- Laptops
- Laptop
We couldn't find any drives
Acer We couldn't find any drives on laptop: missing drive
Risk level
Medium
Proceed carefully and stop if the check is unclear.
Urgency
Medium
Quick answer
During Windows installation on an Acer laptop you see We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver: Intel VMD is enabled and needs the IRST driver. Download the Intel VMD/IRST driver from Acer's site to your USB and click Load driver.
Safety first
Stop and check this first
- Formatting or deleting partitions in Windows setup erases your data: if the drive still holds files you have not backed up, do not click Format or Delete; have a technician back up your data first.
- Do not disable Secure Boot or try to bypass a BIOS supervisor password: follow Acer's Option 1 in KB 18079 by keeping Intel VMD enabled and loading the IRST driver during setup.
Safe checks you can perform
- Confirm the exact Load driver message in Windows setup
- Unzip Acer's Intel VMD/IRST driver onto the installation USB
- Click Load driver and select the Intel VMD folder
- Check the Intel VMD setting in the BIOS Main menu
Leave these tasks to a qualified professional
- Do not attempt this professional task: Windows installation with Acer's IRST driver by a technician
- Do not attempt this professional task: NVMe SSD and M.2 slot inspection by Acer service
What a technician must be able to justify
Technician visit
These are the steps they must carry out and show you. Tick them as they work: if steps are skipped, do not accept a part swap.
These are not instructions for opening or handling the equipment yourself. They are the checks that should support a technical conclusion.
Windows installation with Acer's IRST driver by a technician
What they doA technician prepares the installation media with the exact Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) driver for your Acer model while keeping Intel VMD and Secure Boot enabled as Option 1 of KB 18079 recommends.
They must show youthe storage drives detected in Windows setup after loading the IRST driver and a clean boot into Windows.
In writingthe We couldn't find any drives message, the IRST/VMD driver version used, and how Intel VMD was left configured in BIOS.
NVMe SSD and M.2 slot inspection by Acer service
What they doIf the drive still is not detected with the official IRST driver or in BIOS setup, service inspects the internal SSD and motherboard connector.
They must show youthe SSD recognized in BIOS/UEFI and a passed storage check after the repair or replacement.
In writingthe storage diagnosis, any part replaced, the laptop's Serial Number or SNID, and the repair warranty.
Before accepting a part or repair
Nothing has been shown yet. Do not accept a part swap based on the code alone.
Follow these steps
Note: Follow the documented order. An error code identifies the affected system, but it does not prove by itself which part has failed.
Confirm the exact Load driver message in Windows setup
- Who:
- you, on the storage configuration screen during Windows installation.
- How:
- check that the bottom of the screen displays "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" (or its Spanish equivalent), as quoted in Acer KB 13818.
- Result that matters:
- confirming that Windows setup is asking for a storage controller driver rather than reporting a damaged partition.
- If the wording matches:
- prepare the Intel VMD/IRST driver folder on another computer before touching any partitions.
- If a different error code appears after drives are already listed:
- stop and record that exact message.
- Evidence to keep:
- a photo of the Windows installation screen showing the message at the bottom.
Evidence: Error message "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" during Windows installation on systems with Intel 11th Generation (Tiger Lake) processors
Unzip Acer's Intel VMD/IRST driver onto the installation USB
- Who:
- you, on another computer with internet access.
- How:
- open the Acer Drivers and Manuals page, look up your laptop by Serial Number, SNID, or model name, download the Intel VMD or Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) driver, unzip the archive, and save the extracted folder onto your Windows installation USB drive as KB 13818 instructs.
- Result that matters:
- having the unzipped driver folder ready for Windows setup to browse.
- If the extracted folder is saved on the USB drive:
- return to the Acer laptop and click Load driver.
- If you only copied the zipped file:
- extract it first so the installer can read the driver files.
- Evidence to keep:
- the file name and version of the Intel VMD/IRST package downloaded from Acer.
Evidence: Error message "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" during Windows installation on systems with Intel 11th Generation (Tiger Lake) processors · TravelMate Notebooks with Intel Volume Management Device
Click Load driver and select the Intel VMD folder
- Who:
- you, on the Windows setup screen where no drives were listed.
- How:
- following Option 1 of KB 18079 (recommended for Windows 11 with VMD enabled), click Load driver, click the browse icon, select the extracted Intel VMD driver folder on your USB drive, click OK, highlight the top driver in the list, and click Next.
- Result that matters:
- Windows setup installs the Intel VMD driver and lists all available storage drives on the screen.
- If your drive partitions appear:
- verify which partition you want before continuing the installation.
- If no drives appear even after loading the driver for your model:
- check the Intel VMD setting in BIOS with F2.
