[Fix] ASUS BIOS Boot Priority Says Windows Boot Manager Instead of My M.2

User case: ASUS BIOS priority says Windows Boot Manager instead of my M.2

Sometimes, individuals will face difficulties when changing boot configurations on their computers. For instance, the help-seeker hopes to boot from an M.2 SSD, but the BIOS priority says Windows Boot Manager first. Several factors can contribute to this situation, but one likely reason is that your computer might not be detecting the M.2 SSD properly.

What to do if my PC not recognizing SSD?

Since the potential root cause could be the lack of recognition of the M.2 SSD, this section will delve deeper into the factors behind this detection issue and provide corresponding solutions.

Cause 1. Drive letter issues

When the SSD's drive letter is missing or clashes with another disk, your computer might struggle to recognize the M.2 drive. To resolve this, follow the steps outlined below to assign a new drive letter to the M.2.

Step 1. Right-click on "This PC," opt for "Manage" within the storage section, and then click on "Disk Management".

Step 2. Right-click on the partition of the SSD and choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths...".

Step 3. Click the "Change" button, pick a drive letter from the available list, and confirm the changes by clicking "OK".

Step 4. Here you need to choose the new drive letter. Afterward, click “OK”.

While it's easy to assign a drive letter, there might be instances where the process isn't successful. This could happen because Disk Management only work with drive letters in the FAT or NTFS formats.

Cause 2. Not initialized M.2

Should the new SSD not be visible in Windows Explorer, it is likely in an "Uninitialized" state. Initialization is necessary before the Logical Disk Manager can access it. Follow the below steps to initialize the SSD.

A brand new M.2 SSD or a long-time used one may both can be found the error of “Not initialized”. When it appears, you may see two different notice in the Disk Management. Firstly, “Disk unknown, not initialized, unallocated”. Secondly, “Disk unknown, not initialized, no size”.

Step 1. Firstly, right-click the "This PC" icon found on your desktop, then select "Manage." Once in the Manage window, click on "Disk Management" located under the storage section.

Step 2. Proceed to right-click on the unidentified disk, which is your M.2 SSD, and opt for "Initialize Disk" from the provided menu.

Step 3. Then a window will appear; here, make your choice between MBR or GPT for your SSD. Conclude by clicking the "OK" button.

With these steps completed, your new SSD is now set for formatting to either NTFS or FAT32. Afterward, you can try to enter BIOS to change the settings again.

Cause 3. Disk Driver issues

Another scenario is the SSD's absence due to improper insertion. Reinstalling the disk might help address this concern.

Step 1. Type “Device Manager” in the search bar and then click on the target to open it.

Step 2. Navigate to "Disk Drivers," where you'll find the list of connected storage devices.

Step 3. Right-click on the SSD and choose "Uninstall Device."

Step 4. Remove the SSD, restart your PC, and then reconnect the SSD to check if Windows detects it normally.

Others

If the provided methods still cannot effectively solve the problem, here are other 3 solutions worth trying when ASUS BIOS priority says Windows Boot Manager instead of my M.2.

▌Solution 1: Verify Power and Data Connections
Try disconnecting and then reconnecting the power and data cables. See if this resolves the problem. If not, please consider replacing the cables.

▌Solution 2: Review BIOS Configurations
Initiate a computer restart and press the F2 key or the appropriate key based on your PC to access the BIOS interface.

Examine whether the SATA port to which the M.2 SSD is linked is deactivated in the System Setup. If it's deactivated, activate it. Restart your computer and access BIOS once more to determine if the SSD is now recognized.

▌Solution 3: Check SSD Status
A malfunctioning or impaired SSD could potentially cause the M.2 SSD to remain undetected in BIOS. In such situations, run diagnostic tools like hard drive SMART test or Checkdisk to troubleshoot the problem. If you're unable to repair the M.2 SSD, you might want to review the return policy and consider replacing the drive.

Tip: Easily fix issues without entering BIOS repeatedly

When you cannot find the specific reasons, you have to follow the solutions to press specific keys to access BIOS/UEFI and try them one-by-one. While this process can be quite cumbersome, choosing for AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional can significantly streamline the entire procedure.

The UEFI BIOS Boot Options Manager feature in this robust software has made handling your boot options really simple and effective. Now, you can easily adjust the boot order, remove, safeguard, recover, and renew your EFI/UEFI BIOS boot options.

All of this can be done without having to manually access the BIOS or deal with complicated changes to boot items. This will save you a lot of time when it comes to managing your boot options.

Note
✍ The feature only works for GPT disks. If your disk operates on an MBR disk format, kindly please convert it to GPT in advance.

Step 1. Install and open AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, and click “Tools” in the top menu, and choose the “UEFI BIOS Boot Options Manager” function.

Step 2. Then this screen will appear, showing you all the UEFI boot sequences present on your computer, allowing you to handle them effectively.

Step 3. Click the button up and down to easily change the boot sequence of your computers.

Conclusion

Today, we're addressing the situation where the "ASUS BIOS priority shows Windows Boot Manager instead of my M.2." We hope that the solutions provided can be helpful in your specific scenario. AOMEI Partition Assistant can also help you extend drive space, manage partitions, clone disks and so on. What’s more, there is also the Server Edition for Windows Server users to choose from.