It is no problem to clone the entire data content from one Disk Drive to another, but you will not be able to boot directly off the NVMe drive after having done that, because the needed Windows Boot Manager entries are different, when the new system drive is connected to another Storage Controller than the previously used one.
Okay, thanks. Iām assuming though that if I make a backup of the boot drive after I do a fresh OS install onto the NVMe drive, I can restore it normally, correct? Iām planning on switching from Acronis to Macrium Reflect soon.
Thats not true. I have successfully cloned a Sata disk onto a Nvme disk and removed the sata disk and been able to boot off the newly cloned nvme disk holding the Windows 10 Clone. The problem is that I have found that major Windows updates from one version to the next fails probably because its a clone and the entries are different like you said. So its best to do a fresh install if you can.
Hello Everybody,
Thank you Fernando and active members of this thread who led me to simple and fast solution.
Firstly, launch Windows 10 installation through USB, partitioned my new SSD (windows installation recognized it) and installed Windows on it. Unfortunately, BIOS unrecognized my new SSD, so i started to dig information and found this exclusive topic. Further, modified BIOS according Fernandoās instructions and re-flashed through Windows 7 on my old HDD with @BIOS software. After reboot Windows started through my new SSD. Nice and easy!
My current system: MB: Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3 (rev. 1.x), CPU: Intel Core i5 4440, Disk Drives: Booted on IntelĀ® SSD DC P3100 Series 256GB, M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0 x4 with I-Tec PCI-e 2x M.2 Card + TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB, Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4600, OS: Win10 Pro x64
@rambler :
Welcome to the WinRAID Forum!
Thanks for your feedback. It is fine, that you succeeded and now can enjoy the speed of your NVMe SSD.
Question: Which one of the offered NVMe modules did you insert into the BIOS?
Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)
Well, I did the procedure yesterday. Count me in as another success story. Had no issues whatsoever and everything went without a hitch. Installed Windows 10 Professional onto my Samsung 960 EVO NVMe SSD and everything works fine. Even seems to boot a few seconds quicker than with my old SATA SSDs.
A big thank you to Fernando and his guide and those others who contributed and helped enhance and refine his BIOS mod.
@ManoMan :
Thanks for your feedback! It is fine, that everything works fine.
Final questions:
1. Which NVMe module did you insert into the BIOS?
2. Did you use a cloned or a fresh OS installation?
P8H67-ASUS-3801-NVMe.zip (2.99 MB)
New BIOS on my ASUS P8H67 B3 Revision with NVMe-Module is in place and works as desired. Thanks a lot to everybody!
Modded BIOS is attached.
I used the one contained in the NvmExpressDxe_3.rar archive. I did a fresh installation of Windows 10 from a USB stick formatted with Rufus. The only time I felt nervous after completing the procedure was when I went to back up my boot drive with my Acronis 2014 rescue disc (also on a USB stick). Acronis wouldnāt recognize the new NVMe SSD. Iām guessing Acronis didnāt have drivers for NVMe devices back in 2014 on their rescue mediaā¦ However, a simple upgrade to Acronis 2017 fixed the problem and I was able to successfully backup my new OS installation on the NVMe drive.
@chiefrocker :
It is fine, that you succeeded and are willing to offer your modded BIOS for other interested users with the same mainboard model, but you should do it within the related Sub-Forum and not here.
Much more interesting for the visitors of this thread would be your report about
a) which NVMe module version you inserted into the BIOS and
b) the exact procedure how you succeeded.
Okā¦ Iāve modded a few bios in the past for various reasons. worked through it and have gotten them to work (Intel ME, Video Card mods, Processor code), but I canāt seem to get this one going. Ultimately, I am not getting the āWindows Boot Managerā Option in BIOS.
SYSTEM:
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-M Pro (link: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z68M_PRO/)
BIOS: Version 4003 (link: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z68M_PRO/HelpDesk_BIOS/ )
NVMe SSD: Samsung 960 EVO 500GB (link: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/ownersā¦eries-250gb-1tb )
NVMe adapter: Addonics ADM2NVMPX4 (PCIe 3.0 4x) (link: http://www.addonics.com/products/adm2nvmpx4.php )
Installed in PCIe 4x slot (lower)
PCIe 16x slot: EVGA NVidia 980 Ti
PSU: EVGA 850 B2
Windows 10 Pro x64 (fully updated)
THE DRIVE WORKS GREAT:
The new 960 EVO works perfectly on Windows 10. Speeds cap at 1.5GB/s due to the PCIe 2.0 4x slot speed and lane limitations (as expected), but still works perfect. I was even able to use Macrium Reflect Pre-Boot Windows PE environment to transfer the image from my current SSD RAID 0 config over to the new 960 EVO.
WHAT I HAVE TRIED SO FAR:
1. Iāve used the UEFI Tool to insert the DXE files into the ASUS 4003 version BIOS.
--------- Iāve tried version 2 (compressed and uncompressed), & version 3 (uncompressed only, see below for reason)
--------- I noticed in your example on page one, the last DXE entry is āPcieLaneDXEā, which also shows up in the Z97 BIOSā¦ should I need to add that as well, maybe extracted from the P8Z68-V Pro BIOS? The last one on my M-Pro BIOS is the āProjectDXEā entry.
2. I have also tried the method you described in post #117, where you modded the BIOS for an ASUS P8Z68-V, and added the 3 NVMe files you extracted from the Z97 BIOS.
--------- Iāve also tried adding the DXE module along with these extracted filesā¦ versions 2 and 3.