- Evidence to keep:
- a photo of the driver selection list and the drives displayed once loaded.
Evidence: Error message "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" during Windows installation on systems with Intel 11th Generation (Tiger Lake) processors · TravelMate Notebooks with Intel Volume Management Device
Check the Intel VMD setting in the BIOS Main menu
- Who:
- you, after holding the power button for 10 seconds to power off completely.
- How:
- turn the laptop on and tap F2 when the Acer screen appears to enter BIOS/UEFI. Open the Main menu and look for the Intel VMD setting; KB 18079 notes that if the VMD controller option is hidden by default, pressing Ctrl + S on the Main menu reveals it, and Fn + F10 saves changes.
- Result that matters:
- confirming whether Intel VMD is enabled and whether the drive is present in BIOS without disabling Secure Boot.
- If you see the setting and prefer not to alter storage modes yourself:
- exit without deleting anything and ask a technician.
- If the BIOS asks for a supervisor password you do not know or the SSD is missing in BIOS too:
- do not try to bypass the password; contact Acer support.
- Evidence to keep:
- a photo of the BIOS Main menu showing the Intel VMD state and detected drive.
Evidence: Error message "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" during Windows installation on systems with Intel 11th Generation (Tiger Lake) processors · TravelMate Notebooks with Intel Volume Management Device
Still not solved
If the error persists, stop here. See what the technician must do and show you.
Where this code applies
A code is meaningful only inside the right product and version context.
Primary scope
- System
- Laptops
- Brand
- Acer
- Product type
- Laptop
Known code variants
- Acer Intel VMD Load driver
- Acer Intel VMD no detecta unidades
- Acer no drives found Windows install
- Cargar controlador IRST Acer
- No pudimos encontrar ninguna unidad
- No pudimos encontrar ninguna unidad Acer
- Para obtener un controlador de almacenamiento haga clic en Cargar controlador
- To get a storage driver click Load driver
- TravelMate Intel VMD
- We couldn't find any drives Acer
- We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver
What it means
In Acer's knowledge base articles on the message "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" on Intel 11th Generation Tiger Lake systems (KB 13818) and on TravelMate notebooks with Intel Volume Management Device (KB 18079, such as TravelMate P214, P215, P414, P416, and P614), the Intel VMD controller is enabled by default in the BIOS/UEFI to manage NVMe SSDs. When installing a retail or custom Windows image without the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) driver, setup cannot see the drive. Other models may differ, and the message alone never proves the SSD is faulty.
Warnings and stop conditions
- Higheditorial warning
Formatting or deleting partitions in Windows setup erases your data: if the drive still holds files you have not backed up, do not click Format or Delete; have a technician back up your data first.
Evidence: Error message "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" during Windows installation on systems with Intel 11th Generation (Tiger Lake) processors
- Mediumeditorial warning
Do not disable Secure Boot or try to bypass a BIOS supervisor password: follow Acer's Option 1 in KB 18079 by keeping Intel VMD enabled and loading the IRST driver during setup.
Evidence: Error message "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" during Windows installation on systems with Intel 11th Generation (Tiger Lake) processors · TravelMate Notebooks with Intel Volume Management Device
Symptoms and causes
Probable causes · in order
- Intel VMD controller enabled without the IRST driver in Windows setupCommon
Acer explains in KB 13818 and KB 18079 that systems with Intel VMD enabled by default require loading the IRST driver so Windows setup can detect the storage drive.
Evidence: Error message "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" during Windows installation on systems with Intel 11th Generation (Tiger Lake) processors · TravelMate Notebooks with Intel Volume Management Device
- System update that reset CMOS settings back to defaultPossible
KB 18079 notes that system updates may reset CMOS settings to default and re-enable the Intel VMD controller if it had previously been turned off.
Evidence: TravelMate Notebooks with Intel Volume Management Device
- Disconnected or faulty internal NVMe SSDLess common
If the drive still does not show up after loading Acer's official Intel VMD driver and checking CMOS setup, the internal storage hardware needs a technician's inspection.
Evidence: Error message "We couldn't find any drives. To get a storage driver, click Load driver" during Windows installation on systems with Intel 11th Generation (Tiger Lake) processors · TravelMate Notebooks with Intel Volume Management Device
Virtual technician
Does We couldn't find any drives still appear after these checks?
Answer a few questions to narrow down the likely cause and the safest next action. Guidance only - it never replaces a professional.
Sources and technical references
- 3
TravelMate Notebooks with Intel Volume Management Device
Acer · 2026 · official_doc
- 4
Portátiles TravelMate con dispositivo Intel de gestión de volumen
Acer · 2026 · official_doc
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