Hero Z690 having issues with getting windows errors and nvme drive not working

[Medwynd]

EDIT:
ASUS has recognized this as an official issue:

Hi all,
For WHEA 17 error, our tech team have reported it and co-work with Intel.
If there is any news, I'll keep updated.
Thank you.

Possible solutions for this issue can be accomplished in one of two ways, both involve turning off PCI Express power management.
1. In windows go to Power Options and change the plan setting to High Performance . You may also be able to just go to the advanced settings and change Link State Power Management to "off"
2. In the BIOS set PCI Express Native Power Management to disabled instead of auto


Trying to track down is this is an issue with the motherboard, the nvme drive, or drivers.

Using windows 11 on a Hero Z690 with a WD sn850 nvme drive.

Occasionally the drive will appear, sometimes it will take a reboot, sometimes it will appear then disappear. Getting these types of error an warning events:

After rebooting I see
Source: Microsoft-Windows-WHEA-Logger
Description: A corrected hardware error has occurred.
Component: PCI Express Root Port
Error Source: Advanced Error Reporting (PCI Express)
Primary Device Name:PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_7AB4&SUBSYS_86941043&REV_11

Looking in device manager I see that Intel PCI Express Root Port #13 - 7AB4
Device PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_7AB4&SUBSYS_86941043&REV_11\3&11583659&0&EC had a problem starting.

Then later
Source: stornvme
Reset to device, \Device\RaidPort3, was issued.

Source: stornvme
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\RaidPort3.

Followed by some warning errors on the source disk such as ntfs unable to flush data etc. presumably because the drive no longer has connection or is in some otherwise bad state.

I'm using the latest drivers from the support page for the chipset and everything else.

Any ideas where to start with this? I'm not sure if I have a bad motherboard, a bad nvme drive or possibly just some bad drivers.

[Wrathier]

STARRAIN@ROG wrote:
Hi Wrathier,
Do you mean the NVME SSD didn't disappear in bios or in windows but you cannot format it in windows?
Have you tried 2 different NVME SSD, but you have the above issue on both NVME SSD? only SATA drives are working fine?
Did it also occur on bios 0811 with bios all default settings?
Thank you.

Hi,

So the drive was disappeared as boot drive. - the NVME drives. - The boot drive and the slave drive. I could however to begin with after installing on the SATA SSD see them in Windows, but couldn't complete a format of them. A few hours later they were not showing up in Windows either anymore.

Then all of the sudden the PC got again restarts etc, but without any BSOD or anything in event viewer besides what you already know.

I have now REMOVED both NVME drives from the PC and it's rock stable. No issues, no restarts nothing strange.

As soon as I insert a NVME M.2 again, everything f.... up. The computer crashes etc etc.

I have no clue what exactly is going on. I also tested all BIOS's one more time, just to make sure that I have done everything I could before removing the drives again. - On default settings. The 1st BIOS the Version 0223 didn't even work with XMP 1 or II. But I tested it anyway, perhaps my drive(s) would have worked.

It seems like something might be broken? - Something in the PCI subsystem? I don't know honestly.

I will for now until you/we find a fix run with a normal SSD and an old mechanical 500GB drives so I at least can play Vanguard etc here in the holidays.

Waiting eagerly for your response.

[Medwynd]

After a week and a half of no issues my second NVME drive disappeared again when attempting to start a game. Windows blue screened and dumped. Rebooting 3 or 4 times seemed to make the drive appear again in windows.

There doesnt appear to be any data loss and it isnt a bad drive. Setting the pci power management in the BIOS didnt seem to have an effect as I had to still reboot 2 times after changing that setting.

The boot NVME drive and my sata SSD seem to be stable and fine throughout this process.

[STARRAIN_ROG]

Hi all,
For WHEA 17 error, please enter Advanced Mod > Platform Misc Configuration > PCI Express Native Power Management > Disabled and then check the errors and NVME SSD again.
Thank you.

[Eaton]

STARRAIN@ROG wrote:
Hi all,
For WHEA 17 error, please enter Advanced Mod > Platform Misc Configuration > PCI Express Native Power Management > Disabled and then check the errors and NVME SSD again.
Thank you.

Every time I disable that, save & exit, and then go back into the BIOS to check, it's enabled again. Changing that setting doesn't seem to "stick". At least on my Z690 Hero, BIOS 0811.

[Eaton]

Eaton wrote:
Every time I disable that, save & exit, and then go back into the BIOS to check, it's enabled again. Changing that setting doesn't seem to "stick". At least on my Z690 Hero, BIOS 0811.

Update - I discovered if you have Advanced / PCI Subsystem Settings / SR-IOV Support Enabled, then it forces PCI Express Native Power Management enabled, and cannot be disabled.

Apparently by design.

[Wrathier]

STARRAIN@ROG wrote:
Hi all,
For WHEA 17 error, please enter Advanced Mod > Platform Misc Configuration > PCI Express Native Power Management > Disabled and then check the errors and NVME SSD again.
Thank you.

On the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-f Gaming Wifi it does solve that error, but produces other errors like Event ID 51.

And unfortunately it doesn't solve the fact, that the drive randomly disappears. I thought to begin with that it was a WD Black SN850 Gen 4 drive issue, but it does the same on a Samsung 960 Pro Gen 3 drive. I have tested both drives with fresh Windows. The 1st week I owned the board I only had one crash and for like 7 days it worked and all this issues with my boot drive missing in BIOS etc started after like a week.

Now I have been running on a normal SSD with a normal mechanical drive for games over the Christmas days, playing Vanguard everyday etc and have not encountered the slightest issue with the board. Yesterday I installed my Gen 4 drive again and the computer spasms out to the point where I need to remove the drive again.

