Microsoft has recently confirmed that Windows 11 is also affected by the old bug related to SATA or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment.
The bug is related to SATA firmware where HDD or NAND flash-based SSDs are misread and detected as removable media in the Windows taskbar. As per Microsoft, this bug is rather old now; it affects all newer systems than Windows Vista including Windows 11.
According to Microsoft, whether or not a device is considered removable is determined by the system’s BIOS. The problem lies in the inbox driver which directly inspects SATA ports and detects connected devices to those ports marked “external” or removable devices. This can be a potential cause for corruption or data loss.
Microsoft has posted a solution for this issue that should work on Windows 8, 8.1, 10, and Windows 11.
Before you do anything, check if there is an available BIOS update from the PC or MBO manufacturer’s website.
If there is no BIOS update available and you’re still experiencing this problem here’s how you can override the way the inbox driver detects devices on certain ports.
Open command prompt in elevated mode (run as administrator)
type devmgmt.msc and click enter.
Under Disk Drives, select the SATA device you would like to be identified as internal by the inbox driver and open its properties.
Take note of the Bus Number.
Run the following command to create a registry key:
reg.exe add “HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\Parameters\Device” /f /v TreatAsInternalPort /t REG_MULTI_SZ /d X
Replace the X with the Bus Number you got in the previous step.