Katana 17 B12VFK-228XFR - big mistake (what is startup.nsh ?) 1

pmonett · Sunday at 5:12 PM

I bought this laptop as a replacement for a friend. I did read that there was no OS installed. Big deal, I thought, I know how to install Windows.
Boy, what a mistake that was.
I have a Windows 11 USB key installer that I know works. I went into the BIOS of the laptop and changed the boot order to put the USB harddisk first, no problem.
I also checked that the 1TB SSD is present in the storage page of the BIOS.
Happy with myself, and not fearing any issue, I rebooted the laptop. At restart, it found the USB key and the Windows install process started. Then, when it got to the Select Disk page, I only saw the USB key and a piddling 800KB partition. No TB option anywhere.
So I shut down the laptop, remove the USB key and rebooted to see what I would get. What I got is some startup.nsh screen (see attached file) that I can't make heads or tails of.
So I went hunting on them thar intertubes and I found advice like update the BIOS. Fine, I went to MSI's site, found the support page and the latest BIOS version, followed all the steps, updated the BIOS on the laptop and tried installing Win11 again. Same problem, no TB disk partition.
I then took out my trusty USB DVD reader and my Knoppix self-boot DVD and went into the BIOS again to make the USB DVD option the first in the boot list. My idea was to check if Knoppix could see the disk and mount it. After reboot, the laptop does access the DVD, the blinkenlichten go on for few seconds, then it reverts to the bloody startup.nsh
I'm at my wits end. Could anyone tell my what the blazes is going on and why the hell is it so hard to see a TB SSD in Windows install ?

wirerun · Sunday at 6:42 PM

The startup.nsh file is a script used by the EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) Shell, a command-line environment provided by UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) firmware. This script automates tasks during the boot process, such as launching bootloaders or setting up the environment.
Why You’re Seeing the startup.nsh Prompt

If your system boots into the EFI Shell and displays a startup.nsh prompt, it typically means that the firmware couldn’t find a valid bootloader (like BOOTX64.EFI) on any connected storage device. This situation can arise due to:

A missing or corrupted operating system.
Incorrect boot order settings in the BIOS/UEFI.
A newly installed or replaced storage drive without a bootable OS.

Steps to Resolve the Issue

Exit the EFI Shell: At the Shell> prompt, type exit and press Enter. This action should take you to the BIOS/UEFI setup screen.
Check Boot Order: Ensure that your primary storage device (SSD or HDD) is listed as the first boot option.
Verify Boot Mode: In the BIOS/UEFI settings, confirm that the system is set to the correct boot mode (UEFI or Legacy) that matches your operating system installation.
Check for Bootable Media: If your system lacks an operating system, you’ll need to install one. Use a bootable USB drive with your desired OS installation media.
Create or Repair Boot Entries: If the bootloader is missing or misconfigured, you might need to repair it. This process varies depending on your operating system.

pmonett · 2025-04-14T10:25:39+0100

Thank you so much for your reply.
As you can see in the attached files, I checked the BIOS boot options and made sure that the USB disk was first. You can also see that the Boot mode is locked to UEFI, which seems to me to be the correct option for Windows 11.
I have included a screenshot of the content of the USB disk made with the Microsoft MediaCreator. It is bootable, that is without question because the laptop does start using it when turned on.
Finally, I have included the screenshot of the stage where the installer asks where to install. As you can see, there is still no TB partition available. However, I have outlined in red an option that says "Charger le pilote" (Load Driver in French).
I checked the MSI support page for the laptop, but there is no BIOS driver option. There is an Intel Chipset driver, but I downloaded it and it needs Windows to be installed.
I went to the MSI support chat, but they were incapable of giving me an answer (I am not impressed).
Do you think I should go to Microsoft support and, if yes, how do I go about explaining that their boot disk needs a driver for a model they have no knowledge of ?

pmonett · 2025-04-14T11:31:38+0100

Correction : I finally got MSI support to give me a proper reply.
There is indeed a driver to install, but all they gave me was the link to downlad it and a link to so-called support page telling me that Windows needs to choose the driver names Intel RST VMD Controller so-and-so.
Then the chat basically ended there.
So I unzipped the driver file and just copied the directory to the USB install disk.
From there, I was able to Load Driver, open the folder and get Windows Install to find the driver. After that, the Select Disk page finally found the TB drive.
So yeah, MSI did the job in the end, but I was a total newb and didn't have sufficient knowledge to try things out, I would still be stuck.
In any case, thanks to you I got things sorted out in the end and Windows 11 is installing as I type this.
So thank you again for your help.

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Katana 17 B12VFK-228XFR - big mistake (what is startup.nsh ?) 1

pmonett

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wirerun

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pmonett

Programmer

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pmonett

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