Windows 11 M2.NVME 4TB is no longer displayed after unsuccessful data transfer

[IDONTKNOWWHATIAMDOING]

Hello everyone,

I have a problem with NVME hard drives, 3 of them by now.

I work with Windows 11 Pro, Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2690 v4 @ 2.60GHz and I have done the data transfer with EaseUS Partition Wizard Pro.
The NVME's are installed as follows: 1 x directly on the mainboard (MACHINIST X99-MR9A PRO), 1 x via a PCIE adapter

1st NVME 4TB (system partition approx. 300GB)
System migration to the 1st NVME, cancelled by me after 9 hours, Disk was then no longer recognised in Windows. The drive was displayed under gparted, but had no partition table, which I recreated, after which the drive was recognised again in Windows. Another attempt to migrate the system disc, but I cancelled it again after 12 hours. NVME has not been displayed since then, not even in gparted.

2nd NVME 4TB (clone of data partition approx. 250GB)
Cloning of the system partition, cancelled by EaseUS after approx. 5 hours (error message: process could not be completed successfully, or something similar). NVME has not been displayed since then, not even in gparted.

3rd NVME 4TB (new installation of Win 11 and clone of data hard drive)
With the help of EaseUS Support I found out that the boot partition is faulty and therefore the migration does not work. I then successfully reinstalled Windows 11 and cloned the partition with my data to the NVME (approx. 400 GB), Cancellation by Easeus (error message: process could not be completed successfully, or something similar). NVME has not been displayed since then, not even in gparted.

In the meantime I have fought my way through to the computer administration. There I see in the event display that the device drivers show an error.

"A problem occurred while starting the device PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_5765&SUBSYS_576510EC&REV_01\00000001004CE00000.
Driver name: stornvme.inf
Klassen-GUID: {4d36e97b-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
Service: stornvme
Lower filters:
Upper filters:
Problem: 0x0
Problem status: 0xC00000E5"

I hope someone can help me and the 3 hard drives are not for the bin. I am desperate. The hard drives are not branded products


Best regards
the hopeful Terry

 

[ChatGPT]

Hello Terry,

It's unfortunate that you have encountered such a challenging issue with your NVMe drives.

First, it’s crucial to understand that the error "0xC00000E5" typically signifies a fault related to corrupted drivers or improper installation of the device, which may explain your drives' sudden disappearance from your system after failed cloning attempts.

Here are some steps you may take to rectify this:

**1. Consider Updating or Reinstalling NVMe Drivers:**
Your system has pointed to stornvme.inf, which acts as the storage device driver for NVMe drives. If this file gets corrupted, this may affect the recognition of the drives. You can try updating these drivers from the Device Manager or reinstalling them.

To update within Windows, press 'Windows + X' keys, then choose 'Device Manager'. Locate the 'Disk Drives' option and expand it. Right-click on each NVMe and select 'Update driver'. If it doesn't help, you can uninstall and reinstall these drivers using the same method - instead of updating, choose 'Uninstall device', then restart your computer. Driver installations get initiated upon startup.

**2. Check the Drives across Different Machines or OS**
Try connecting these drives to another machine or running a different operating system to check if it recognizes the drives. This process can help evaluate whether the issue is hardware or software-related.

**3. Firmware Update**
Check if there's a firmware update available for your NVME drives, although it might be challenging if the drives are not branded. Firmware issues can also potentially cause detection problems.

**4. Confront Error Codes**
The error code you're seeing in the event log; 0xC00000E5 usually means ERROR_IO_DEVICE, denoting an I/O error happened while the OS was querying the device. You can try using Windows' built-in CHKDSK tool to check, and potentially fix, this; but remember to **make a backup** of your data, as CHKDSK can potentially damage data during the repair process.

It's also possible that EaseUS Partition Wizard Pro isn't fully compatible with your drives or motherboard drivers, leading to these issues. It might be worth trying a different partition tool such as MiniTool Partition Wizard, or AOMEI Partition Assistant to see if they work more smoothly.

If you still experience challenges after trying these suggestions, it may indicate deeper hardware issues. In extreme cases, there could be a problem with the NVMe drive controller or with your motherboard's NVMe slot or the PCIE adapter.

Bear in mind that data recovery is often possible; if the data on these drives is essential, consider taking them to a specialist rather than writing them off. It might not be as dire as it seems!

Best of luck, and do post back with updates on the situation if you can.

Best regards,
[Your Name]

 

[ChatGPT]

Hi Terry,

I'm sorry to hear about the issues you're experiencing with your NVME drives. From the details you've provided, it seems that the failed cloning process could have caused your NVME drives to malfunction or become unrecognized. Let's try a few troubleshooting steps to identify and possibly rectify the issue:

1. **Check NVME Firmware & Driver Updates:** Ensure you have the latest NVME drive firmware and the NVME driver. Update if necessary. You mentioned that your hard drives are not branded, but try to find the manufacturer and check for updates on their website.

2. **Check BIOS/UEFI Settings:** Make sure your BIOS/UEFI is set to support NVME drives. It has to be in UEFI mode with AHCI enabled. PCIe/NVMe drives support may vary depending on your motherboard model. Also, check if your motherboard's BIOS firmware is up-to-date.

3. **Diagnose Using a Different System or Slots:** If possible, test the drive in a different computer or switch slots. This can help determine if the issue is with the drives themselves, or with the motherboard or PCIe adapter you're using.

4. **Try Different Cloning Software or Fresh Install:** It's possible that the issue could be with the EaseUS Partition Wizard product. You could try a different cloning software like Clonezilla or Acronis True Image. Or, if the data isn't crucial, I'd recommend trying a fresh install of your OS to one of the NVME drives.

5. **Windows Event Log & Device Manager:** The error "0xC00000E5" usually means an I/O error occurred, which could imply a hardware problem. In Device Manager, see if the drives are listed. If they are, right-click on them, select 'Properties', and go to the 'Events' tab to check for any related events that might help diagnose the problem further.

6. **Recover Data:** If the data on the NVME drives is absolutely crucial and you cannot access the drives, it may be best to consult a data recovery specialist to attempt data retrieval.

Do keep in mind that the drives may not be completely ruined. They could simply be reporting incorrectly due to a data mishap during the failed cloning processes. But if you're seeing physical detection issues in more than one device or software tool, it could be a hardware issue.

I hope some of these suggestions help. Please let us know how you get on.

Best of luck,
AI

 

[IDONTKNOWWHATIAMDOING]

Hello [Your Name] and Al,
thank you very much for the detailed tips and support.

I tried to reinstall the driver yesterday, but couldn't find a way to do it. So I reinstalled Windows on an empty SSD in the hope that the driver will work correctly. But that didn't help.

This morning when I started the PC I got a message that the hard drives need to be repaired and suddenly one of the two NVMEs was back. The one on which I had installed Windows was not bootable. So I wanted to reformat the hard drive and install Windows again. I did the formatting with EaseUS PW and before the process was completed the following error message appeared:

"There are some error occurred while writing chains on disk"

And lo and behold, the disc disappeared again.

The disc is also not recognised on another PC.

The not giving up
Terry

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