Samsung SSD 850 EVO - Clean Install

I can't seem to be able to do a clean install of Win 8.1 on a Samsung SSD 850 EVO. I get to the point after setting the partition and Windows asks for a driver. I can't find a driver anywhere on the Samsung site, so I'm thinking I'm doing something wrong.

Anyone else have this problem or know how to solve it?

So it detects the drive(s) and you tell it to install on the SSD, correct? Are you creating a partition manually or just letting setup have its way with the drive? Are you trying to install Windows on an existing partition? Is this a brand new drive? Is this a UEFI equipped system and is secure boot enabled or disabled?

Unless Windows has a driver for the hard drive interface (SATA, SCSI, RAID controller, etc) it won't even see the attached drives. If it does have a driver for the interface, no additional drivers are needed to see the drives themselves. An SSD appears to Windows just like a hard drive. I haven't seen Windows setup not recognize the attached drives in a long time.

I'd be looking thru the Bios settings to see if the drive is detected by the motherboard before going much further...

I wonder if the drive is in a RAID mode in the BIOS as typically you shouldn't need a driver but sometimes when the drive is setup in a RAID it will prompt for a driver during install.

Bcaps wrote in post #17643568
I wonder if the drive is in a RAID mode in the BIOS as typically you shouldn't need a driver but sometimes when the drive is setup in a RAID it will prompt for a driver during install.

Depends on the controller. Honestly, I don't think I've needed to load drivers during setup since the Windows XP days.

I just put it in my Laptop running Win 7 Home Premium Sp1.
And that supplied a driver automatically. It even switched automatically to AHIC and made a SATA III connection ( note the ild disc was Sata II - so I was really impressed )
I couldnt get into the Bios ( Sony crap ) to change to AHIC. Before the OS loaded.

Hence I am very surprised on Windows 8 , it having newer drivers , that you are having a problem - and yes mine was a totally clean vanilla install not an upgrade.

Why not stop it. Take the disc out and replace it. And run the jnstall again and just let it do it itself.

Don't forget to set the BIOS to AHCI before installing windows.

troutfisher wrote in post #17643690
Don't forget to set the BIOS to AHCI before installing windows.

Yeah I planned to but Sony bloatware stopped me getting into the Bios, yet this Sammy somehow did it anyway.
Which is why I was surprised the Oap has a problem.
Maybe he should load and open the Magician software that comes with the disc its really good, easy to adjust partitions etc.
And to see what is goingon and how to optimise the system for SSD performance.

If it's asking for a driver it most likely is referring to the Sata controller and not the SSD. In the BIOS you should check your Sata Configuration setting. Set it to AHCI or RAID, if you do not plan to RAID any drives set it to AHCI. If you still get prompted for a driver you will need to determine the manufacturer and model of your Sata controller, find drivers for it and load them at the prompt. Should be able to do it from an USB drive.

If you are setting the partition and choosing the drive to install to within the Win 8.1 setup I find it unusual that you would need to install a driver related to the disk or Sata controller. At this point the setup has already identified the SSD.

-dave-m- wrote in post #17643853
If it's asking for a driver it most likely is referring to the Sata controller and not the SSD. In the BIOS you should check your Sata Configuration setting. Set it to AHCI or RAID, if you do not plan to RAID any drives set it to AHCI. If you still get prompted for a driver you will need to determine the manufacturer and model of your Sata controller, find drivers for it and load them at the prompt. Should be able to do it from an USB drive.

If you are setting the partition and choosing the drive to install to within the Win 8.1 setup I find it unusual that you would need to install a driver related to the disk or Sata controller. At this point the setup has already identified the SSD.

I would agree as mine even on Win7 and only Home Premium set as AHIC and the other setting "as SATA"
The previous disc was only 3 Gb/s - but it set up the Sammy as 6Gb/s , as ai presume I have a Sata III controller. ( Sadly no specs with the Sony so can't check).

This was the one. I had three other HDDs connected when doing the install, two RAID. When I disconnected them the install worked.

Nice that the error messages from MS are so "descriptive"

Bob_A wrote in post #17644218
This was the one. I had three other HDDs connected when doing the install, two RAID. When I disconnected them the install worked.

Nice that the error messages from MS are so "descriptive"

Glad you are sorted - thought I would have problems as my recovery discs are july 2011 so well before the Evo emerged.

Interested to know if you find it to be as good as I did?