Thank you so much for posting this. I tried quite a few times on my Asus Z87 Maximus VI Gene bios and could never get the 951 to show in the bios. This X79 module did the trick.
I have tried everything (maybe 20-30 SAMSUNG_M2 modules) before. This worked like a charm on my Maximus VI Extreme! I can see drive as Samsung MZHPV512HDGL-00000 in BIOS.
For anyone interested, I have installed windows 8 in EFI mode first (for activation, you need to upgrade again to install on a new SSD), then upgraded to windows 10 without any hassle. Both media (for installing and upgrading) have to be in EFI mode, this is important. You can upgrade directly from Windows too. Then fresh installed Windows 10 without any issues. Working like a charm now. I have read somewhere that I have to disable CMS settings in BIOS, but I didn’t, and it’s working.
First time I am registering on a forum to say thanks, you saved my day.
@ barisahmet: Welcome at Win-RAID Forum and thanks for your report!
For a proper installation of Win10 onto a Samsung M.2 SSD it is required to boot the OS containing media in UEFI mode, but not to disable completely the CSM settings within the BIOS before starting with the OS installation. Nevertheless you will get the shortest boot time, if you run the OS in "clean" UEFI mode (= CSM disabled).
Over the weekend I have also had fun with a Samsung SM951 M.2 Typ 2280-D3-M (NGFF) - 256GB (B) in a DeLock PCI-Express-x4 Kontroller (which has an M keyed slot, damn the designers!)
I have an ASUS Maximus VI Extreme, with 1603 BIOS, modded based on your guides and files (I updated RAID and SATA). It works perfectly, just have to make sure you edit the BIOS CAP file with Aptio IV tool. The UBU’s Aptio V tool is not good: if you use it, the flashback function will not pick up the BIOS file.
The ‘X79-version of the Samsung DXE module’ works for me as well. I couldn’t help notice that the ‘old-fashioned’ boot simply failes or stucks if I try to boot from the SM951. Which created an interesting problem for me, since I had my system image, with MBR/non-GPT disks. What could be the problem with it? Why is the UEFI mode has to be forced?
I have tested it with Win10 and Win7, the performance holds what is said in the specifications.
Since this week you can now use a windows 7 or windows 8 license key when you install windows 10. no need to install old windows version and upgrade anymore.
@sirvigh : Welcome at Win-RAID Forum and thanks for your feedback!
Because the needed Samsung M.2 BIOS module is an EFI one and will only be loaded in UEFI mode. Any boot in LEGACY mode requires an Option ROM module, which is usually part of the CSMCORE file. Such Option ROM modules are not available for M.2/PCIe connected SSDs.
@isaac : Welcxome at Win-RAID Forum! Question: What has your contribution to do with the topic of this thread?
@ Dieter - one of the participants barisahmet described how he installed windows 10 on his new SM951 (after he got it to boot). he installed win 8 first then upgraded to win 10. that is not necessary anymore, you can use a win 7 or 8 license key to do a clean install of win 10.
AFAIK thisv is an absolutely misleading information. The method to get Win10 "clean" installed by simply entering the valid Win7 or Win8 Key, that means without having done a previous upgrade procedure, is only valid for the latest Win10 insider versions from Build 10565 up.
Yes that is correct, I should have mentioned it when I posted it (although I did say its not necessary anymore) . However I would like to point out that everybody can get the Win 10 -10565 iso if they want to.
It is hard to believe, that it is possible to boot directly off a PCIe connected NVMe SSD with a system, which doesn’t have an UEFI BIOS. I suspect, that the boot sector (here: MBR) of Eddies’s P45 system is on another drive. If I am right, Eddie would not be able to boot into the OS, which has been installed onto the Samsung 950 Pro, when all other drives have been unplugged.
Well, i also thought of that, but last screenshot in his post shows that it is the only drive connected. There is a usb flash drive connected, but the disk management info does not show any indication that it stores boot data :
@Fernando I did not succeed (yet) to get a SM951 AHCI bootable on a P8Z77 PC. Currently I have a 840 PRO 256 GB W10 bootable media. I want to get now a SM951 512 GB M.2 SSD AHCI device the boot media (plugged in an add-in PCIe Gen3.0 card). i have backupped the current ssd system image (.tib and .ami files) for pratical reasons. I have restored the image on the SM951 device, but whatever the tool used for restore the SM951 is not recognized as a bootable device. I thought the P8Z77 BIOS was natively compatible with SM951 … so, I assume a module is missing somewhere in the ASUS BIOS. I want to insert the missing UEFI module (=*.ffs file). Do you have the appropriate .ffs file somewhere compatible with P8Z77 main BIOS ? By the way a test done on saberX99 get the same result: SM951 not bootable. Is the same .ffs file missing or do we need another .ffs file specific to aptio 5 x99 BIOS ?
Attached to >this< post you can find a Samsung EFI BIOS module, which I had extracted from my ASRock Z97 Extreme6 BIOS. With this module I don’t have any problem to boot off the Samsung SM951 AHCI SSD, which is connected to the M.2 port. What I do not know is, whether this module is usable with your ASUS Z77 or Z170 mainboard.
AFAIK there are at least 3 possible reasons: 1. You have inserted the Samsung_M2_DXE module into the wrong BIOS volume (it should be the same volume number, where the CSMCORE module is situated). 2. The inserted Samsung module, which had been extracted from an ASRock Z97 BIOS, doesn’t suit your ASUS Z77 mainboard. 3. You haven’t set the required BIOS setting for booting in UEFI mode. Proof: You obviously have chosen an MBR and not a GPT boot sector.
I don’t think, that CSM has to be completely disabled to get benefit from the inserted Samsung_M2_DXE module while booting.
Thanks Fernando, Reason 1): not, CSMCORE module was situated at volume 2. Reason 2): may be ASROCK and ASUS don’t use the same version of ‘Samsung_M2_DXE’ in their “Aptio 4” BIOS Reason 3): i have to do some tests
I am not sure until now. Please unplug temporarily all other drives and let the computer show the bootable devices after having restarted the computer.
@Fernando , I have done 2 tests about SM951 AHCI bootability on SaberX99, using the just released new BIOS v2001.
Test 1: Cloning I have tried to clone the W10 x64 i750 system on the SM951 AHCI. Cloning does not work (using ATIH 2016) because process does not complete normally: The cloning process starts well, and proposes well a reboot to be done, but after reboot the system waits for about 1 minute the target SSD be “ready” and reply ‘waiting for some peripherals to be ready’. That means that even on this x99 PC the SM951 AHCI is not recognized as potential bootable.
Test 2: Restore via AOEMI WinPE boot media, with option Universal Restore (when source storage hardware and target storage hardware are different (i750 NVMe 400 GB -> SM951 AHCI 512 GB) The Restore was OK as reported:
However, trying to Reboot on SM951 device which is a ‘clone’ of the source goes to a Windows screen (blue) telling clearly “this device is not bootable”.
So, the 2 tests confirm a missing piece of software module in the ASUS bios !!
On the Aptio 5 ASUS saber BIOS i don’t see any CSMCORE item to insert the “Samsung DXE module”. I ignore what module(s) to add on this specific BIOS to support a SM951 AHCI bootable.
i have asked to ASUS but don’t hope have a ‘smart’ reply except that they do not support BIOS modding… Any idea from ASUS x99 users are wellcome !
