Can't install Windows 7 on Samsung SM961 M2 NVMe drive but CAN use the drive after installing the OS normally. Why?

Question

As the title suggests, I'm having trouble installing Windows 7 64-bit on a Samsung SM961 M2 SSD drive, via the M2 slot on an Asus X-99 A motherboard.

The drive is visible to the BIOS, but not during the Windows 7 installation. However, if I install the same copy of Windows 7 on a regular drive, it immediately recognises the M2 SSD and makes it usable.

I am almost certain that this is simply a "missing driver during setup" issue, because the OS can see the SM961 after installing on a normal hard drive and, of course, my BIOS can see it just fine.

It's made trickier by the fact that the SM961 is a relatively new/unknown OEM-only part and is not (AFAIK) the same (driver-wise) as the Samsung 960.

Things I have already (unsuccessfully) tried:

• Checked and double-checked various BIOS settings:
  • Compatibility mode allows UEFI devices
  • Secure boot is disabled

• Loading various Samsung NVme drivers during installation:

  • These Samsung ones from HP
  • These "pure" WHQL Samsung ones

• Slipstreaming the above drivers directly into the Windows 7 setup ISO before installation

• Slipstreaming Microsoft's hotfixes for W7 NVme support into the setup ISO, as described on the hotfix page and on this blog:

  • Hotfix 2990941
  • Hotfix 3087873

• Following the advice in this Reddit thread.

• Following the advice in this Tomshardware thread.

• Installing Windows 7 on the same PC using a regular SATA hard drive (whereupon I can immediately see the M2 drive in Windows Disk Manager) and then attempting to clone the install to the M2 drive. The drive did not boot and I haven't got the patience to mess around with "fixing" UEFI boot data.

The only thing I have not yet tried is transplanting parts of the Windows 10 ISO into the Windows 7 ISO as described in the TomsHardware post, above. Because I feel like there should be a native way to fix this and allow the Windows 7 setup to "see" the M2 drive (especially since the OS can see it immediately after installation).

Any thoughts, please?

Answer 1

This is more of a workaround than a real solution, so if anyone discovers a better and more consistent way to do this please comment or answer.

Install Windows on a regular drive first and then clone it to the M2 drive.

I couldn't get Windows to see the SM961 during install, however what did work was installing Windows 7 to a regular SATA hard drive. After installing all the necessary drivers for my motherboard etc. Windows was able to see the SM961, and I used a free disk imaging program (Macrium Reflect) to clone the entire SATA drive with the newly installed operating system to the SM961. I was then able to unplug the SATA drive and boot from the SM961.

I tried another clone tool (EaseUS) first which did not work.

Answer 2

1. Install Window 7 on the normal drive and install all drivers.
2. Install the NVMe drivers first if possible (may not work since the normal drive isn't NVMe).
3. Clone the drive from the normal drive onto the new drive either using DD (over a live Linux environment) or a cloning software.
4. Then boot into a Linux Live USB install or a bootable recovery software that can open command prompt and make sure it can see the drive.
5. Lastly if it came boot then use DISM to slipstream the NVMe drivers into the cloned install like this: How to add NVMe drivers to an SSD to a cloned Windows installation to use in new computer so the system can boot?