When installing Windows, if your storage drive (SSD/HDD) does not appear on the "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen, you need to manually load these drivers. F6flpy-x64-vmd.zip : Supports Intel Volume Management Device (VMD) technology. System Type : Typically required for 11th Generation Intel processors and newer (e.g., 12th, 13th, 14th Gen). Common Platforms : Most modern laptops and mobile platforms. F6flpy-x64-non-vmd.zip : Supports standard SATA AHCI or RAID without VMD. System Type : Generally for 10th Generation Intel processors and older. Common Platforms
These files are not general-purpose drivers; they are specialized used primarily during the Windows operating system installation process. Their purpose is to allow Windows Setup to recognize NVMe SSDs and SATA drives when the storage controller is configured in a specific mode (especially VMD or Intel RST Premium).
Since Intel no longer offers the direct ZIP downloads, you'll have to extract the driver files yourself from the SetupRST.exe package. Here's how to do it on a working Windows computer:
: Get SetupRST.exe from the Intel Download Center or your motherboard manufacturer's site. F6flpy-x64-non-vmd.zip And F6flpy-x64-vmd.zip
Notes:
When VMD is enabled in your computer's BIOS/UEFI, the storage drive is "hidden" behind this VMD controller. Because standard Windows installation USB drives do not come pre-loaded with the specific Intel RST VMD controller driver, the Windows installation environment cannot communicate with your SSD.
from their official support pages, replacing them with a single SetupRST.exe installer. To get the drivers for a Windows installation: Download the latest SetupRST.exe Intel Download Center or your laptop manufacturer (like Extract the driver files using a command line: .\SetupRST.exe -extractdrivers Copy the extracted folder to your Windows Installation USB During Windows setup, click "Load Driver" and browse to that folder to make your SSD appear. Are you currently stuck at the "No drives found" screen, or are you just preparing your installation media ahead of time? F6flpy-x64-Non-VMD.zip and F6flpy-x64-VMD.zip Removed When installing Windows, if your storage drive (SSD/HDD)
When the empty drive selection box appears with the error message stating no drives were found, click the button located in the bottom-left corner. Click Browse in the pop-up prompt.
Here is the practical, step-by-step guide to getting the correct driver onto your system and loading it during Windows installation.
For any modern system with an 11th Gen Intel processor or newer, including nearly all recent Dell XPS, HP Spectre, and Lenovo ThinkPad models, the correct driver is the vmd.zip file. Attempting to use the non-VMD driver on a system with VMD enabled will result in the Windows installer failing to detect any drives, as it will not recognize the VMD-managed NVMe controller. Common Platforms : Most modern laptops and mobile platforms
Select the \RST_VMD folder (if you are running an 11th Gen Core CPU or newer laptop) or the \RST_NonVMD folder. Click .
Driver compatibility across Intel processor generations
Once you have the correct driver folder (e.g., VMD from the extraction) on a USB drive, follow these steps: