Resolve Detection Issues with Intel® Optane™ Memory

Documentation

Troubleshooting

000025194

05/09/2023

While enabling system acceleration with Intel® Optane™ memory, you may encounter problems detecting the module within the Intel® Optane™ Memory and Storage Management application, or Windows* utilities (such as Device Manager). Some common symptoms are described below along with their respective causes and recommended steps to resolve them.

What should you know before start?
  • This article covers common symptoms related to Intel® Optane™ memory detection issues while enabling system acceleration. If you are having a different issue or have an specific error code or message showing up, try checking the information in Error Codes and Messages While Using Intel® Optane™ Memory System Acceleration.
  • The Intel® Optane™ memory products reached End of Life production and are no longer supported on newer 12th/13th Gen Intel® platforms. This may result in the Intel® Optane™ Memory and Storage Management application stating there are no supported devices available. See more details in Intel® Optane™ Memory Products Not Supported on 12th/13th Generation Intel® Processors and Related Platforms.
  • If you are not sure about the type of Intel® Optane™ memory device in your system (Intel® Optane™ Memory M Series or Intel® Optane™ Memory H Series), contact your system vendor to confirm the device type.
  • Important: Back up all data before proceeding. Some of the recommended steps mentioned below may need to change BIOS settings and/or reinstall the operating system. It is highly recommended that all data is backed up before start.
  • Need more help? If you still have issues or questions related to the Intel® Optane™ memory, contact Intel Customer Support.

Click or the topic for details:

Symptom 1: Intel® Optane™ memory is not detected in either Windows* (e.g. Device Manager under Disk Drives) or the Intel® Optane™ Memory and Storage Management application. But it is detected in the system BIOS.

This may be due to the module still containing old data from an earlier volume. In this case it would need to be reset. Resetting the Intel® Optane™ memory can be accomplished with any of the below options:

Option 1: Reset the device through the Intel® Optane™ Memory and Storage Management application:

  1. Uninstall the Intel® Optane™ Memory and Storage Management application, if installed.
  2. Re-Install the Intel® Optane™ Memory and Storage Management application from the Microsoft* Store.
  3. Open the application.
  4. Select/Highlight the Intel® Optane™ memory and click the option to Clear Metadata.
  5. Reboot the system.

Option 2: Reset the device through the BIOS:

Note
Refer to your system vendor to confirm where the BIOS settings mentioned below are located in your system.
  1. Enter the system BIOS.
  2. Locate the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology page.
  3. Click the Intel® Optane™ memory module.
  4. Select Reset to non-Optane or Deconcatenate (if the volume was not disabled properly).
  5. Alternatively follow the steps below to remove all partitions:
    1. Open Command Prompt (Admin).
    2. Type diskpart and press Enter.
    3. Type list disk and press Enter.
    4. Note the disk index number of the Intel® Optane™ memory module.
    5. Type select disk# and press Enter.
    6. Type clean all. When complete the cursor will come back; be patient.

To re-enable acceleration, be sure to confirm all BIOS settings and procedure as defined by your system manufacturer. The User Guides for Intel® Optane™ Memory Devices can also be referenced.

Note
If changing the SATA mode or boot mode is needed, it will require a reinstallation of the operating system. Refer to your system manufacturer for more details or specific guidance before proceeding.
Symptom 2: Windows* Device Manager and Disk Management detect the module, but the Intel® Optane™ Memory and Storage Management application does not.

This is can be due to an improperly configured system BIOS. The Windows apps may be detecting the devices, as the Microsoft NVMe* driver has been loaded. But if the device is not properly configured (remapped) to be controlled by the Intel® RST driver, the software will not detect it.

In such scenario, you have to confirm that Remapping is Enabled for the PCIe-M.2 port that contains the Intel® Optane™ memory. The location and name of this setting in the BIOS can vary, check in the system user manual for the correct field for your system or contact your system vendor for assistance.

If the settings were correct and the issue is not resolved, check the following settings in the system BIOS:

  • SATA mode is an Intel® Optane™ memory Enabled selection, not AHCI.
  • UEFI is selected as the Boot option for storage devices, CSM is disabled.

If any of the above settings were not correct, make the proper changes and reinstall the operating system.

Note
If changing the SATA mode or boot mode is needed, it will require a reinstallation of the operating system. Refer to your system manufacturer for more details or specific guidance before proceeding.
Related Articles
User Guides for Intel® Optane™ Memory Devices
Troubleshoot Detection Issues with the Intel® Optane™ Memory H Series
End-Of-Life (EOL) Announcement for the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology and Intel® Optane™ Memory Applications
Other Help and Support