may have a bad 960 EVO. It does not make sense that it is not shown in any of the UEFI/BIOS screens you listed. Or for some reason, both of the M.2 slots are not working, but that is unlikely. When using any new Intel 200 series chipset board, like your H270M, you should see an NVMe SSD in the following screens in the UEFI/BIOS. These are examples of my 960 EVO in my Z270 Gaming K6 board: Storage Configuration: NVMe Configuration: System Browser: If you do not see an NVMe Configuration screen listed in the Advanced screen, then your 960 EVO is not being detected at all for some reason. Since you cleared the UEFI/BIOS, and did not change any other settings, an NVMe SSD in the M.2 slots should be recognized. Some UEFI/BIOS have an option called Force M.2, which I did not see in your board's manual. That option is NOT required, but if you had it in your UEFI/BIOS you could try setting it. Do you have Windows or any OS installed on this board now? I suggest getting your 960 EVO tested on another board to see if it is working correctly. If it is detected fine by another mother board, then it seems your board has a problem with the M.2 ports. I've never seen problems with the M.2 ports on four different ASRock boards that I use.


xiexingwu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 17 Feb 2017 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote xiexingwu Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Feb 2017 at 12:34pm
	Thanks for the detailed response, parsec! It's really unfortunate I can't get this working. I originally suspected an issue with the SSD, and sent it back to the retailer for RMA. However, they returned it to me saying it is fully functional. I currently have Win 10 Education installed on a HDD. However, when I followed Xaltar's instructions to clear CMOS, I ensured that the drive was disconnected from the board. Could installing Windows on the HDD have affected the SSD in any way? Thanks ~ xiexingwu