Never CSM enable, always OFF as PURE UEFI as NVMe OS install requires it, the PATA device in bios is irrelevant, with an USB UEFI OS installation, perform the setup and the destination NVMe drive will be available
Thats it, further guidance in Fernando guide, point 4: [HowTo] Get full NVMe support for all Systems with an AMI UEFI BIOS

Hi MeatWar

thanks for your input - maybe I wasn't clear enough, I definitely had CSM disabled, enabling it was just a last-ditch effort in my long process of troubleshooting.
I have since resolved the issue with the "empty" drive (see below) but am now facing a different one, hope someone is able to help.

After hours and hours of troubleshooting and trial and error, I managed to make the disk "visible" to the Windows installer.
If someone else is facing the same issue, this is how I did it (it's a pretty straightforward one, I don't know why I didn't do that in the first place):
1. Found @Fernando's thread regarding recommended NVMe AHCI/RAID drivers
2. Downloaded relevant (pure) drivers for my Samsung 970 Evo Plus, namely: >"pure" 64bit Samsung NVMe Driver v3.3.0.2003 WHQL for Win10 x64<
3. Copy the drivers to the Windows bootable USB
4. Load the drivers when disk selection windows pops up
5. Disk no longer shows 0 MB of 0 MB available, but the actual capacity
6. Open beer

From that point, I thought I was at the finish line, BUT: (there's always a BUT)
- Now the Windows installation gets stuck at "Getting devices ready 98%" (after restart) and the wheel of dots stops spinning
- I tried unplugging all peripherals (except monitors, mouse and keyboard of course), taking out all memory modules (4×4GB Corsair Vengeance) and re-seating them in the same Asus-recommended DIMM slots (randomly, so the module that was at slot A1 is now probably at C1 or D1), but now the installation gets stuck at "Getting devices ready 97%" and the wheel of dots keeps spinning, so that's done nothing

Does anyone have any ideas how to move forward? Is there perhaps another device that might be causing the installation to freeze?

My build:
- Asus Sabertooth X79 with Fernando's modded 4801 BIOS (no bifurcation)
- Intel Core i7-3820 @stock frequency, cooled with Corsair H100 Hydro
- 16 GB RAM (4× 4GB) Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz (tried running it @1333 as well since I thought it was a memory issue now)
- ASUS Radeon RX580 OC Edition (8GB) with two Dell 24" monitors connected via DisplayPort
- Samsung NVMe 970 EvoPlus 1TB on an Orico riser card, installed in the first PCI-e slot (under the GPU ofcourse) - this is the drive I want to install Win10 on
- Samsung SSD 830 Pro 256 GB on SATA (disconnected during win10 installation) - this is the drive I have my Win7 installed on (running smoothly since 2012)
- WD Black 1 TB (disconnected during win10 installation) - just for storage purposes
- PSU Corsair AX650 Fully Modular (80Plus Gold rated)

This build has basically served me great since 2012, the only thing I changed this year was the GPU (bought it from a friend, used to have a 560Ti).


Also, since this is no longer in any shape or form a BIOS-related issue, I agree to have the post moved to a more relevant thread, at the moderator's own discretion.

Well m8... u dont know how to resume ur problems or im too stupid for it...
I do hundreds of 10 OS install on NVMe disks with adaptors. Simple NVMe mod inserted, CSM OFF/UEFI/Secure boot off, USB UEFI multi OS plugged, setup, install, done.
There is NO NEED of NVMe disk drivers for installations (Only specif is the adapter has a built in controller, that windows setup doesn't recognize), only in Windows IF the user wants it.
I NEVER make any cloning or upgrades, always a clean brand new OS installation, period, i cant afford encountering and loosing time.
My last Asus P9X79 was done in 10 minutes, WITH AN EMPTY NVMe, not a disk already partitioned MBR/GPT with old data or old OS (If so, del all partitions, initialize is optional)
This process is so simple and all i see is users creating NEW problems... i really cant believe this because in this mod presented by Fernando... the only hard, risky part is the flash.

Hi MeatWar

I realize where you're coming from and I've done dozens of Windows installs myself - never needed any help.
That's why I was so taken aback by the fact that this is causing me issues.

I've done everything by the book - I can even do a video of me trying to do it the right way. The BIOS flash didn't cause any issues for me.
The fact of the matter is that I'm following all the guides, it should be working, but it just isn't. Maybe I just attract bad things :D
Maybe there's a problem in the adapter, I don't know, that's why I'm seeking help.

Simply put (If I reply to what you wrote in red):
1. If I don't load Samsung NVMe drivers during Windows setup, the disk shows empty (0 MB in size) and I can't install
2. There was no cloning or upgrades, I wanted to do a clean install
3. The NVMe is completely empty every time I try anew (I even went into cmd to use diskpart to clean the drive before the installation)

Like I said, I'm not the one creating new problems - I have absolutely NO IDEA why this is happening.


Thanks again for taking your time to try to help.

Well im out... i can elaborate 50 more issues or retained misinformation by users on ur problem, but im getting too old for this and i cant burn more brain tissue with it, sry ull have to dig it urself.
All the best.