Windows Installer Cannot Find Disk on Intel 10th Gen and Up

Published on June 22, 2025

Tags: windows, intel, drivers, vmd, install, disk, nvme, RST, Volume Management Device, NVMe, SSD

Introduction

When performing a clean Windows installation on systems with Intel 10th generation processors and newer, the Windows installation media may fail to detect the local hard disk during the installation process.

Issue

On PCs running 10th generation Intel processors and newer, booting to Windows installation media to perform a clean install may result in the installation process not being able to see the local hard disk.

Cause

Intel introduced a new disk management technology called Volume Management Device (VMD) in 10th generation and newer systems. VMD is used to manage NVMe SSDs and/or Optane memory caches, and requires specific drivers for the disk to be recognized during Windows installation.

Directions:

10th/11th Generation Intel Systems

1. Download the Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver package:
   • Navigate to Intel’s download site for 10th and 11th gen platforms
   • Download the SetupRST.exe package
   • Save the file in the Downloads folder
   • Ensure the file is named exactly SetupRST.exe

2. Open Command Prompt and navigate to Downloads:

    cd %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
   

3. Extract the drivers using this exact command:

    .\SetupRST.exe -extractdrivers SetupRST_extracted
   

4. Navigate to the extracted drivers:
   • Open File Explorer and go to the SetupRST_extracted folder
   • Navigate to Production > Windows10-x64 > 15063 > Drivers
5. Copy the following folders to a USB flash drive:
   • AHCI
   • RAID
   • VMD
6. During Windows installation when the local disk cannot be found:
   • Click “Load Driver”
   • Insert the USB drive with the drivers
   • Navigate to one of the three folders copied in step 5
   • Select the appropriate INF file:
     • iaStorVD (VMD folder)
     • iaStorAC (RAID folder)
     • iaAHCIC (AHCI folder)
   • Click “OK”

7. If the local disk appears after loading the first driver, continue with Windows installation. If not, repeat step 6 with the other driver folders.

8. The local disk should now be visible. If using an 11th generation CPU and these drivers don’t work, follow the steps for 11th-13th generation systems below.

11th/12th/13th Generation Intel Systems

1. Download the newer Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver package:

   • Navigate to Intel’s download site for 11th-13th gen platforms
   • Download the SetupRST.exe package
   • Save the file in the Downloads folder
   • Ensure the file is named exactly SetupRST.exe

2. Open Command Prompt and navigate to Downloads:

    cd %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
   

3. Extract the drivers using this exact command:

    .\SetupRST.exe -extractdrivers SetupRST_extracted
   

   Note: This command must be typed exactly as shown or it will fail.

4. Navigate to the extracted drivers:

   • Open File Explorer and go to the SetupRST_extracted folder
   • Navigate to Production > Windows10-x64 > 15063 > Drivers

5. Copy only the VMD folder to a USB flash drive.

6. During Windows installation when the local disk cannot be found:

   • Click “Load Driver”
   • Insert the USB drive with the drivers
   • Navigate to the VMD folder
   • Select the iaStorVD.inf file
   • Click “OK”

7. The local disk should now be visible and the Windows installation can proceed.