Windows 10 installation hangs on the partition selection screen with Intel 12th Gen CPUs and ASUS B760 motherboards because the installer lacks native drivers for Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) or VMD controllers. Downloading the appropriate storage driver from the manufacturer, extracting it to a USB drive, and loading it via the "Load Driver" button during setup resolves the visibility issue immediately.
Understanding the Root Cause
The primary reason users encounter a blank screen when selecting partitions on modern hardware is not a faulty SSD but rather a missing storage controller driver. The ASUS PRO ART B760 motherboard utilizes Intel’s chipset architecture, which often defaults to RAID or VMD (Volume Management Device) mode in the BIOS for performance optimization. While this setting benefits multi-drive setups, the standard Windows 10 installation media does not include the proprietary Intel RST drivers required to communicate with the drive in this mode. Consequently, the operating system installer cannot detect any available storage devices, leaving you stuck at the partition selection interface despite having a fully functional 250GB SSD installed. This issue is particularly prevalent with Intel 12th, 13th, and 14th generation processors, as these architectures introduced significant changes to how storage controllers are managed. Unlike older systems where AHCI was the default and universally supported by Windows, newer platforms often hide the raw SATA/NVMe interfaces behind the Intel management software. Without the correct driver loaded into the RAM of the installation environment, the Windows Setup wizard sees an empty void rather than your physical disk. This is distinct from issues where the drive is detected but cannot be formatted, such as those involving dynamic disks, which require different troubleshooting steps entirely.Preparing the Installation Media
To resolve this issue, you must prepare your Windows 10 installation USB drive with the necessary drivers embedded or ready to be loaded manually. The most reliable method involves downloading the Intel RST driver directly from the ASUS support page for your specific motherboard model. Navigate to the downloads section for the ASUS PRO ART B760, locate the Drivers category, and select the Storage section. You will typically find a file named "Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver" or similar. Ensure you download the version compatible with Windows 10, as newer versions may be optimized only for Windows 11. Once downloaded, extract the contents of the driver package to a folder on your computer. It is crucial to keep this folder organized, as the installer needs to browse to this specific location later. Alternatively, some advanced users prefer to integrate the driver directly into the Windows ISO image using tools like DISM or Rufus integration features before creating the bootable USB. However, the manual loading method is generally safer and less prone to corruption if done correctly. Make sure your installation USB is still connected and accessible, as you will need to switch between the installer and the driver files during the process.Loading the Driver During Installation
Boot your PC from the Windows 10 installation USB and proceed through the initial language and keyboard selections until you reach the screen titled "Where do you want to install Windows?" At this stage, you should see no drives listed. Do not attempt to create new partitions or format existing ones, as there is nothing to interact with yet. Instead, look for a button labeled "Load Driver" in the bottom left corner of the window and click it. A new dialog box will appear prompting you to search for drivers. Click "Browse" and navigate to the folder where you extracted the Intel RST driver files. The installer should automatically detect the driver files within that directory. Select the driver folder and click OK. The setup will scan the folder and display the Intel RST driver in the list. Select it and click Next. The system will then load the driver into memory, which may take a few seconds. Once the loading process completes, the main partition screen will refresh and display your 250GB SSD as an available target. If the driver fails to load, verify that you selected the correct folder containing the.inf files. Sometimes, extracting the zip file creates nested folders that confuse the installer. Ensure you are pointing to the root of the extracted driver content. If you previously attempted other fixes, such as trying to format a dynamic drive, ensure that no residual partition tables are interfering. In rare cases, you may need to clear the drive first using command-line tools, but for most new builds, simply loading the driver is sufficient.