SN580 M2 SSD will not recognized by Win11 - installation not possible

Hi all, I recently put together a new computer, including a WD Blue SN580 2 TB. Everything was installed and the system is running. I was able to install Windows 10 without any problems.

However, when I want to install Windows 11 (hardware is compatible), the Windows 11 setup does not recognize the SSD at first. I found a useful external driver in the WD forum about the SN580 problem in October. The SSD is recognized, but after the first restart during the installation, the SSD is no longer recognized and the computer hangs in a boot loop.

If I first install Win10 and then install Win11, it almost completes the setup, but just before the end it cancels the entire installation.

For fun, I replaced the SN580 with an old HDD and everything works fine with Win11.

Windows 11 is installed via a USB stick, which was created with the Microsoft Media Creation Tool.

The firmware of the WD SN580 is up to date.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be? Does something have to be changed in the BIOS? So far I have only tried to install it without “Secure Boot”. But also without success.

Do I need a specfic driver for the installation? I used the “Phison NVMe driver v1.5.0.0” which were recommended in the WD forum in Oct for this.

Thank you for any help!

1 Like

Could be the firmware needs to be updated

To fix the Windows 11 installation issue on the WD Blue SN580 SSD, check the BIOS settings to ensure SATA mode is AHCI, Secure Boot is off, and UEFI mode is used. Update or reinstall the SSD firmware and use the latest drivers. You may need to delete all partitions during installation, which will erase all data on the drive. Turn off Fast Boot and CSM in the BIOS, create a new installation USB, and do a clean install of Windows 11.

Tip: Before starting, back up any important files to avoid losing data. If data is lost, data recovery software can help, but recovery success depends on how much the drive has been used after the data loss.

Thanks for the ideas.

  • Firmware for BIOS and SSD is up 2 date
  • SATA mode is AHCI
  • BIOS is set to UEFI
  • Secure Boot is off

But still the same problems. At the beginning it looks ok after the first restart I am in a boot loop.

Can someone give me a link to correct M2 drivers (WD Blue SN580) for Win11 installation? at the moment I am using “Phison NVMe driver v1.5.0.0”