Guide - Fresh Windows installation on Acer Predator Triton 17 X (and also probably pretty much any other Acer laptop with VMD)
Hello Reddit,
After struggling a bit with making a fresh Windows installation of my new Acer Predator Triton 17 X laptop, I decided to make a short guide for anyone in a similar situation.
When I got my new laptop, I had some issues with freezing, incorrect app scaling and Wi-Fi connectivity dropping, so after some time searching for solutions on the internet and troubleshooting without success, I came to the conclusion that I might need a fresh Windows installation.
The built-in Windows 11 Recovery Tool won’t save you, because for some reason the option to reset and re-install the OS was removed.
By default, the laptop comes with pre-configured RAID 0 and VMD turned on. If you want to keep these during the fresh Windows install, here’s a step-by-step guide on what to do next:
- Get a flash drive with a minimum of 8GB of free space, remembering to back up your data as the drive will be formatted.
- Download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool.
- Run the Media Creation Tool, choose your flash drive, follow on-screen instructions, and wait for it to complete.
- Download the appropriate IRST (Intel® Rapid Storage Technology) driver for your device from .
- Extract the driver contents and place them on the Windows flash drive you created.
- Restart your laptop.
- While it's booting up, press F2 to access the BIOS settings.
- Press F1 to enter Advanced settings.
- Navigate to the Boot tab and move your flash drive to the top of the list.
- Press F10, Save and Close.
- Wait for the Windows installation to load, selecting Language, Time, and Input method.
- Opt for Install, then Custom: Install Windows only.
- An error message will appear, stating no disks are found.
- Choose Load Driver.
- Locate the extracted driver on your flash drive from step 5.
- Click OK. Note: You may encounter an error about no drivers for your device. Explore subfolders on your flash drive to find the correct one; in my case, it was in folder \IRST_Intel_19.5.1.1040_W11x64\F6\VMD\f6vmdflpy-x64.
- Create necessary partitions, select the one for Windows installation, click Next, and wait for the installation to complete.
And that’s it. After re-installing Windows I no longer have any of the problems I faced before, with the added bonus of not having to deal with Acer’s bloatware during the initial setup. Your Wlan card will likely need a driver to start working, so it might be a good idea to download drivers and back them up before re-installing, if you don't have an Ethernet cable handy.
If you would instead like to disable RAID and VMD, you need to do so before starting the Windows installation. Here’s what to do in this case:
- Get a flash drive with a minimum of 8GB of free space, remembering to back up your data as the drive will be formatted.
- Download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool.
- Run the Media Creation Tool, choose your flash drive, follow on-screen instructions, and wait for it to complete.
- Restart your laptop.
- While it's booting up, press F2 to access the BIOS settings.
- Press F1 to enter Advanced settings.
- Navigate to the Main tab and press Crtl+S to display additional options
- Disable the VMD controller.
- Navigate to the Boot tab and move your flash drive to the top of the list.
- Press F10, Save and Close.
- Wait for the Windows installation to load, selecting Language, Time, and Input method.
- Opt for Install, then Custom: Install Windows only.
- Your physical drives should show up as normal. Create necessary partitions, select the one for Windows installation, click Next, and wait for the installation to complete.
I hope this helps!
FAQ
Q: My drives don't show up during the installation, even though I disabled VMD. What to do?
A: Try creating a bootable Windows installation USB with Rufus instead of the Windows Media Creation tool, and repeat the process from the start.
Q: Will I void the warranty if I re-install windows?
A: No, you won’t void the warranty. (I didn’t disable VMD, and my existing Windows license was automatically added. I am not sure if the same will happen if you disable VMD and then install Windows.)
Q: What is RAID?
A: RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. It’s a way to group disks together for efficiency and/or redundancy.
Q: What is VMD?
A: VMD stands for Volume Management Device. This is a storage controller that groups together several disks for better efficiency and improved load times.
Q: Do I need VMD?
A: If you want to use RAID or Optane – yes, you need to have it enabled. If you plan on running demanding games, 3D animation or video editing programs, then it’s best to keep it on for better performance (at least according to Intel. I haven’t done any testing myself, but this seems to be the general consensus on the Internet). If you plan on using your laptop for web browsing and general everyday stuff, then you can turn it off without feeling any difference. Remember that you need to do that before installing an OS, though.
Q: What is Optane?
A: A faster type of memory that sits between the processor and the disks. It keeps frequently accessed data loaded and readily available to the CPU and doesn’t clear on a power off.
Edit: added instructions on what to do if drives don't show up even when VMD is disabled