ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-I GAMING WIFI - secondary NVME (M2_2) issue

[PeDeGe]

I recently purchased an Alder Lake system (ASUS Z690-I motherboard), but have problems with enabling the secondary NVME SSD (Samsung 980 PRO 2TB) in Windows 11. The drive is detected and visible in the BIOS, but does not show in Windows (or only for a very limited time).

The weird thing is: when installing the Intel RST driver, at around 22% into the process, the secondary NVME SSD is detected by Windows 11 (a notification appears) and useable for a little while. During that time I can copy files to it and the drive operates as normal. When the RST driver installation finishes, even before reboot, the drive is ejected again and unavailable in Disk Management again. I can reproduce this behaviour.

Hardware
--------
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-I GAMING WIFI
CPU: 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12600K
RAM: 2x16GB Crucial DDR5
NVME SSD #1: Samsung SSD 980 PRO 2TB -> connected to CPU (on M2_1), boot drive
NVME SSD #2: Samsung SSD 980 PRO 2TB -> connected to Chipset (on M2_2) -> problem M2 slot
SATA SSD: Samsung SSD 870 QVO 4TB -> not relevant here, but added for completeness

Software
--------
Windows 11 PRO -> fully updated
Intel_RST_Driver_Software_V19.0.0.1067_WIN10_WIN11_64-bit -> downloaded from ASUS (Z690-I) Product Support page

Some observations
-----------------
- Both NVME SSD are technically working correctly. I've switched the drives multiple times and installed Windows on both of them. I've also run self tests and used Samsung Magician for checking the health and performance.

- One time, after switching the drives in the motherboard M2 slots, the secondary drive (in M2_2) was actually active for a short while. During that time I managed to update the firmware of both drives, but shortly after the secondary drive was ejected again.

- During the Intel RST driver installation, the Windows Event Viewer generates the following warning: "The application \Device\HarddiskVolume3\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\iastorvd.inf_amd64_815480839574a92b\RstMwService.exe with process id 3560 stopped the removal or ejection for the device PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_467F&SUBSYS_86941043&REV_00\3&11583659&0&70.
Process command line: C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\iastorvd.inf_amd64_815480839574a92b\RstMwService.exe" -> this seems important, but I'm not able to determine what this exactly means.

- In Windows Event Viewer another error appears after a system reboot/restart: "The driver detected a controller error on \Device\RaidPort2.". I noticed other people experiencing the same problem in this forum, but for a different motherboard, although no resolution there yet. In that thread they concluded it might have to do with SSD power management and suggested to disable "PCI Express Native Power Management" in the BIOS, but that didn't work in my case. More information here: https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?126865-Hero-Z690-having-issues-with-getting-windows-errors...

- Tried Windows 10, but same issue occurs there.

Could you please assist? I'm very confused about this behaviour. For me, it seems now either a hardware malfunction (M2_2 slot defect), a BIOS issue (NVME Power management not working correctly) or a Chipset/RST driver issue.

Thank you.

[donarkada]

Hi, I also had a problems with m2_2 slot from the beginning but I have possible solution.

I have two Samsung 980 pro 1TB disks. First (top) one was working fine but second one not. It was visible in bios but that's all. When installing win10 it had size of 0MB and after installation win disk manager didn't see it.

When I was assembling disks I saw they are bending - especially that on m2_2 slot. On original thermal pads the top radiator has contact on the ends of disk and bends it a little so the bottom thermal pad has contact in the middle. Disks on both slots bends but on m2_1 not as much as like on m2_2 - thats why one disk works fine. While such bending shouldn't have any effect of disk work it affects m2 slot connection and probably there is bad or no contact of all pins.
Some time ago I bought some different thickness thermal pads so the fastest thing to do for me was to replace orignal thermal pads with custom ones. Top thermal pad is 1mm thick which is too much so I replaced it with 0.5mm. Bottom thermal pad (which seems to be too thin (probably 1.5mm) if disk doesn't have any chips on bottom side (I think all disk are like that) would have no contact so I replaced it with thicker one (0.5mm more than original).
After that operation disk is properly working and visible in windows with pciex4.
As I have all PC assembled I couldn't check bending after changing thermal pads I'm sure that disk is not bending (so much) and contact on top should be good. Maybe bottom pad is too thin. Temps on bottom disk are 5 degrees greater than on top one but it can be as its has smaller radiator and it is between mobo and top disk so airflow is worse.

i hope that this is definite solution for m2_2 issues and it help you guys

[Makdaddy]

Hello guys !

