How to fix a m2 SSD not showing up in BIOS

fix-m2-ssd-not-showing-up-bios

When your motherboard does not recognize M.2 SSD, then it may be due to different reasons or causes that are causing the recognition not to be done properly. If so, don’t worry, as there is a solution. Here we explain the main reasons and also the solutions explained step by step so that you can solve your problem.

If you have bought a new M.2 SSD and the motherboard does not detect it, it could be for several different reasons. In case of being an M.2 SSD already used, try to check that it is not damaged if you have the possibility of mounting it on another computer or on an external adapter.

Focusing on the most frequent cases when the M.2 SSD storage unit is supposed to be new, then we are going to see the possible causes and the existing solutions that you can apply in each case.

Motherboard – M.2 SSD: are they compatible?

Please note that not all drives are compatible with all motherboards, or not all motherboards are compatible with all M.2 SSDs. Therefore, one of the possible causes that can occur is that they are not compatible due to the connection interface that is used or due to the format of the SSD unit itself.

For this reason, the best thing you can do is read the manual for your motherboard (you can download it from the manufacturer’s official website or from the brand of your computer) and see if the M.2 SSD meets the specifications. If it is not compatible, you already know the reason, so you would have to return your unit and change it for a compatible one, or change the motherboard, as it suits you in your case.

Some specific reasons for incompatibility can be given by:

  • Form or size factor. In this case, although it is rare, the M.2 SSD could not accommodate the drive due to lack of space. For example, imagine that a motherboard is ready for 2242 drives and you have a 2280 drive. In this case, being 80mm long instead of the 42mm it supports, you might have problems trying to trap the device into its slot so that it fits. contact properly.
  • The M.2 interface is not supported as M.2 is just a format, but it can be SATA or NVMe PCIe drives with PCIe. Therefore, check that it is compatible with it.
  • Remember that the PCIe version is not a problem. That is, a PCIe 4.0 drive would work in a slot with the same lanes as PCIe 5.0, but at the speed of version 4.0.
  • The BIOS/UEFI firmware version is causing the M.2 SSD not to be recognized. In this case, you may need to update your firmware version to resolve the issue, but this is risky and you should do it at your own risk. Also, there is not always a more current firmware version than the one you already have. You can check it on the support and download page of the manufacturer of your motherboard or the brand of your equipment.

Bad installation

On the other hand, another thing that you should make sure is that you have installed the M.2 SSD well. Although the installation of these units is simple, just click the M.2 in the corresponding slot and anchor it, it is possible that you have done something wrong if it is the first time you install a unit. Some possible problems are:

  • You have not inserted the M.2 SSD in the proper slot.
  • You have not inserted the M.2 SSD correctly and it does not make contact in the slot.
  • The groove is dirty and that prevents it from making good contact.
  • You may not have properly attached the drive to your motherboard, so it could be moving.

In case all that is OK, then you should go to the next section to continue checking things.

M.2 SSD slot with issues

On some computer motherboards, the slot could be damaged, either because it has a broken contact, or because some of the soldering is in poor condition. In these cases, when you insert the M.2 SSD, the drive will not make good contact and will not be detected. Therefore, it will not work.

This has a bad solution, since you should go to the technical service to replace or solder the slot, or also change the motherboard to solve this problem. Therefore, in no case will it be cheap.

As an extra tip, it wouldn’t hurt to read your motherboard manual either, as sometimes there may be slots that look alike and aren’t intended for M.2 SSDs, and even the motherboard’s RAID controller needs them to be there. placed in a specific order and you are inserting it into a different numbered slot than you should. This may be one of the problems why the motherboard does not recognize M.2 SSD.

PCIe controller or chipset issues

On the other hand, another possible problem could be that a chipset or a PCIe controller chip on your motherboard is having problems. For example, there could be voltage problems, or these chips have some kind of problem. In this case, you can check the BIOS/UEFI to see if you have a voltage option for these drives and you can turn the voltage up a bit to solve the problem.

If nothing works, go to the next step…

The SSD appears in the BIOS but is not recognized by the operating system

Another case that could be happening is that you access the BIOS/UEFI of your motherboard and see that the M.2 SSD has been recognized by the motherboard. Instead, when you exit firmware to boot the operating system, the drive is not recognized by the operating system itself. In this case, the problem would not be physical. It could be as simple as not having a file system or partitions assigned to it.

For example, in Windows you would have to follow some very simple steps to format your new M.2 SSD if you are going to dedicate it for data. In this case, the steps are:

  1. Access the Windows Disk Manager.
  2. Once the window opens, you should see the list of all connected drives and the new M.2 SSD drive you installed should appear.
  3. Then right-click on the area of this drive that should be labeled “Unallocated.”
  4. Then, in the menu that is displayed, select “New simple volume…”, although you can choose other options depending on what you are going to use this unit for.
  5. The following will be to wait for the end of the process assigned the letter, space, partitions and format. It’s all very simple thanks to the wizard.
  6. Once finished, click Finish and everything will be ready. If you go to the drive letter created you can now access your drive and start using it.

Finally, if none of the above has worked for you and your motherboard still does not recognize the M.2 SSD drive, then you should reconsider that your drive may be defective or damaged. If it is new, it could be the case that it has a factory fault, although this is usually unlikely since they are checked before being packaged.