[Help] F4-424 NVME no longer seen by the BIOS

[agarza647]

In short, in the evening I was using the NAS for storing videos and everything was fine. The next morning my computer didn't see the network drive. Okay, probably just need to reboot the NAS. After the reboot, the NAS still isn't seen on the network. So I reboot the NAS and watch the boot sequence on a monitor. To my surprise, it goes from the TerraMaster logo straight to the BIOS screen. What!?!? I look through the BIOS and the NVME is not listed; the two SATA drives are there. (okay, good. my data is still there) I opened the side panel to check the NVME drive and it didn't look damaged from what I could tell.

Is this fixable/salvageable? How did this happen?

TerraMaster F4-424
NVME: Kingston SNV2S 250 Gb
OS: TrueNAS Community Edition

[CursaYang]

Is your TrueNAS system installed on an NVMe SSD? You can try installing the SSD into another drive bay to test. What is the current BIOS version?

[agarza647]

Yes, TrueNAS is on the NVMe. I do not have an adapter to go from M.2 to SATA. Here is the BIOS info:

BIOS Vendor: American Megatrends
Product Name: M-ADLN01
BIOS Version: MADN0101.V05

Could you explain how the BIOS would cause this? I have been running this NAS for over 1.5 years without any problems. Then 4 hours later, the NAS decides to no longer recognize the NVMe drive. How/Why would the BIOS do this?

[TMroy]

If the BIOS fails to detect the NVMe drive, there are two possible causes: either the motherboard on your F4-424 is faulty, or the NVMe drive itself is defective. Since you are running a third-party operating system, we are unable to provide direct technical support in this situation, and you will need to troubleshoot the issue on your own. If it turns out that the F4-424 motherboard is faulty, please contact our after-sales service department to arrange RMA service. Please note that running a third-party OS does not affect your hardware warranty.

[CursaYang]

There may be some misunderstanding here. What I meant by "another drive bay" was the other NVMe SSD slot on the motherboard; the F4-424 has two NVMe SSD slots. The probability of both slots failing at the same time is low. If the SSD is not recognized in either slot, you can test the SSD that has the system installed, or replace it with a different SSD to check whether it can be recognized. If you confirm that the SSD itself is fine but it still cannot be recognized, or it cannot be recognized in one of the slots, this may indicate a motherboard failure. Please send your purchase order information to our technical support email, and we will arrange for the appropriate sales representative to contact you to handle the after-sales process.

[agarza647]

I tried the NVMe in the second M.2 slot and it still wasn't recognized. What would cause this to happen?

[CursaYang]

If the same SSD is not recognized in either of the two M.2 slots, this is likely an SSD fault. You can run a diagnostic on this SSD, or swap in a different SSD to test.
If you confirm that the SSD itself is fine, then the F4-424 motherboard may be faulty. Please send your order information to our technical support email, and we will arrange for the appropriate sales representative to contact you to handle the after-sales service.