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Intel 11th, 12th, and 13th Generation Processors, No Drives Can Be Found During Windows 10 and Windows 11 Installation

Summary: This article provides information about Intel 11th, 12th, and 13th Generation processors when Troubleshooting drives are not found during Windows 10 and Windows 11 installation.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

Intel 11th (Tiger Lake - TGL), 12th (Alder Lake - ADL), and 13th (Raptor Lake - RPL) Generation processors use the new Intel Volume Management Device (VMD) technology. It optimizes the storage devices' data processing effectiveness and power consumption.

When you install Windows 10 or Windows 11 Retail, we must load the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) driver so that you can install Windows. It is normal, not a hardware defect.

If your computer is with the 11th Generation Intel processor, then you experience that Windows cannot find any drives when installing Windows 10. Reference the following troubleshooting steps.

Windows_Setup

VMD driver Version\ Platform TGL system ADL system RPL system
TGL VMD (18.3.x) Working Not working Not working
ADL VMD (19.2.x) Working Working Not working
RPL VMD (19.5.x) Working Working Working

(Table 1 - Driver Version)

 
Note: The above table indicates the correct VMD driver version to the respective Intel Processor generation at this moment. Ensure to follow the below guide to locate the latest VMD driver version for the specific system model in the future.


Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) Drivers:

Download and Extract the IRST Drivers.

  1. Access the Internet and browse: https://www.dell.com/support
  2. Enter the service tag of your computer, then click search.
  3. Click the Drivers & Downloads tab then select the Storage category to find the download for the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver.
  4. Click the Download button to download the driver to your computer.
    Selecting the IRST driver download
  5. Double-Click the Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Driver_XXXXX_WIN64_18.1.1.1033_A00_01.EXE file to start the file extraction process.
    Opening the IRST Driver
  6. Click the Extract button and select the Dell operating system Recovery Tool USB flash drive to extract the files.
    Extracting the IRST Driver to the USB flash drive.
  7. Once the file extraction process completes, click close, and you now have the drivers on the key.
    Close the file extraction window

 

Install IRST Driver.

 
Note: The images on-screen may differ from those you see in this article. Intel improves and updates their drivers and software frequently. The article resolution steps are valid for the latest driver versions.
  1. Connect the USB flash drive which includes the Windows 10 installation media and Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) driver to the target computer.
  2. Restart the Windows 10 or Windows 11 installation process.
  3. Below is the screen Where you want to install Windows and Windows cannot find any drives. Select Load driver.
    Windows Setup - Load Driver
  4. Select OK (2).
    image.png
  5. Click OK (3).
    Windows Setup - Drivers Not Found
  6. Select Browse (4), then find the folder (5) where the IRST Drivers were saved and select OK (6).
    Windows Setup - Driver Folder
    Note: For customers using products with Intel 11th generation or later CPUs, select the VMD folder or expand the VMD folder and select the f6vmdflpy-x64 folder under the VMD folder.
    Sample folder Path: IRST\production\Windows 10-x64\15063\Drivers\VMD
    Select the VMD folder
    For customers using products with Intel 10th generation or earlier CPUs, expand the F6 folder and select the f6flpy-x64 folder under the F6 folder.
    Sample folder Path: IRST\F6\f6flpy-x64
    Select the f6flpy-x64 folder
  7. Select [Intel RST VMD Controller] (7), then select Next (8) to install the driver.
    Windows Setup - Drivers Select
  8. After the driver installation is completed, the drive will appear.
    Windows Setup - Drives are Visible

Affected Products

Alienware, Dell All-in-One, Dell Pro Max Slim, Dell Pro Max Tower, Dell Pro Micro, Dell Pro Slim, Dell Pro Tower, Dell Slim, Dell Tower, Inspiron, Legacy Desktop Models, OptiPlex, Vostro, XPS, G Series, G Series, Alienware, Dell Plus, Dell Pro , Dell Pro Max, Dell Pro Plus, Dell Pro Premium, Inspiron, Latitude, Dell Pro Rugged, Vostro, XPS, Legacy Laptop Models, Latitude Tablets, Surface, XPS Tablets, Dell Pro Max Micro XE FCM2250 ...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000188116
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 07 May 2025
Version:  23
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