Hello,

I have a chinese clevo clone notebook called monster abra a5 v8.1 and i have a bios version of n.1.03, i have a intel 600p 240 gb ssd and a 1 tb sata hdd installed, i just bought a new 970 evo 1 tb but i couldn't make the pc recognize it, my bios is very limited and can't find a setting to see it, my intel ssd is also nvme and works no prob. it's nvme 1.2 though, so i thought maybe i should update my bios since it's dated 2016 but nvme 1.3 released in 2018.

so i looked for a bios update but couldn't find the bios download in my producers website but since it's a clevo clone i thought maybe i can find help here. i have seen various topics for bios version n.1.03 but i don't know if it's fully compatible with my version. can you help me resolve the problem?

edit: i have contacted my producer, they said the bios version should be n.1.02 but ii forgot to ask if it's newer, dou you have any idea?

Edit by Fernando: Thread title specified

Hello Dieter/Fernando

first of all thank you for your welcome,

here are the answers.

1. i have 2 m2sata ports and 1 sata hdd port, i had a 240 intel ssd on one of the m2sata ports (one empty) and a 1 tb hdd already installed on it's dedicated port.
2. OS was installed to the intel ssd. (so does drive c:)
3. under IDE/ATAPI controllers only listed device is "Standart SATA AHCI Controller"
under Storage contrellers there are daemon tools, "Microsoft Storage Controller" and "Standart NVM express Controller"
4. I'm running Win 10 with latest updates.

Thanks again for your help!

edit: i just spoke with my manufacturer again and they said n.1.02 is the latest version for my pc which should be dated 2018. so if can find a guide for updating n.1.03 to n.1.02 that would also help a lot! thank you.

i tried exactly what you sad but i had no luck. i removed all the drives, installed 970 evo, booted in uefi mode with the usb, windows setup starts but cannot detect any drive to install.

my intel ssd and 970 evo are both nvme, i don't get it why one works but other doesnt. the only difference is that the intel is nvme 1.2 and evo is 1.3 but they should be backwards competible am i right? or do i really need to do the bios update?

i know n.1.02 should be a downgrade but i saw a friends pc had n.1.02 installed, it's the same brand laptop but different model and the bios was dated 2018 so i'm confused actually.

here are the pictures of my bios menus. the drive called HGST is the 1 tb hdd, the intel is not even shown here but sure it works since the OS is installed on it. and i can see it in windows with no issues too but no sign of it in BIOS for some reason.

well, i just tried that and still no luck :) i disabled secureboot and deleted the secureboot variables, removed my hardware and installed evo only but windows setup still cannot detect the ssd, so i installed my hardware back again and they still work while secureboot is disabled but my new ssd is still not showing any signs of life :(
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by the way here's a bios photo of a different laptop which is the same brand but different model, but the bios version is n.1.02 just like they told me this is the up to date version when i talked them on the phone. and you see it's dated 2018, since mine is 2016 even though it's n.1.03 maybe it is a legit upgrade, what do you say?



EDIT by Fernando: Picture resized and directly attached

If you update, be sure to update BOTH EC FW and BIOS at same time! Not sure which is first, but it should be in their flash update instructions, if not, ask them FIRST
Also, do not flash "Different Model" BIOS to your system unless you are 100% sure it's compatible with your CPU AND graphics card model.

If you want to be 100% sure, show us image of YOUR main BIOS page and tell me what graphics card your system has + attach the BIOS update package they sent you.
Then we can tell you if it's compatible and if it's newer and it's build date

well the problem is because this is a local brand, i can't find proper customer support, they didn't provide me with the up to date files, they just said it should be n.1.02 but they didn't recommend a bios update, they wanted me to ship my laptop to their service to get the ssd installed somehow, update the bios only if it's necessary but they don't say if it's absolutely necessary at the moment or not, but it should be fixed with an update i guess so if you have further recommendation i'd be glad to hear, and i can't find the files either.

i'd like to post the proper info but can you elaborate a little bit? and they didn't provided me with any tool or file. i have a gtx965m graphics card, it's a rare model so i don't know if there were many different boards and bios out there for it. main bios page is uploaded up in the previous post by the way.

Ohh, sorry, I thought you had files sent from them. Since you do not, you need to find BIOS update package for your exact model.
Keep pushing them in email, tell them it's silly and expensive to send system for BIOS Update, tell them to get with the program/future, and send you a BIOS + EC FW update package like every other brand does. (ie Shame them into it )
I will see if I can find you BIOS update package. YeGTX965M is rare, older model, and probably not a lot of new tonfang based BIOS would have vBIOS for this card in there, so you have to be careful what BIOS update, if any, you try to flash in there.

None of this should be required though, BIOS from2016 should be 1000% NVME compatible.
I think you may have other issue, which I'm sure Fernando will sort out for you. Did you test this drive on another system, and it's OK, not DOA?

This info in spoiler may help, if you've already done stuff to this NVME on another system, make it RAW and then try windows install again
Also, use this tool to make your windows install USB, I've seen issues with other tools and methods, but never with this (ignore sys requirements, works fine w/ Win10) - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download...s.aspx?id=56485

so first of all thank you so much for your help.

i have found the same post from that turkish forum, he basically says what you say but he also says that he doesn't know how else it is possible if there is no model number. because under my pc there is no model number is written, so i couldn't follow his guide unfortunately.

and you are right my 2016 bios should handle nvme devices because my intel ssd is also nvme, only 1.2 version. something is disabled but cannot find what it is. i didn't try my evo on another device, but my friend also bought a 970 evo plus, they were both raw and it didn't detect either of them. maybe i should try to install my friends formatted 970 evo plus, what would you say?

so i upload my biosreg file and also the screenshot of the back up and write proceses, also the me info screenshot.

Thank you.

@Berkto - If it's not detecting your friends 970 EVO either, then I assume at least one of them is not DOA. And, if windows it not detecting either as suitable target disk when RAW, then pre-formatted wont make a difference either.
If you did try, make sure you initialize the NVME as GPT, then make your partition. But, best way is RAW. USB should also be GPT, but it may not have to be, best way to make USB is via the tool I linked you to, others can cause random issues sometimes, so be sure you make installer USB with that tool.

Did you ever test with CSM enabled? You are starting with Optimized defaults loaded, correct? If not, you should be! Otherwise, fail safe with set Legacy boot mode.

@Fernando >> Fast Boot is enabled by default, if/when Optimized defaults are loaded, is this an issue with native NVME compatibility?

Thanks for the BIOS, I will check it out and see if I can find any updates.
I will also make you a mod BIOS, doing NVME mod and removing stock NVME compatibility, so you can test that.
This will rule out stock NVME ability having some compatibility issue with the 970 NVME.
In that BIOS I will also do full menu unlock, so you can change many other settings, including "Boot Mode Select" from the boot page
Additionally, I will include an unlocked copy of your BIOS as it was, no "NVME" changes

Before I send you any mod BIOS, please run this command from MEInfo/Win32 folder and show me image of the bottom of the report >> MEINFOWin.exe -verbose

here is the bottom of the report. i gpt as much as i can. i hope this helps. i will wait for your bios unlock, i'm sure that'll be a 100% solution if i don't brick my system of course :)