Specs :
Intel 12600 K / Rog Strix Z690-A DDR4 / Windows 10 Bios 1003

This might help some of you as it took me a long time to figure out. Out of the many solutions suggested by people here and on the internet i tried this one thing which made my system work normally as it should. Let me tell you first that i did everything right from proper hardware installation to bios update etc. Everything was seated perfectly. There were no mistakes as far as installation goes. Then went on to install proper drivers in windows 10. All the missing driver were properly installed and still it was that notorious 2nd slot NVME that was creating issues. On installation of Intel RST driver it would function normally for some time then either inaccessible or simply disappear.

Solution : I read somewhere on the forum that i had to go into BIOS and disable a setting called VMD. I forgot the exact menu navigation. Some suggested to tinker with it but it was complete disabling of it that did the job. It was just that. VMD is for Xeon processors anyway so it will not make any difference.

Update : The above settings were valid for BIOS 1003. Today same issue came back after updating to lates BIOS 1034. What i did this time was to set the M2_2 to Gen 3 in PCH settings and everything working normally now.

[Synomenon]

So Asus still hasn't fixed this issue yet?

[moffe79]

For me it seems to happen also... randomly. But not only that, also sata drives. I have 3 of them, sometimes 2 of them disappears.
Not only that, I have fingerprint sensor connected to usb front panel and that seems to stop working also.
All this happens randomly.

Power off/on computer fixes it...reboot does not. At least for the drives. I don't think it's a power issues, it can happen when computers is more or less idle.

I'm running Windows 11, but I don't think it's a windows issue. When this happens and reboot and access bios, then drives are not there. If I then power off/on then they are again there.

Specs: Intel 12700K / ROG STRIX Z690-I GAMING WIFI

[codegolem]

Synomenon wrote:
So Asus still hasn't fixed this issue yet?

Hi all!

I had the same issue: drive in M2_2 slot never worked.
Yesterday I have update the BIOS to the latest v 2103, and to my surprise the second disk showed up after reboot, without any other changes to the system.

Did this happen to anybody else? Can we assume that the issue is officially fixed with the latest BIOS?

[codegolem]

codegolem wrote:
Hi all!

I had the same issue: drive in M2_2 slot never worked.
Yesterday I have update the BIOS to the latest v 2103, and to my surprise the second disk showed up after reboot, without any other changes to the system.

Did this happen to anybody else? Can we assume that the issue is officially fixed with the latest BIOS?

ok, forget about this: after another reboot, the drive is still there but it's not accessible anymore 😞

[Yota73]

After sending back a Z690-I because no turn on in any way, my second one has yours same issue.
I put a Samsung 980 Pro 1TB on the mainboard connector and a Samsung 980 1TB on the daughter board.
BIOS 2103 and latest ME firmware and driver.
Before latest ME firmware the MB recognize only the NVME connected directly to the MB but, after the update, the BIOS shows up also the second disk.
BUT when the sysyem is off and I turn on both the drives where not detected, after some reboot/turn off and on the drives where recognized but the PRO drives go to 1x speed.
If I reboot windows after log in the NVME PRO switch to 4x speed.
After the disks are recognized I can reboot the system as many times I want and there are no issues anymore, but if I complete shutdown the system the problem show up again.
It's frustrating!
I use this MB with a i9 13900K and 32GB DDR5 6200Mhz Kingston Fury.
Please ASUS solve this problem or tell us if there is a fix.

[Tejc__]

As I see, we all have problems with Samsung 980 PRO SSD drives, I have a problem with the Samsung 980 PRO 2TB. Has anyone tried other SSD drives from other manufacturers, for example WD, Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, Seagate,... My motherboard is ROG MAXIMUS Z690 HERO.

[markintjf]

I come here in 2023 with a z690 tuf plus + 13700KF and this problem persists here, I keep having nvme drives disappearing, although on a friend's z790 they work perfectly.

Has anyone managed to solve it yet?