[Guide] How to install Windows on an Intel VMD-enabled laptop
Video
Table of Contents
Introduction
Can't see any drives when you are installing Windows? This is a result of Intel VMD, which manages storage drives and allows RAID configuration in laptops with Intel 10th generation and above processors. Follow this guide to learn how to install Windows on your laptop.
I do not need RAID.
If you do not need RAID, you can simply disable Intel VMD in the BIOS.
For Clevo laptops, follow these steps:
- Hold the F2 key while powering on your laptop until you enter the BIOS screen.
- Select Setup Utility.
- Go to Advanced.
- Change Enable VMD Controller to Disabled.
Then, proceed to install Windows as desired.
1. Download Windows
In case you haven't already, download Windows 10/11 from Microsoft's website.
For this step, you need another computer with access to the Internet, and a USB flash drive with at least 8GB of storage.
Link: Windows 10
Link: Windows 11
Download the media creation tool under Create Windows 10 Installation Media.
Run MediaCreationTool_22H2.exe.
Click Yes on the User Account Control popup.
On Applicable notices and license terms, read through the terms and click Accept.
On What do you want to do?, select Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.
On Select language, architecture, and edition, if you need to change the language or architecture for Windows 10, uncheck Use recommended options for this PC, select your language under the Language dropdown, and select 64-bit under the Architecture dropdown. Once you have verified these settings, click Next.
On Choose which media to use, ensure the USB flash drive option is selected and your USB flash drive is inserted into your PC. The flash drive will be reformatted and all content on it will be deleted. If you have any files that you would like to keep, backup the files on the drive to another location.
On Select a USB flash drive, choose the USB flash drive in which you will boot Windows 10 from. If you don't see your flash drive, ensure it is inserted into your PC and click Refresh drive list. Click Next after choosing the correct USB flash drive.
The media creation tool will proceed with the download of Windows 10 onto your USB flash drive. After it is complete, proceed to the next step to learn how to download Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver.
Download the media creation tool under Create Windows 11 Installation Media.
Run mediacreationtool.exe.
Click Yes on the User Account Control popup.
On Applicable notices and license terms, read through the terms and click Accept.
On Select language and edition, if you would like to change the language for Windows 11, uncheck Use recommended options for this PC and select your language under the Language dropdown. Once you have verified these settings, click Next.
On Choose which media to use, ensure the USB flash drive option is selected and your USB flash drive is inserted into your PC. The flash drive will be reformatted and all content on it will be deleted. If you have any files that you would like to keep, backup the files on the drive to another location.
On Select a USB flash drive, choose the USB flash drive in which you will boot Windows 11 from. If you don't see your flash drive, ensure it is inserted into your PC and click Refresh drive list. Click Next after choosing the correct USB flash drive.
The media creation tool will proceed with the download of Windows 11 onto your USB flash drive. After it is complete, proceed to the next step to to learn how to download Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver.
2. Download Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver
On this step, you will acquire the Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver and copy it onto the Windows bootable USB that you just created (should be labeled ESD-USB). This driver will allow Windows to access the storage drives during installation.
Download the Intel RST Driver here.
Extract the ZIP file and put the files onto your Windows bootable USB drive.
Proceed to the next step to learn how to start the Windows installation on your new laptop.
3. Install Windows
On this step, you will install Windows with the Windows bootable USB and Intel RST driver prepared from the previous steps.
Insert your Windows bootable USB flash drive into your laptop.
Turn on your laptop. If the system is brand-new, it will boot into the Windows installation automatically. If not, you will need to boot into the BIOS and boot from the drive manually.
Proceed through the installation until you reach the Where do you want to install Windows? dialog. As expected, no drives are listed.
Click Load driver.
Click Browse.
Navigate and select the folder (RAID\F6\VMD\f6vmdflpy-x64) where you placed the driver files, and click OK.
Choose the driver shown on the list and allow it a brief moment to install.
If successful, you should see your drives in the list. You can now proceed with the rest of the Windows installation.
If you still do not see your drives:
- Check that you have installed the correct Intel RST driver for your platform.
- Check that your SSD is seated correctly in your laptop if you have just installed it.
- Check the drive on another computer and verify it is working properly.