Even @Medwynd have issues again after like 10 days good run with no issues with his slave M.2 disappearing.

I have asked INET.SE to buy the board back... but I have not yet sent it to them as I'm a bit hesitant. If I don't HAVE TO I'm not going to. Too much hassle disassembling my rig and build it again etc if this is solved by a BIOS and Windows drivers. - Changes I get the same issues on the next board are pretty big.

According to some of my research into all this error codes, it seems like GIGABYTE has similar issues on some boards.

So a long story short:

Event ID 11, Disk: The driver detected a controller error on \Device\RaidPortX (X being the number of the M.2 slot the drive are inserted into) - Can't format drive due to that error coming.

Event Id 51

BSOD: CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED

Source: Microsoft-Windows-WHEA-Logger
Description: A corrected hardware error has occurred.
Component: PCI Express Root Port
Error Source: Advanced Error Reporting (PCI Express)
Primary Device Name:PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_7AB4&SUBSYS_86941043&REV_11
(NOT DUE TO OC as we all have tested both with and without OC)

Drives for multiple members in this forum have the same issue: Drives randomly dissapears. Some restarts - a lot of restarts in some cases and a few in other cases shows the drives again - but in my case they are still not functional resulting in a BSOD: CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED. - That is logical since the hard drive comes and goes as it pleases it can't read system files needed for Windows to run.

So ASUS support. What are your suggesting? RMA the boards?

This is what your official support told me - But that is SYKES, so I don't take that seriously honestly, as they know nothing of IT in the same way I do:

servicecenter_emea
21 dec. 2021 16:39 (för 7 dagar sedan)
till mig

Customer Service Feedback

##Please reply back with your answer above the line##

Hello John!

Thank you for contacting ASUS Support.

Unfortunately, the BIOS versions in this list are the only available option you have to pick from: https://rog.asus.com/us/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-z690-f-gaming-wifi-model/helpdesk_bios

If updating the BIOS version doesn't help, the motherboard is most likely faulty.

If that's the case, i recommend that you check with the retailer you purchased this motherboard from.

Let us know if there are any questions or anything else we can help you with.
Have a nice day!

Best Regards,
Carlos_L
ASUS Nordic
Technical Support Department
Receive direct support for your ASUS All-in-One, Desktop, LCD,
Notebook, Mobile phone and network products.
From Sweden: 0046(0)8 587 69 407
ASUS Supportsite: http://support.asus.com

"Please do not remove any of the previous correspondence in this mail.�
By sending emails to ASUS, you agree that ASUS may collect your email address, name of email account and other information included in your emails to ASUS to fulfill your request for customer support service, and also agree to the “ASUS Privacy Policy�.

------------------

So are this the case, are my motherboard faulty? Or will it be fixed? I just need to know so I can take the right action. I have been using ASUS longer than the oldest supporter on SYKES have been alive most likely, but I'm getting pretty annoyed by this issue.

Gigabyte seemed to sort the same issues by making a new BIOS: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/nvme-and-gigabyte-z690-gaming-x-ddr4.3732759/

EDIT: To my disappointment BIOS Version 0811 from the 2021/12/22 does NOT solve any issues in regards to this.

EDIT II: I hope I have sorted the issue for my WD Black SN850 1TB Gen 4 at least... I have ordered a ICY BOX IB-PCI208-HS PCI PCIe x4 and will try to run the disk trough PCI and not directly in the motherboards PCIE-E subsystem. Hopefully a fix will come so I can use my 2TB NVME as well.

[STARRAIN_ROG]

Hi Wrathier,
Do you get Event ID 51 error after booting into windows or while running the specific apps?
Did it occur with bios all default setting except disable PCI Express Native Power Management?
Did the NVME SSD disappear in bios after any settings changed or running the specific apps?
May I have the following information?
- the serial number of the motherboard via PM
- the brand and the model name of CPU, RAM, graphics card, PSU
(Please check the specific model name of the RAM such as G.SKILL F5-6800U4040G16GX2-TZ5S.)
- Which M.2 slot do you install WD Black SN850 and Samsung 960 Pro in?
- OS version and OS build
Thank you.

[STARRAIN_ROG]

Hi Eaton,
Did it occur with bios all default setting except disable PCI Express Native Power Management?
Thank you.

[Eaton]

STARRAIN@ROG wrote:
Hi Eaton,
Did it occur with bios all default setting except disable PCI Express Native Power Management?
Thank you.

No, I've made various changes to other settings. Is there something that conflicts with this setting? It's the only one I've had problems toggling.

[Grendel602]

Eaton wrote:
No, I've made various changes to other settings. Is there something that conflicts with this setting? It's the only one I've had problems toggling.

Update to the newest firmware and BIOS from the ASUS support page.

Reset your BIOS to defaults.

Reboot.

Make note of any errors. If none, you are good and report back.

If you get errors go back into BIOS and disable PCIE Express Native Power Management.

Reboot.

Make note of any errors. If none, you MIGHT be good to go.

Do some stress tests and play some games. Make note of any BSOD errors.

Report back.

****Do not make multiple changes at once or you won't be able to trouble shoot properly.

If you exhaust all of the above options and you are on WIN 11 you can try updating to the most recent windows 11 insider preview build and see if that fixes things.


These errors are a result of a fault along the PCIE Express Lane. Could be BIOS or chipset or a programing conflict from hardware drivers using that lane it isn't unique to NVME drives, but to any hardware using that particular lane. Others see it manifested with GPU's, like I did.

I doubt it is an actual MOBO hardware error.