So thatās 6 different modded BIOS that I have attempted, each of them allowed me to insert the modules with out any issues, but none of them show the āWindows Boot Managerā option.
CLARIFICATION:
1. DXE Module Insertion: I could not really tell if I should be using the ācompressedā, or āUncompressedā version. Iāve tried bothā¦ the compressed v3 showed Asian characters at the end of the DXE name, so I never tried flashing that oneā¦ But I did try to uncompressed v2 and v3, and the compressed v2ā¦ didnāt seem to matter though.
2. File Extraction and Insertion from Z97: I was not really clear on āAs-Isā vs āUncompressedā options on extraction and insertionā¦
----- Does it matter?
----- If you extract Uncompressedā¦ do you insert āAs-Isā when adding them to your new file? Or does you need to insert them ācompressedā??
At this pointā¦ any help would be great.
Thank in advance!
@RedJamaX :
Welcome to the Win-RAID Forum!
- The āWindows Boot Managerā will not be be shown within the BIOS before you have started the OS installation.
Nevertheless you should be able to boot off the USB Flash Drive with the OS image in UEFI mode
2. You can insert the EFI NVMe module as it is or compressed.
3. Both offered NvmExpressDxe_3 modules (uncompressed and pre-compressed) are ok and can be used. You can easily verify it, if you use the UEFITool instead of the AMI MMTool.
Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)
Windows Install worked perfectā¦
Also of noteā¦ My old image had an MBR partition and EFI modules require GPTā¦ So I was forced to re-install Windows. After that it worked prefect.
The Method I am using, was to edit the latest BIOS version with the UEFI Tool in order to insert the Nvme DXE (v3, uncompressed) modules into a new BIOS file (insert using āas-isā), then applying that new BIOS via the UEFI BIOS Interface built in to the ASUS BIOS GUI.
Just to recap:
SYSTEM:
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-M Pro (link: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z68M_PRO/)
BIOS: Version 4003 (link: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z68M_PRO/HelpDesk_BIOS/ )
NVMe SSD: Samsung 960 EVO 500GB (link: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/ownersā¦eries-250gb-1tb )
NVMe adapter: Addonics ADM2NVMPX4 (PCIe 2.0/3.0 4x) (link: http://www.addonics.com/products/adm2nvmpx4.php )
Installed in PCIe 2.0 4x slot (lower) - Caps at 1.5GB/s speeds, still way better than SSD.
Windows 10 Pro x64 (fully updated) on GPT-based Partition
@RedJamaX :
Thanks for your feedback. It is fine, that you succeeded.
Enjoy the speed of your NVMe SSD as bootable system drive!
Buy it. I have the same board as mATX version. It is really worth the effort and the modding is done in 5 minutes.
@e.v.o :
Thanks for your tip, but the user ManoMan reported already >here< and >here< about his success and how he did it.
So he obviously bought the NVMe SSD and got it bootable before he was able to read your advice.
I have the same UEFITool problem as Singularity. I have tried all uncompressed and pre-compressed versions of NvmExpressDxE, same error "invalid UEFI volume" reconstructVolume: root volume canĀ“t be grown.
I have Asus P8P67 rev 3.1 motherboard with 3602 bios. I really like to get this working with Samsung EVO 960 and PCIe-adapter. Can you @Fernando help me?
@Esdesk :
Welcome to the Win-RAID Forum!
AFAIK Singularity has solved his problem.
Regarding the specific error message you got I recommend to read carefully the start post of this thread. There you will find a link to an advice given by CodeRush how to solve the DXE Driver Volume space problem within the BIOS.
Furthermore you should have a look into my new guide about how to work with the UEFITool. It is within the start post of >this< thread.
@Singularity
@Esdesk :
Since it doesnāt make much sense to have different threads about exactly the same topic, I have merged your posts and the related discussion into this thread and hope for your understanding.
Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)
I wish to thank Fernando and other active members of win-raid forum, who helped me and many other members,
and to inform interested, that I managed to install a MyDigitalSSD BPX M.2 PCIE NVMe MLC SSD, 240GB, as a
bootable drive (Win 7 x64 Pro) on a Gigabyte H97-D3H motherboard, with a latest BIOS.
I used a simple, $12, Chinese PCIe M.2 adapter (with a fan!), because M.2 SSDs are know for high working
temperatures. I ordered it by Ali-express, from Hong Kong.
I did not do any BIOS modding. This is what I did :
I installed Win 7 x64 Pro by using UEFI USB OS installation (made with Rufus - with GPT partitioning) on my regular
SATA SSD. Then I cloned it to a M.2 SSD (with Aomei Bacuper), disconnected my standard SSD, rebooted PC, adjusted
my bios to boot from a new Microsoft boot manager, and rebooted. Wolaā¦
It sounds very easy, but it took days in reading, learning, tryingā¦ all because MS does not respect us, consumers,
and implement necessary drivers in Windows.
PS: A working temperature of BPX SSD is about 20C higher then standard (950Evo) SSD. In my good ventilating
case, on a PCIe adapter with a fan, it is around 40-50C.
I saved a lot of time by implementing a Win 7 ISO (from internet), with integrated NVME, USB3,ā¦ drivers und updates.
If you do not find one, you have to do a full system update (to get MS hot fixes for NVME, etc.), before cloning.
For the UEFI OS instalation and activation, I strongly recomend useing a Pro or Enterprise OS versions, and skip Ultimate OS version.