How To Activate a New SSD Windows 11

How To Activate a New SSD Windows 11

What is SSD Windows 11?

Learn the differences between a solid-state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD), plus how they impact the cost and performance of your PC storage. Solid-state drives (SSDs) are the most common storage drives today. SSDs are smaller and faster than hard disk drives (HDDs).

How To Activate a New SSD Windows 11

  1. Shut down the computer, open the computer case, connect, and insert the new SSD (M. 2 or NVMe) into the SSD slot and fasten it with screws.
  2. Close the computer case and reboot the PC.
  3. Press Windows + R keys, type diskmgmt.
  4. Right-click on the new SSD, select Initialize Disk, and select GPT as the disk type.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I enable newly installed SSD?

To initialize an SSD, follow these steps.

  1. Open Disk Management on your computer.
  2. Find and right-click the SSD you want to initialize, and then click “Initialize Disk”.
  3. In the Initialize Disk dialog box, select the disk(s) to initialize.

Why is Windows 11 not seeing my new SSD?

Hold down “WIN + X” and select “Disk Management” to launch it. In the Disk Management window, locate the new SSD drive that is not showing up. If the SSD is listed as “Not Initialized”, right-click on the drive and select Initialize Disk. Right-click on the SSD to be updated and select update driver to proceed.

Why is my new SSD not being detected?

The BIOS will not detect a SSD if the data cable is damaged or the connection is incorrect. Serial ATA cables, in particular, can sometimes fall out of their connection. Be sure to check your SATA cables are tightly connected to the SATA port connection.

Why is my new SSD not showing up in Disk Management?

You must initialize a new internal SSD, so it can show up in Disk Management. An old SSD not showing up in Disk Management, however, can also be because it’s not initialized yet. To initialize a disk, open File Explorer and right-click on This PC. Then, click on Manage.

How do I know if my SSD is working Windows 11?

Using the Windows 11 Command Prompt to Monitor SSD Health

  1. Click the Search button from the Taskbar.
  2. Type in “CMD” and hit enter.
  3. Type “WMIC” and hit enter.
  4. Type “diskdrive get status” and hit enter.
  5. Open CrystalDiskInfo, which immediately presents you with all pertinent information relating to your SSD(s) and HDD(s)

How do I show SSD in Windows 11?

How to find out SSD or HDD in Windows 11

  1. Right-click the Start button and select Run, or press Win + R .
  2. Type dfrgui in the Run box and hit Enter to open the Optimize Drives tool.
  3. In the drive list, look at the Media type column. For an SSD drive, it will say Solid state drive.

Do you have to activate a new SSD?

Before you can use your new SSD you have to initialize and partition it. If you are performing a clean installation of your operating system, or cloning to your SSD, it is not neccessary to follow these steps. A clean installation of your operating system or cloning to an SSD will initialize and partition the new SSD.

Do I need new drivers for new SSD?

You don’t need to install a driver if you are using an IDE SSD. However, if it is a SATA SSD, then depending on your system requirements, a driver may be needed.

How to initialize SSD in BIOS?

Enable SSD in BIOS

Restart PC > Press F2/F8/F11/DEL to enter BIOS > Enter Setup > Turn on SSD or enable it > Save the changes and exit. After this, you can restart the PC, then you should be able to see the disk in Disk Management.

Can I format SSD from BIOS?

Yes, you can format your SSD drive from the BIOS settings. This feature is available on only a few motherboards and is not universal. Even the system where this function is available performs a secure erase rather than formatting the SSD.