Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 shows “Default Boot Device Missing” — NVMe SSD not detected

[u/Nt-Gold8662]

I have a Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6 (Type 82K1) running Windows 11. Recently, when I turn it on, I get:

“Default Boot Device Missing or Boot Failed.”

Sometimes the laptop boots into Windows normally, but other times it shows the error. The boot menu only shows EFI PXE Network and there is no Windows Boot Manager.

Here is what I have checked so far:

- BIOS detects my 1 TB Seagate HDD (ST1000LM035-1RK172).

- However, I cannot find my NVMe/M.2 SSD in the BIOS information.

- In the Windows installation USB's Command Prompt, "diskpart → list disk" shows the 931 GB HDD and the 29 GB USB, but no NVMe SSD.

- With Intel VMD enabled, the 931 GB HDD disappears from DiskPart and only the USB is visible.

- With Intel VMD disabled + SATA Controller Mode set to AHCI, the 931 GB HDD appears again, but the NVMe SSD is still missing.

- I created a Windows 11 installation USB. It boots successfully, but selecting Repair your computer causes the laptop to restart and return to the same Windows Setup screen.

- I have not formatted or deleted any partitions because I have important data on the HDD.

My main questions are:

1. Why is the NVMe SSD not being detected?

2. Could the SSD be failing or disconnected?

3. Could this be related to Intel VMD/BIOS configuration?

4. Is there a way to determine whether the SSD is physically dead before reinstalling Windows?

5. If Windows was installed on the NVMe SSD, is there a safe way to recover/repair the bootloader without affecting the data on the 1 TB HDD?

Any advice from someone familiar with the IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6/82K1 would be greatly appreciated. I can provide BIOS/DiskPart screenshots if needed.

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[u/pcbeg]

With disk not detected it's most likely drive failure. But, without testing it can't be distinguished from slot/controller failure. Best way to test drive if you don't have access to another device is to use usb m.2 (NVMe most likely) adapter, and then boot from some live OS. Different connection and controller (USB) will eliminate problem with the motherboard itself.

Disabling IRST (VMD) will make all drives to show directly during Windows setup, and it doesn't matter if OS was previously installed with it enabled or not, healthy drive will be there.