UX550GE can't install Windows 10, NVMe not found.

[IvanCN]

Hi,

I have an Asus UX550GE that was given at work. I decided to install Ubuntu 20.04 on it. The Ubuntu installation worked flawlessly. After using Ubuntu on it, we decided that we needed to get it back on Windows 10. I downloaded the Windows 10 installer, and as soon as I ran it I got a message asking for drivers since no storage device was found.

This was about one month ago, during the last month I have been going back and forth with the support team from Asus, they always apologize and get back to me with the same link to download drivers. I have tried all of the drivers on their support site and no one works.

After reading a little more on the topic I realized that this is related to the Intel's VMD platform that causes the Windows installer to not be able to "see" the NVMe drive. In most of the support tutorials I found that the workaround is to disable VMD from the BIOS. The thing is that this UX550GE doesn't have the option to disable VMD. As I said, this has been going for a month, the solution from Asus was to send them the laptop and to pay 86 CAD just for the verification plus the fees for the "repair". I mean, the laptop is not damaged, it should be a straightforward process. I am writing here as a last resort, maybe someone has gone through the same painful process and has been able to solve this.

Thx in advance.

[Falcon_ASUS]

@IvanCN
Is the BIOS version being used the latest one? Have you previously referred to this FAQ for troubleshooting? 
[Notebook/AIO] Troubleshooting - How to fix the problem that cannot find drives when installing Wind...
If you still can't locate the option, could you provide a screenshot for me to confirm?
Thank you.

[IvanCN]

Hi @Falcon_ASUS 

I already installed the latest BIOS (Version 308 7.59 MB 2020/06/02) available from:
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/supportonly/ux550ge/helpdesk_bios/

Can't locate the option within the BIOS to disable VMD. Will send you a link via PM with the BIOS pictures.

[Falcon_ASUS]

@IvanCN
I have forwarded the information to the relevant department. 
We will keep you updated and your consideration will be very much appreciated.

[Falcon_ASUS]

@IvanCN
After confirmation by our technical team, due to the fact that your laptop model is from an earlier generation, it is considered an older model and there's no need to disable VMD (this is required only for 11th generation platforms and later).

Please start by checking if the SSD is detected in the BIOS.
If the SSD is not visible in the BIOS, it might indicate a hardware problem.
If the BIOS detects the SSD, but the SSD is not found during the OS installation, the issue might be with the operating system you are using. 
In this case, we recommend sending your laptop to a service center to have the ASUS OS installed.
Sorry for any inconvenience it may be caused.