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NV2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD - Support
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Frequently Asked Questions
This is common for flash storage, whether internal SSD or external USB storage. It is due in part to a variance in how flash memory vs spinning platter hard drive manufacturers calculate megabyte. Hard drive manufacturers calculate a megabyte (or 1,000x1,000 bytes) as 1,000KBs, whereas the binary calculation for flash-based storage is 1,024KBs.
Example: For a 1TB flash-based storage device, Windows will calculate it as having a capacity of 931.32GB. (1,000,000,000,000÷1,024÷1,024÷1,024=931.32GB).
Furthermore, Kingston reserves some of the listed capacity for formatting and other functions, such as firmware and/or controller-specific information, and thus some of the listed capacity is not available for data storage.
FAQ: KDT-010611-GEN-06
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FAQ: KSD-001525-001-00
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-00
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-01
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If this is not possible, or if you previously cloned your old data to your new drive, confirm that the new drive appears as a boot device in the system BIOS, then select it for booting.
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-03
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-Confirm that the system BIOS recognizes your new SSD and if not, visit the motherboard / system manufacturer’s website to see if there is a new BIOS available.
-Verify your BIOS settings are configured to accept a new NVMe SSD.
-Confirm that your target operating system supports NVMe SSDs (e.g., Windows 8 or later)
Note: Kingston SSDs do not require additional drivers to operate.
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-05
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https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/update-to-add-native-driver-support-in-nvm-express-in-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2-03cd423b-d42e-66c2-722b-019d16455a6b
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-06
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-07
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If the drive is present in the BIOS, you may need to initialize the disk within the operating system. Follow the steps below to initialize.
For Windows:
Step 1: Confirm the drive is properly attached, and power on the system, then boot into Windows OS.
Step 2: Press Windows + X and choose Disk Management.
Step 3: If the SSD is new and not initialized, a popup will appear saying "Initialize Disk."
Step 4: Choose between: MBR (Master Boot Record): Suitable for drives under 2TB and older systems. GPT (GUID Partition Table): Recommended for modern systems and drives larger than 2TB.
Step 5: Click OK to initialize the disk.
Step 6: Once initialized, you'll see the SSD as "Unallocated." Right-click on it and select New Simple Volume.
Step 7: Follow the on-screen prompts (keeping all defaults is Okay) to format and assign a drive letter to the SSD.
For macOS:
Step 1: Confirm the drive is properly attached, and power on the system, then boot into Mac OS.
Step 2: Open Disk Utility (you can find it using Spotlight with Cmd + Space and then typing "Disk Utility").
Step 3: In the left pane, select your SSD.
Step 4: Click on Erase.
Step 5: Provide a name for the drive, and under Format, choose: APFS for newer Macs and SSDs. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for older systems or HDDs.
Step 6: Click Erase. Once the process completes, the SSD will be ready for use.
For Linux:
Step 1: Confirm the drive is properly attached, and power on the system, then boot into Linux OS.
Step 2: Open a terminal.
Step 3: Enter sudo fdisk -l to list all connected drives. Identify your SSD by its size and note the device name, e.g., /dev/sdb.
Step 4: Initialize the SSD using fdisk or parted. Here's a basic guide using fdisk: Enter sudo fdisk /dev/sdb (replace /dev/sdb with your SSD's device name). Press g to create a new GPT partition table. Press n to create a new partition. Follow the prompts to specify the size and type. Press w to write the changes.
Step 5: Format the new partition on the SSD (e.g., /dev/sdb1). You can format it with the filesystem of your choice: For ext4: sudo mkfs.ext4, For ext3: sudo mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdb1, For FAT32: sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/sdb1
Step 6: Mount the SSD: Create a mount point: sudo mkdir /mnt/myssd, Mount the SSD: sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/myssd, Remember to replace /dev/sdb1 with your SSD's partition name.
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-15
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-18
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https://www.kingston.com/en/blog/pc-performance/two-types-m2-vs-ssd
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-16
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If your SSD requires new firmware, you will receive a notification when running Kingston’s SSD Manager software, located here: www.kingston.com/ssdmanager
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-11
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M.2 is the physical form factor. SATA and PCIe refer to the storage interface, the primary difference is performance and the protocol (language) spoken by the M.2 SSD.
The M.2 spec was designed to accommodate both a SATA and PCIe interface for SSDs. M.2 SATA SSDs will use the same controller currently on a typical 2.5” SATA SSDs. M.2 PCIe SSDs will use a controller specifically designed to support the PCIe protocol. An M.2 SSD can only support one protocol, but some systems have M.2 sockets that can support either SATA or PCIe.
FAQ: KSD-004005-001-00
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https://www.kingston.com/en/blog/pc-performance/nvme-vs-sata
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-19
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-04
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If your SSD requires new firmware, you will receive a notification when running Kingston’s SSD Manager software, located here: www.kingston.com/ssdmanager
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-11
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-12
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-13
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-14
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-04
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-Confirm that the system BIOS recognizes your new SSD and if not, visit the motherboard / system manufacturer’s website to see if there is a new BIOS available.
-Verify your BIOS settings are configured to accept a new NVMe SSD.
-Confirm that your target operating system supports NVMe SSDs (e.g., Windows 8 or later)
Note: Kingston SSDs do not require additional drivers to operate.
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-05
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If the drive is present in the BIOS, you may need to initialize the disk within the operating system. Follow the steps below to initialize.
For Windows:
Step 1: Confirm the drive is properly attached, and power on the system, then boot into Windows OS.
Step 2: Press Windows + X and choose Disk Management.
