Acer N20c5 Storage Driver [ Genuine ⇒ ]

Solution: Disable VMD in BIOS temporarily. Reboot → Press F2 during boot → Go to Advanced → VMD Configuration → Set Enable VMD to Disabled. Save and exit.
Note: After disabling VMD, Windows will use the standard NVMe driver. Performance may slightly drop, but compatibility improves.

Cause: Windows is trying to boot in AHCI mode but the BIOS is set to RST/VMD.
Fix: Reboot to BIOS → Change SATA mode from Intel RST Premium to AHCI – OR – Reinstall Windows with the proper driver injected.

Even with the correct Acer N20C5 storage driver, problems can arise. Here are solutions to the most frequent issues: acer n20c5 storage driver

Scenario A: "No drives were found" during Windows Installation If you are installing Windows 10 or Windows 11 and the setup screen shows no drives to install onto, it is because the Windows installation media does not contain the specific Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) driver required to communicate with the NVMe SSD or SATA controller on the motherboard.

Scenario B: Unknown Device / Standard SATA AHCI Controller If you are already inside Windows and see an "Unknown Device" or a generic "Standard SATA AHCI Controller" in Device Manager, performance may be suboptimal. Installing the specific driver enables AHCI mode and improves power management. Solution: Disable VMD in BIOS temporarily

A: If your BIOS is set to AHCI, no. But many N20C5 laptops ship with a hybrid configuration (Optane memory + HDD). In that case, the Intel RST driver is mandatory.

If your service tag or BIOS version includes "N20C5", this guide is for you. Download version 18