How-To Install Windows to NVME SSD on Mi Notebook Air

[David]

Hello guys,

today I managed to install Windows to my new Samsung SM961 NVME-SSD, after I ran into some issues yesterday with my new Mi Notebook Air 12.5″.

Now I have 1,5 GB/s Write and 1,8 GB/s Read.

How I did?

You need to have Boot Mode in BIOS Set to UEFI, because NVME-Boot just works with UEFI, not with Legacy Boot-Mode.

After you have this set, you need to prepare a UEFI USB Boot Stick, this is a bit different then the normal Boot Stick config:

1. You need to type this into your cmd window
   • diskpart
2. now let diskpart show you all drives
   • list disk
3. Identify the stick you wich to use for booting and type the following with the disk # of the stick
   • select disk #
4. This deletes all partitions on the stick (data will be lost)
   – clean
5. This creates a new primary partition, selects it, sets it active, format it as fat32 and assign a drive letter
   • create partition primary
   • select partition 1
   • active
   • format quick fs=fat32
   • assign
6. now you can close diskpart with:
   • exit
7. Next, you need your Windows DVD in Drive, or your ISO Mounted, and copy everything to the new stick.
   – xcopy d:\* f:\ /s /e (d: is source DVD/ISO, f: is target new stick)

This will copy everything to your UEFI Stick, when it is finished check if there is \EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI file on your stick, wich is needed for UEFI Booting.

Now you can boot your Mi Notebook Air in UEFI Mode and Install Windows 10 to the NVME-SSD.

Check if your secure boot is still enabled, mine switched to disable without any input.

Have fun!

[Chris G]

Well gone. Stuck the post.

Chris | Admin
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[Al]

Hi, is it not possible to boot from Windows DVD using an external USB DVD drive?

[David]

Al wrote:

Hi, is it not possible to boot from Windows DVD using an external USB DVD drive?

Yes you can, but why should you? Windows 10 got 3 new Builds since it’s release, if you install from a older DVD you do 2 Updates to go to the latest version. If you use a USB Stick you do not need to burn a DVD and you don’t need a ancient USB DVD Drive.

[caxio]

Hy  you use windows 10 drivers or use samsung driver fo this NVME-SSD? i wait my Mi Notebook Air for tomorrow and from ebay my new 256 SM961 NVME-SSD
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[Al]

David wrote:

Al wrote:

Hi, is it not possible to boot from Windows DVD using an external USB DVD drive?

Yes you can, but why should you? Windows 10 got 3 new Builds since it’s release, if you install from a older DVD you do 2 Updates to go to the latest version. If you use a USB Stick you do not need to burn a DVD and you don’t need a ancient USB DVD Drive.

Hi, I am going to use an unused Windows 10 Pro OEM Disc w/ COA license key which I have spare, that’s why.

[Des Johnston]

I replaced the original Chinese language Win10 on the SATA SSD on my Notebook Air 12.5 with Ubuntu Linux 16.10 with no issues and also installed an English language copy of Win10 from a USB onto a 128GB PCIE SSD (Toshiba ) that I put into the empty M2 slot.

The Win10 on the PCIE SSD runs OK, but it boots _very_ slowly (taking several minutes to start up) and also occasionally fails to shut down completely (the screen blanks but the power light stays on). The Ubuntu on the STA SSD boots instantaneously and shuts down happily too.

The BIOS is set to UEFI and the first boot disk is the Ubuntu SATA installation. Win10 boots off an entry in the Linux grub bootloader menu. The delay is at the start of the Win10 bootloader splash where the dots are circling. The Win10 installation is fully updated and thinks it has all the correct chipset drivers etc.

Has anyone else seen similar (slowww….. Win10 boot) behaviour off the PCIE slot?

 

 

 

 

[David]

I havn’t touched the NVME Driver for now because it works great so far,

and boot times from the PCIe NVMe SSD are unbelivable fast. Even a complete restart (shutdown does no more real shutdown to windows) is done in under 10 sec.

 

I assume grub is the problem.

[caxio]

you have installed 961 PCIe NVMe in the original ssd  slot or in the second empty slot ?

[Chris G]

caxio wrote:

you have installed 961 PCIe NVMe in the original ssd slot or in the second empty slot ?

On the 12.5″ Core M3 version it has to gone in the second spare slot the NVMe’s. The main slot is Sata3, the spare PCIe / NVMe.

Chris | Admin
Please support us and help keep TechTablets online. Affiliate revenue is used to pay for the server, studio apartment (Techtablets HQ) and buy new tech to review. Without it, this site would be dead.
Next up for review:
Ordered and waiting for my: BMAX S15 & Teclast F6 Plus
Currently testing: LG G8X & Redmi K30

[Chris G]

caxio wrote:

you have installed 961 PCIe NVMe in the original ssd slot or in the second empty slot ?

On the 12.5″ Core M3 version it has to gone in the second spare slot the NVMe’s. The main slot is Sata3, the spare PCIe / NVMe.

Chris | Admin
Please support us and help keep TechTablets online. Affiliate revenue is used to pay for the server, studio apartment (Techtablets HQ) and buy new tech to review. Without it, this site would be dead.
Next up for review:
Ordered and waiting for my: BMAX S15 & Teclast F6 Plus
Currently testing: LG G8X & Redmi K30

[Ray]

Hi,

Does anyone have any ‘tips’ as to how to save the existing W10 device drivers already installed with the Chinese version of W10?

Not sure if this is necessary if a new English Language W10 installation is made – perhaps during the windows update – it finds all of the required drivers on its own?

Thanks for any insights on this subject – as I guess eventually will need to reinstall W10 (English) on this Notebook

Cheers

 

[Wichein Whungratanapornsuk]

I install mydigitalssd BPX 480 in second slot then clean intall with Windows 10 Home Single Language.  It slow boot and shutdown,  when shutdown Windows go to blank screen but LED at power button still light up for 30-50 second.

Anyone has solution for this?

TIA.

[Roberto]

I have the same issue…

after the addition of the NVME ssd the boot is so slow… it takes 3 minutes and I have also problem in suspesion mode.

Do you have any update?

I still boot from the main sata disk…

[saro]

Hi, just received mi Air 12 yesterday. I wanted to keep the original SSD in place and use the secondary SSD (a Samsung 960 EVO) as boot drive.

I followed the tutorial (1 post) but when rebooting there was an error and the usb drive was necessary to boot correctly. I tried to change to Legacy mode, reinstall etc.. but nothing worked. By the way the secured boot is not activable anymore..

So, what I did to solve the issue is to remove the “original” SSD and keep only the NMVE in the device. I re-installed Windows 10 with the same UEFI usb boot stick (Without having activated Windows 10 with the original key.) and it worked flawessly.

Speed test of Samsung 960 EVO (with Samsung Magician and Samsung drivers)

SEQUENTIAL MB/s

Read: 1801

Write: 1569

RANDOM IOPS

Read: 178

Write: 99

The original ssd is not used for the moment. I don’t know if it will still work if I put it back in the device.

voilà

hope this helps!

cheers

 

 

[Author]

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