Step 3: If the SSD is new and not initialized, a popup will appear saying "Initialize Disk."
Step 4: Choose between: MBR (Master Boot Record): Suitable for drives under 2TB and older systems. GPT (GUID Partition Table): Recommended for modern systems and drives larger than 2TB.
Step 5: Click OK to initialize the disk.
Step 6: Once initialized, you'll see the SSD as "Unallocated." Right-click on it and select New Simple Volume.
Step 7: Follow the on-screen prompts (keeping all defaults is Okay) to format and assign a drive letter to the SSD.
For macOS:
Step 1: Confirm the drive is properly attached, and power on the system, then boot into Mac OS.
Step 2: Open Disk Utility (you can find it using Spotlight with Cmd + Space and then typing "Disk Utility").
Step 3: In the left pane, select your SSD.
Step 4: Click on Erase.
Step 5: Provide a name for the drive, and under Format, choose: APFS for newer Macs and SSDs. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for older systems or HDDs.
Step 6: Click Erase. Once the process completes, the SSD will be ready for use.
For Linux:
Step 1: Confirm the drive is properly attached, and power on the system, then boot into Linux OS.
Step 2: Open a terminal.
Step 3: Enter sudo fdisk -l to list all connected drives. Identify your SSD by its size and note the device name, e.g., /dev/sdb.
Step 4: Initialize the SSD using fdisk or parted. Here's a basic guide using fdisk: Enter sudo fdisk /dev/sdb (replace /dev/sdb with your SSD's device name). Press g to create a new GPT partition table. Press n to create a new partition. Follow the prompts to specify the size and type. Press w to write the changes.
Step 5: Format the new partition on the SSD (e.g., /dev/sdb1). You can format it with the filesystem of your choice: For ext4: sudo mkfs.ext4, For ext3: sudo mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdb1, For FAT32: sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/sdb1
Step 6: Mount the SSD: Create a mount point: sudo mkdir /mnt/myssd, Mount the SSD: sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/myssd, Remember to replace /dev/sdb1 with your SSD's partition name.
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-15
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-18
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https://www.kingston.com/en/blog/pc-performance/two-types-m2-vs-ssd
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-16
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-04
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-00
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-01
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If this is not possible, or if you previously cloned your old data to your new drive, confirm that the new drive appears as a boot device in the system BIOS, then select it for booting.
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-03
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-Confirm that the system BIOS recognizes your new SSD and if not, visit the motherboard / system manufacturer’s website to see if there is a new BIOS available.
-Verify your BIOS settings are configured to accept a new NVMe SSD.
-Confirm that your target operating system supports NVMe SSDs (e.g., Windows 8 or later)
Note: Kingston SSDs do not require additional drivers to operate.
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-05
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https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/update-to-add-native-driver-support-in-nvm-express-in-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2-03cd423b-d42e-66c2-722b-019d16455a6b
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-06
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-18
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If the drive is present in the BIOS, you may need to initialize the disk within the operating system. Follow the steps below to initialize.
For Windows:
Step 1: Confirm the drive is properly attached, and power on the system, then boot into Windows OS.
Step 2: Press Windows + X and choose Disk Management.
Step 3: If the SSD is new and not initialized, a popup will appear saying "Initialize Disk."
Step 4: Choose between: MBR (Master Boot Record): Suitable for drives under 2TB and older systems. GPT (GUID Partition Table): Recommended for modern systems and drives larger than 2TB.
Step 5: Click OK to initialize the disk.
Step 6: Once initialized, you'll see the SSD as "Unallocated." Right-click on it and select New Simple Volume.
Step 7: Follow the on-screen prompts (keeping all defaults is Okay) to format and assign a drive letter to the SSD.
For macOS:
Step 1: Confirm the drive is properly attached, and power on the system, then boot into Mac OS.
Step 2: Open Disk Utility (you can find it using Spotlight with Cmd + Space and then typing "Disk Utility").
Step 3: In the left pane, select your SSD.
Step 4: Click on Erase.
Step 5: Provide a name for the drive, and under Format, choose: APFS for newer Macs and SSDs. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for older systems or HDDs.
Step 6: Click Erase. Once the process completes, the SSD will be ready for use.
For Linux:
Step 1: Confirm the drive is properly attached, and power on the system, then boot into Linux OS.
Step 2: Open a terminal.
Step 3: Enter sudo fdisk -l to list all connected drives. Identify your SSD by its size and note the device name, e.g., /dev/sdb.
Step 4: Initialize the SSD using fdisk or parted. Here's a basic guide using fdisk: Enter sudo fdisk /dev/sdb (replace /dev/sdb with your SSD's device name). Press g to create a new GPT partition table. Press n to create a new partition. Follow the prompts to specify the size and type. Press w to write the changes.
Step 5: Format the new partition on the SSD (e.g., /dev/sdb1). You can format it with the filesystem of your choice: For ext4: sudo mkfs.ext4, For ext3: sudo mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdb1, For FAT32: sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/sdb1
Step 6: Mount the SSD: Create a mount point: sudo mkdir /mnt/myssd, Mount the SSD: sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/myssd, Remember to replace /dev/sdb1 with your SSD's partition name.
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-15
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-14
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-13
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-12
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If your SSD requires new firmware, you will receive a notification when running Kingston’s SSD Manager software, located here: www.kingston.com/ssdmanager
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-11
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FAQ: KSD-012010-001-07
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https://www.kingston.com/en/blog/pc-performance/two-types-m2-vs-ssd
FAQ: KSD-012010-001-16
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