ESXi disconnects Samsung 970 pro on boot

[Rand__]

One of these annoying issues...

I wanted to bring up my backup box (Asus WS C621-64L). I had not used it a few months and last time i did iot complained about an empty cmos battery, so i replaced it.
Unfortunately i also went through with a cmos reset, no idea why i did that.

So, I setup up the usual and went on to boot ESXi 8.0.2. It did boot just fine but once in ESXi it "lost" the 970pro I use as boot device, it says device dead or missing.
I thought I must have messed up some bios setting and tried half a dozen settings, but can't seem to fix it.
The other nvme i have (pass through to TNC) don't disconnect but they are not used as storage devices so maybe that it.

So i tried playing around more, to no avail.
I them moved the drive to an Asus Z11PA-U12 - it worked flawlessly , showing everything on it just fine. I also have another box that has a 970 pro as boot device, that works just fine too.

So I am at a loss here -
- it cant be the OS since the same type is working fine with the same drive in another box (and the very drive works fine in another box too)
- it cant be the drive, because its detected, it boots, its fine in another box, but just not this one
- it could be bios but I am at a loss which setting, i tried CSM and not, I tried moving it from onboard m2 slot to a pcie slot, chatgpt said VMD but the only settings i found where on the pcie slots (asus hypercard or vroc, nothing with vmd)

I could update the OS i another server but dont think it will help, i could try another known good nvme to see if its the drive after all, I could clone the drive to a sata drive (probably the simplest option),
but before i do that I thought I'd ask for ideas

Thanks

 

[Rand__]

Tried cloning the drive to a sata drive but macrium did not recognize the data partition and didnt clone it.
so will power it up in another box, move off the vm i need, reinstall on sata and then move the vm back

 

[zachj]

Check if the drive ended up being configured for pass through…
If it’s configured for pass through you won’t see it as a datastore

 

[Rand__]

I did that but no it was not, thanks.
Had also played with CSM (which is what support suggested) but no. Tried doing Intel VMD settings (which chatgpt suggested) but there was nothing in Bios, maybe a hidden setting

Didnt solve, reinstalled on Sata and will ignore it

 

[zachj]

Did the NVMe show up in the hardware tab AT ALL?

 

[Rand__]

I dont think it did after the boot was done

It was only seen as a dead drive, but I think it was still visible as storage controller, but not accessible
Some kind of driver must have "reused" it for something

If you have an idea I can temporarily put it back in, just need to migrate all the vms off first since that one is now my primary box (with the sata drive)