Help figuring out NVME drive/mainboard issue (no boot no good)

[GeromeDoutrande]

I seem to have encountered a problem with my NVME operating system ssd and/or the mainboard it is plugged into.

Problem description
- The following has happened on my gaming computer, which is use quite rarely overall. MB is Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero, the NVME SSD is a Corsair MP510. There is also a SATA data SSD in the PC, other than that there is nothing special going on I think:

1. Saw a BSOD while I was remote desktoping into the gaming computer this afternoon. Waited a bit and when the BSOD progress bar for the error dump didn't move after a while, rebooted the PC.
2. Couldn't remote desktop into the PC after reboot so I checked and just saw a blank black screen (powered on) when switching to the gaming PC input
3. BIOS is very slow to get to the point where it displays the BIOS menu, but it works
4. THE NVME SSD is sometimes being shown in the BIOS, and sometimes it is not. I haven't been able to identify any pattern when it shows up, but it never seems to be showing as present when I have a USB stick with a Win10 recovery image plugged in.
5. I cannot boot from the NVME SSD (says "no operating system detected" after quite some time)
6. I can boot into a USB recovery windows, but that has so far never detected the NVME SSD (checking on the command line with diskpart it is not showing). The SATA SSD is always showing.

The system has been working fine since 2019 and I have not changed anything recently, so I am assuming for now that there is a hardware issue to be fixed here (also considering the odd on/off visibility of the NVME SSD in the BIOS).

After some searching I have found an old SATA M.2 SSD that I can try in the slot the current NVME SSD is in. The board also has a second M.2 slot that I can use to test. I will test the old SATA M.2 SSD tomorrow and will take a look at just how fucking tedious it is to try the second M.2 slot (may have to remove the CPU cooler to access it). Apart from these trial and error things is there anything else any of you would suggest I take a look at?

[Nordstern]

Sounds like a similar issue to my board, which is also an Asus AMD board...

But you haven't updated the BIOS or drivers recently?

[Daneel Trevize]

Apparently that board doesn't have dual BIOS, so it can't be a swap-over and RAM retraining that's causing the initial boot/POST delay...

If you were having issues while in Win10 I would suggest the power plan advanced details around not letting the PCI-E link go to low power state, but I guess it isn't that either...

Can you try another PSU?

Really it sounds like the NVMe is dying. Does it have a utility from the vendor to get useful SMART data out?

[GeromeDoutrande]

Sounds like a similar issue to my board, which is also an Asus AMD board...

But you haven't updated the BIOS or drivers recently?

Nope, no BIOS updates for some time and just standard Windows updates otherwise.

[GeromeDoutrande]

Apparently that board doesn't have dual BIOS, so it can't be a swap-over and RAM retraining that's causing the initial boot/POST delay...

If you were having issues while in Win10 I would suggest the power plan advanced details around not letting the PCI-E link go to low power state, but I guess it isn't that either...

Can you try another PSU?

Really it sounds like the NVMe is dying. Does it have a utility from the vendor to get useful SMART data out?

I have a PSU here that I bought some time ago in preparation for the new GPU that haven't bought yet, so I will swap that one in once I am done with more directly related stuff.

Corsair has an SSD utility, but I will have to get a new OS drive going first and then there is still the question of whether the drive will be visible since it is on/off available through the BIOS. So also in a little while.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[Hel OWeen]

Corsair has an SSD utility, but I will have to get a new OS drive going first [...]

You can give the live CD/USB version of GParted a try. Despite it's Linix roots, it handles Windows partitions/file systems quite well.

[Spartan Dax]

I'd just start with changing the boot NVME to a different slot. It wouldn't be the first time I'd come across a connection issue and it's always nice to get that option out of the way first.

[GeromeDoutrande]

Corsair has an SSD utility, but I will have to get a new OS drive going first [...]

You can give the live CD/USB version of GParted a try. Despite it's Linix roots, it handles Windows partitions/file systems quite well.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind as an option

[GeromeDoutrande]

I'd just start with changing the boot NVME to a different slot. It wouldn't be the first time I'd come across a connection issue and it's always nice to get that option out of the way first.

Yep, will do that now. Unfortunately I can't try the old M.2 SSD that I have because it is B+M key instead of M key that my board wants.

This morning there was still a big delay between displaying the BIOS screen and entering the BIOS (sometimes >5 minutes) when the NVME SSE was in - and it was never shown as a boot option or anywhere else in the BIOS. I can enter the BIOS menu at normal speeds when the SSD is removed.

[Zekk Pacus]

My gut says your NVMe drive has failed more or less completely.

The UEFI lag is going to be the system trying to communicate with the controller on the SSD to find out what it is and not getting a good answer out of it. Try it in the second slot but also do what Hel suggested and try a live CD - if it is being detected in BIOS then SOMETHING should show up in an OS.

