Windows 7 on NVMe SSD - Can MS Hotfixes be skipped and directly Vendors pure drivers be used during Setup?

Important Drivers Specific: NVMe Drivers
1

Hi,
Please excuse me if this is a very basic question…but I have this doubt. I am yet to buy Samsung NVMe SSD so this is more of a ‘what if’ question.

Let’s say I have Samsung 960 EVO NVMe SSD connected to M.2 slot and I wish to install Windows 7 on to it.

One method is of course slipstream the MS Hotfixes into Boot.Wim (Index 1 & 2) & Install.wim (applicable Index matching your version of Windows 7, and also slipstream other USB xHCI drivers) and allow the Windows setup to seamlessly detect NVMe drive during boot & setup GUI. A very detailed procedure is given here.

However what I am wondering is, can I totally skip MS Hotfixes, and just rely on Samsung’s Pure drivers (INF,SYS, CAT files). The method I plan to use is to put them on CD or Pen drive and then load during ‘Load Driver’ GUI prompt when Windows would fail to detect storage device. Will this method detect NVMe drive and proceed with installation?

Are MS Hotfixes (2990941 & 3087873) absolutely a must to detect NVMe device on Windows 7 before vendor specific drivers can be installed?

Are Samsung vendor specific pure drivers some sort of boot type drivers that need to start with Windows kernel or can they be safely used later during later GUI stage, ‘Load Driver’ prompt during setup?

I did consult Samsung support in my country, but they refused to answer once I told them that I have actually extracted the pure drivers (INF,SYS,CAT etc) from the exe. They seem to expect users to just run the EXE on top of Windows. Which means I need to first install Windows 7 on a standard SATA device, then run Samsung driver EXE, then attach NVMe drive and then clone the disk and disconnect SATA drive!

Thanks and regards.

2


Hi

Let see what is kb2990941. fix update classpnp.sys (ver.18615 & 22823), storport.sys (ver.18615 & 22823) and install new driver "MS Standard NVM Express Controller" (stornvme.sys), Kb3087873 is update of storport.sys to ver. 18969 & 23172. If you plan install samsung drivers, you no need for ms driver.
Remaining updated classpnp.sys (ver.18615 & 22823), storport.sys (ver.18615 & 22823 & 18969 & 23172) is big question. I think w7 will not load properly vendors’s drivers with old version of these sys files.

3

@rohith:
Since the NVMe Controller of the Samsung 960 EVO SSD is fully supported by the “pure” 32/64bit Samsung NVMe drivers v3.0.0.1802 WHQL for Win7, it should be no problem to get full access to the NVMe SSD from scratch by integrating the driver into the Win7 Image.
You can find these “pure” Samsung NVMe drivers >here<.

4

Hi Fernando! What about Crucial and NVMe drivers from vendor? Is there pure version which will work for upgrade process on SSD?
Crucial officially says their M.2 NVMe is not working on win 7. But it works for me but some limitations.

@rohitg Hi can you share extracted drivers with me? I will test them if they are really Samsung or modded MS drivers. I am on Crucial M.2 NVMe so a bit different story.

5

@PitKoz :
AFAIK there are no NVMe drivers, which were manufactured by the Company Crucial.

6

So all this universal NVMe driver shall be used.

7

@Mov_AX_0xDEAD


Hi

Let see what is kb2990941. Fix update classpnp.sys (ver.18615 & 22823), storport.sys (ver.18615 & 22823) and install new driver "MS Standard NVM Express Controller" (stornvme.sys), Kb3087873 is update of storport.sys to ver. 18969 & 23172. If you plan install Samsung drivers, you no need for ms driver.
Remaining updated classpnp.sys (ver.18615 & 22823), storport.sys (ver.18615 & 22823 & 18969 & 23172) is big question. I think w7 will not load properly vendor’s drivers with old version of these sys files.


Is there any chance to have those drivers in generic MS updates in form of USB or floppy form to add by F6 during installation?
Can we have it for download.
I am still using those forms when updating my server with 2020ZCR SCSI raid driver. And it works smoothly.

8

@PitKoz :
The NVMe Controllers of a very few NVMe SSDs, which were manufactured by Intel, Plextor, Samsung, Toshiba or Western Digital, are natively supported by WHQL certified third party NVMe drivers. For all others there is no alternative to the MS NVMe Hotfixes, when Win7 shall be freshly installed onto the NVMe SSD.

9

No.

10

But those drivers can be extracted or not from those hotfixes? And just use the latest versions. There is something like driver backup utility will it work?

11

@PitKoz :
Only drivers, which are either an integral part of the OS or WHQL certified, are accepted by the Win7 Setup during the first ("textmode") part of the OS installation.
The generic MS in-box drivers have no *.cat file, that means no digital signature.