Windows Setup cannot find hard drive or SSD during installation

The problem: Setup displays 'No drives found' despite the drive being visible in BIOS, usually due to missing storage drivers.

Symptoms: Windows Setup reports no drives available; 'Where do you want to install Windows?' shows empty list; drive visible in BIOS.

Likely cause: NVMe driver missing (Intel RST/VMD); USB 3.0 driver required for external drives; storage controller driver not included in Windows media; SATA mode mismatch in BIOS.

Category: Windows Installation & Setup · Difficulty: Moderate · Windows: Both

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