I had similar behaviour with a Crucial MX500 years ago where the system would almost always refuse to boot if it was connected, and on the odd occasion it would boot, reading any info off the SSD was basically impossible.

[GeromeDoutrande]

My gut says your NVMe drive has failed more or less completely.

The UEFI lag is going to be the system trying to communicate with the controller on the SSD to find out what it is and not getting a good answer out of it. Try it in the second slot but also do what Hel suggested and try a live CD - if it is being detected in BIOS then SOMETHING should show up in an OS.

I had similar behaviour with a Crucial MX500 years ago where the system would almost always refuse to boot if it was connected, and on the odd occasion it would boot, reading any info off the SSD was basically impossible.

The NVME drive also does not show up in the BIOS in the second slot on the board, which I think makes it more likely to be the broken bit than the mainboard. I ordered an external enclosure for NVME M.2 drives yesterday evening so I will try whether I can use the drive that way to check whether it can be made to work at all (there are no important data on it) and I will try gparted and will also replace the PSU while I am at it (since I wanted to do this anyway).

Thank again all!

[GeromeDoutrande]

Yep, will do that now. Unfortunately I can't try the old M.2 SSD that I have because it is B+M key instead of M key that my board wants.

I used my brain and google a bit more on this and I should be able to test the m.2 slot with the old B+M ssd since it is a combo version that works with both b and m keys, right?

[GeromeDoutrande]

gparted couldn't see the nvme drive, the external case for the nvme drive arrived and Windows wasn't able to access it through there, when I replaced the nvme drive with the old crucial mx300, the crucial m.2 drive was immediately recognised in the BIOS. Seems fairly clear that the nvme drive is dead?

[Equium Duo]

I actually might be able to help with this one.

Per chance are you using a display port cable for connecting to your display?

I had this happen on a razor laptop and i could replicate it every time on that and multiple other laptops/PCs. I dont know why but it might be the cause of your issue. Buit basically the issue with display port kills all PCI-E lanes, killing the gfx card and the nvme lanes. You get basic vga for bios and thats it.

Maybe this is not your issue but its worth a try. I used hdmi and it was never an issue. I dont knwo why display port is so aids, the monitor display port was what was killing the cables. Don't know why lol.

[GeromeDoutrande]

I actually might be able to help with this one.

Per chance are you using a display port cable for connecting to your display?

I had this happen on a razor laptop and i could replicate it every time on that and multiple other laptops/PCs. I dont know why but it might be the cause of your issue. Buit basically the issue with display port kills all PCI-E lanes, killing the gfx card and the nvme lanes. You get basic vga for bios and thats it.

Maybe this is not your issue but its worth a try. I used hdmi and it was never an issue. I dont knwo why display port is so aids, the monitor display port was what was killing the cables. Don't know why lol.

Sounds nasty. I connect to the monitor via displayport, but for now I think the most likely issue is that the nvme drive is broken. I will keep it in mind and should see whether I have that nasty displayport disease as well when I try to reinstall windows. Thanks!

[Malcanis]

I seem to have encountered a problem with my NVME operating system ssd and/or the mainboard it is plugged into.

Problem description
- The following has happened on my gaming computer, which is use quite rarely overall. MB is Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero, the NVME SSD is a Corsair MP510. There is also a SATA data SSD in the PC, other than that there is nothing special going on I think:

1. Saw a BSOD while I was remote desktoping into the gaming computer this afternoon. Waited a bit and when the BSOD progress bar for the error dump didn't move after a while, rebooted the PC.
2. Couldn't remote desktop into the PC after reboot so I checked and just saw a blank black screen (powered on) when switching to the gaming PC input
3. BIOS is very slow to get to the point where it displays the BIOS menu, but it works
4. THE NVME SSD is sometimes being shown in the BIOS, and sometimes it is not. I haven't been able to identify any pattern when it shows up, but it never seems to be showing as present when I have a USB stick with a Win10 recovery image plugged in.
5. I cannot boot from the NVME SSD (says "no operating system detected" after quite some time)
6. I can boot into a USB recovery windows, but that has so far never detected the NVME SSD (checking on the command line with diskpart it is not showing). The SATA SSD is always showing.

The system has been working fine since 2019 and I have not changed anything recently, so I am assuming for now that there is a hardware issue to be fixed here (also considering the odd on/off visibility of the NVME SSD in the BIOS).

After some searching I have found an old SATA M.2 SSD that I can try in the slot the current NVME SSD is in. The board also has a second M.2 slot that I can use to test. I will test the old SATA M.2 SSD tomorrow and will take a look at just how fucking tedious it is to try the second M.2 slot (may have to remove the CPU cooler to access it). Apart from these trial and error things is there anything else any of you would suggest I take a look at?

