Intel DC S4610 UEFI Boot Only or bad firmware?

[KO]

I was trying to put this drive into service, and just completed the firmware update (XCV10110) and testing, but now can't seem to install Windows (7/8/8.1/10/Server). The hardware that doesn't work is a mix of server, workstation, and PC BIOS, EFI, and older UEFI motherboards. However, the install seems to work on a two year old PC I tested that's certified for Windows 10 (note: I didn't wait for the install to complete as I was troubleshooting what works and what doesn't).

The specific error that's displayed with the other mix of PC and Server hardware is:

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu"

No combination of MBR/GPT partitioning or uninitialized blank disks worked for hardware that wasn't Windows 10 certified.

So my question is - what UEFI version is required in order to use the drive? Or is this a firmware issue?

Update: I cloned an MBR formatted Windows hard drive to the S4610 and it boots normally. So this is probably a firmware issue. The drive is presenting itself to the Windows installer as a UEFI drive, no matter how the drive is formatted or what type of bios is on the motherboard.

[Santiago_A_Inte]

Hi KO,

Thanks for your response; please allow us some additional time to do some research about your findings; we will get back to your as soon as we can.

Have a nice day,

Santiago A.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[KO]

Is there a firmware update available or a way to revert to the original firmware?

[Santiago_A_Inte]

Hi KO,

Thanks for your contact to Intel® SSD support group.

As per your request, your SSD has the latest Firmware available, unfortunately there’s no procedure available to downgrade Firmware on SSD’s, once it is updated.

Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Have a nice day,

Santiago A.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[KO]

So is there a resolution from the engineering department? The drive isn't allowing us to install an operating system on any motherboard that isn't a fairly new UEFI version. The solution shouldn't be to install an operating system to another hard drive and then have to clone to the S4610 in order for the drive to boot. Something within the firmware isn't working correctly.

Edit: I went ahead and filled for the warranty replacement. The drive is advertised as a replacement for hard drives in legacy infrastructure but seems to only support the newest version of the UEFI specification. So either the firmware has a bug or the drive controller is bad.

Edit 2: Warranty replacement was denied based on Intel's opinion the motherboards are incompatible (motherboard manufacturer / bios problem). That's fairly confusing as all other SSDs we own work (including other models of Intel DC SSDs). I can't recall any time in the last decade I've ever seen a motherboard that's incompatible with a SATA drive, and never experienced the problem of having a SATA drive refuse to install an operating system on anything other than a modern version of the UEFI spec.