TSTLens

Part 1: Preparation – USB Drive and Drivers

Before you begin, you’ll need a working computer and a USB flash drive that is at least 8GB. This process will erase everything on the USB drive.

1. Create the Windows 11 Installation USB

First, create your bootable USB drive using Microsoft’s official tool.

• On a working PC, search for “Download Windows 11” and go to the official Microsoft website.
• Find the section titled “Create Windows 11 Installation Media” and click Download Now.
• Run the downloaded Media Creation Tool.
• Accept the license terms, confirm the language, and on the “Choose which media to use” screen, select USB flash drive.
• Select your USB drive from the list and let the tool download Windows 11 and make the drive bootable.

2. Get the Storage Driver (IRST)

This is the crucial step to make your NVMe drive visible during installation.

• On the working PC, go to the support website for your laptop’s manufacturer (e.g., Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS).
• Search for your exact laptop model number.
• Go to the Drivers & Downloads section.
• Look for a category labeled Storage, SATA, or Chipset.
• Download the driver named Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) or Intel Volume Management Device (VMD). It will likely be a .zip or .exe file.
• Extract the driver files. If you downloaded a .zip file, right-click it and select “Extract All…”. If it’s an .exe file, run it, but look carefully for an Extract option instead of an “Install” option. You need the raw driver files (.inf, .sys, etc.), not an installed program.
• Create a new folder on your Windows 11 installation USB (the one you just made) and name it something simple like drivers.
• Copy the extracted driver files into that new drivers folder on your USB drive.

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Part 2: Installing Windows 11

Now you’re ready to install the operating system on the new laptop.

1. Boot from the USB Drive

• Plug the prepared USB drive into the laptop where you want to install Windows 11.
• Turn on the laptop and immediately press the key to enter the BIOS/UEFI setup. Common keys are F2, F10, or Delete.
• In the BIOS, find the Boot menu. Change the boot order to make your USB drive the first option.
• Save your changes and exit the BIOS. The laptop will restart and should now boot from the USB drive.

2. Load the Storage Driver

• The Windows 11 setup will begin. Choose your language and keyboard layout, then click Install now.
• Enter your product key or click “I don’t have a product key.”
• Choose the version of Windows 11 you want to install (usually Home or Pro).
• You will eventually reach the screen titled “Where do you want to install Windows?“. This is where your drive is likely missing. Don’t worry.
• Click the Load driver link at the bottom.
• Click Browse and navigate to the drivers folder you created on your USB drive. Select it and click OK.
• The setup should find a compatible driver (e.g., “Intel RST VMD Controller”). Select it and click Next.
• After a moment, your NVMe drive will appear in the list! Select the unallocated space and click Next to begin the installation.

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Part 3: Bypassing the Network Connection

After the main files are installed, your PC will restart to the final setup screens (called the OOBE). This is where you can skip the internet requirement.

• Proceed through the setup by selecting your country and keyboard layout.
• You will arrive at the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen, which has no obvious skip button.
• Press Shift + F10 on your keyboard. (On some laptops, you might need to press Fn + Shift + F10).
• A black Command Prompt window will open. Type the following command exactly and press Enter:OOBE\BYPASSNRO
• Your computer will immediately restart and the setup process will begin again.
• Select your country and keyboard layout one more time.
• When you get back to the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen, you will now see a new option: “I don’t have internet”. Click it.
• On the next screen, click “Continue with limited setup”.