Screenshotting this post. Guess where I'm storing the screenshot!

[GeromeDoutrande]

I seem to have encountered a problem with my NVME operating system ssd and/or the mainboard it is plugged into.

Problem description
- The following has happened on my gaming computer, which is use quite rarely overall. MB is Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero, the NVME SSD is a Corsair MP510. There is also a SATA data SSD in the PC, other than that there is nothing special going on I think:

1. Saw a BSOD while I was remote desktoping into the gaming computer this afternoon. Waited a bit and when the BSOD progress bar for the error dump didn't move after a while, rebooted the PC.
2. Couldn't remote desktop into the PC after reboot so I checked and just saw a blank black screen (powered on) when switching to the gaming PC input
3. BIOS is very slow to get to the point where it displays the BIOS menu, but it works
4. THE NVME SSD is sometimes being shown in the BIOS, and sometimes it is not. I haven't been able to identify any pattern when it shows up, but it never seems to be showing as present when I have a USB stick with a Win10 recovery image plugged in.
5. I cannot boot from the NVME SSD (says "no operating system detected" after quite some time)
6. I can boot into a USB recovery windows, but that has so far never detected the NVME SSD (checking on the command line with diskpart it is not showing). The SATA SSD is always showing.

The system has been working fine since 2019 and I have not changed anything recently, so I am assuming for now that there is a hardware issue to be fixed here (also considering the odd on/off visibility of the NVME SSD in the BIOS).

After some searching I have found an old SATA M.2 SSD that I can try in the slot the current NVME SSD is in. The board also has a second M.2 slot that I can use to test. I will test the old SATA M.2 SSD tomorrow and will take a look at just how fucking tedious it is to try the second M.2 slot (may have to remove the CPU cooler to access it). Apart from these trial and error things is there anything else any of you would suggest I take a look at?

Screenshotting this post. Guess where I'm storing the screenshot!

well played sir

[Equium Duo]

I actually might be able to help with this one.

Per chance are you using a display port cable for connecting to your display?

I had this happen on a razor laptop and i could replicate it every time on that and multiple other laptops/PCs. I dont know why but it might be the cause of your issue. Buit basically the issue with display port kills all PCI-E lanes, killing the gfx card and the nvme lanes. You get basic vga for bios and thats it.

Maybe this is not your issue but its worth a try. I used hdmi and it was never an issue. I dont knwo why display port is so aids, the monitor display port was what was killing the cables. Don't know why lol.

Sounds nasty. I connect to the monitor via displayport, but for now I think the most likely issue is that the nvme drive is broken. I will keep it in mind and should see whether I have that nasty displayport disease as well when I try to reinstall windows. Thanks!

Just try with hdmi/vga if able to see if that can avert the issue. I know its not ideal ebcause you lose out some funcitonality, but its an easy test. Just keep it in mind

[Cosmin]

I actually might be able to help with this one.

Per chance are you using a display port cable for connecting to your display?

I had this happen on a razor laptop and i could replicate it every time on that and multiple other laptops/PCs. I dont know why but it might be the cause of your issue. Buit basically the issue with display port kills all PCI-E lanes, killing the gfx card and the nvme lanes. You get basic vga for bios and thats it.

Maybe this is not your issue but its worth a try. I used hdmi and it was never an issue. I dont knwo why display port is so aids, the monitor display port was what was killing the cables. Don't know why lol.

Considering how many people use DP to connect their GPU to their monitor seeing it's the only way to get 144Hz+ and this is the first time I read about this I find it extremely unlikely that this is a problem that is often encountered. But it is worth a test with a VGA/HDMI cable just to check, of course.

[Equium Duo]

I actually might be able to help with this one.

Per chance are you using a display port cable for connecting to your display?

I had this happen on a razor laptop and i could replicate it every time on that and multiple other laptops/PCs. I dont know why but it might be the cause of your issue. Buit basically the issue with display port kills all PCI-E lanes, killing the gfx card and the nvme lanes. You get basic vga for bios and thats it.

Maybe this is not your issue but its worth a try. I used hdmi and it was never an issue. I dont knwo why display port is so aids, the monitor display port was what was killing the cables. Don't know why lol.

Considering how many people use DP to connect their GPU to their monitor seeing it's the only way to get 144Hz+ and this is the first time I read about this I find it extremely unlikely that this is a problem that is often encountered. But it is worth a test with a VGA/HDMI cable just to check, of course.

I couldnt find anyone who had this issue, I could re-produce it no problem, as certain as the sun rise in the morning. I posted on reddit, razer forums. The lot, no one had any idea wtf was going on. I then got another laptop to test and it did the same exact issue. I also tested it on a pc. Same again lol.