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XanderHart's avatar
XanderHart
Iron Contributor
Aug 15, 2025

New hard drive installation of Windows 11 prompts

The solid-state drive is new, the system is from the official website, and I used the official USB drive to boot up and install Windows 11. When searching for the hard drive, this prompt appeared. What is the reason for this?

3 Replies

  • gavinstrawbridge's avatar
    gavinstrawbridge
    Copper Contributor
    Dec 15, 2025

    You may need to complete the steps below to install Windows 11:

    Disable VMD/ RAID

    1. Enter BIOS/UEFI (usually F2, Del, or Esc)
    2. Look for:
      • VMD Controller
      • Intel RST
      • RAID mode
    3. Change storage mode to:
      • AHCI
      • Disable VMD
    4. Save and reboot
    5. Start Windows installation again
  • DaxxonFoster's avatar
    DaxxonFoster
    Iron Contributor
    Dec 15, 2025

    To install Windows 11 on a new hard drive, you must enable UEFI boot and Secure Boot in the BIOS and use the GPT partitioning scheme.

  • Gaup's avatar
    Gaup
    Bronze Contributor
    Nov 28, 2025

    Don't worry, your SSD is almost certainly fine. The problem is that the installer lacks the necessary driver to communicate with your SSD's controller.

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