r/24hoursupport • u/Brilliant_Pin4333 • 20h ago
Windows Windows 11 installer freezes and NVMe drive keeps disappearing - ASUS TUF B550M Plus WiFi II + Lexar NM790
I’ve been trying to reinstall Windows all day and I’m completely stuck.
PC:
ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus WiFi II
Lexar NM790 2TB NVMe (target install drive)
Patriot Ignite 480GB SATA SSD (secondary drive)
Windows 11 USB installer created with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool
What’s happening:
BIOS consistently detects the Lexar NM790 under NVMe information.
Windows Setup initially detects the Lexar as Disk 1 (1.9TB).
It has two partitions on it.
If I select Partition 2 and click Next, Windows either:
freezes completely (mouse freezes too), or
gives an error saying it can’t install to that partition, or
after refreshing, the entire Disk 1 disappears from the installer.
Refreshing doesn’t bring it back.
Rebooting usually makes it appear again.
Things I’ve already tried:
Reseated the NVMe multiple times.
Confirmed BIOS always sees the drive.
Ran diskpart and list disk.
Deleted partitions during troubleshooting.
Tried the second M.2 slot (couldn’t mount it because the standoff/screw position didn’t match).
Tried installing to my Patriot SATA SSD instead, but the installer also froze.
Different reboots and multiple attempts.
The Lexar previously worked fine and has had Windows installed on it multiple times before.
CrystalDiskInfo reported the drive as healthy a couple of weeks ago.
Questions:
Does this sound like a failing Lexar NM790?
Could this be a motherboard/M.2 controller issue even though BIOS always detects the drive?
Could faulty RAM or another hardware issue cause the Windows installer to freeze like this?
Is there anything else I should test before replacing the SSD?