# Formatting NVMe M.2 Hardrive **URL:** \ **Category:** Support and Troubleshooting\ **Created:** [March 19, 2024, 12:08pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618 "2024-03-19T12:08:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Piman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Piman](https://community.umbrel.com/u/Piman)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 12:08pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/1 "2024-03-19T12:08:39Z")
Hello, I’ve signed up as I am struggling to get the right installation. How awesome that the new v1.0 UmbrelOS software has been released! I was very excited, however, I am unable to correctly use Umbrel as I don’t have enough storage space! 1. Raspberry PI5 2. 64GB SD Card 3. Using an NVMe base from Pimoroni for M.2 Drive 4. 2TB Samsung M.2 Drive First I flash SD Card with Umbrel OS, then I format the M.2 Drive ‘Master Boot Record’ and ‘Ex-Fat’, then with a fresh install of SD Card and M.2 drive I set everything up and turn the PI device on. Everything thing works great, however, upon login I look at the logs and storage space and it decides to format my remaining space on the 64GB SD card and not use the 2TB hard drive! Other things I have tried. Installing OS to M.2, using PI 5 wants SD Card and won’t continue any further. SSH into Umbrel, using commands such as ‘df’ and ‘fdisk’ which only shows the SD Card and not the M.2 drive. I know the M.2 works because duration some test installations with Umbrel OS it actually formats my Ex-Fat hard drive and has some ‘PI-RUG’ files placed on the drive and partitions it. It does not use it as storage though! When logging in via host/ip/shh address on the logs and storage I can’t seem to see the drive. Maybe providing logs would help if anyone is interested. The only thing I have yet to try is format as Ex4, or try installing via RPi OS with SD Card and use curl to get and setup Umbrel Server. Unless I purchase a SSD and try that way, I’m not sure what to do as of now. I might try and curl using RPI OS see how I get on. I will leave it a few days and see if anyone kindly comments to get us going in the right direction as I read on the community forum that many users are struggling with formatting hard drives. Oh you know if you plug a usb into usb3.0 blue port then it will format your usb! Shame it’s not the same for M.2 hard drive. I don’t think this is a power issue either… Can anyone suggest something? ---
**Author:** ![skidmore298](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skidmore298](https://community.umbrel.com/u/skidmore298)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/2 "2024-03-19T19:22:10Z")
I have the exact same problem. I know my set up works as using CasaOS the drive is picked up by default and works fine. But Umbrel doesn’t work that way for some reason. Would love for it to work. ---
**Author:** ![MadMacks](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/madmacks/32/5182_2.png) [@MadMacks](https://community.umbrel.com/u/MadMacks)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2024, 7:03am UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/3 "2024-03-21T07:03:50Z")
See this thread for many more examples of the same problem… [https://community.umbrel.com/t/umbrelos-1-0-reads-only-microsd-storage/15596](https://community.umbrel.com/t/umbrelos-1-0-reads-only-microsd-storage/15596) ---
**Author:** ![Piman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Piman](https://community.umbrel.com/u/Piman)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/4 "2024-03-25T19:00:24Z")
Hi MadMacks, I have tried all sorts but can’t fully get m.2 working. USB 3.0 formats the hard drive and works in the reader. You can use it like this but it’s not ideal. If I take it out and put in m.2 and then mount sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /home when ssh Umbrel Dashboard will update and display that I have 2TB hard drive instead of SD-Card storage! But crashes and when restarting fails to work again. Been on GitHub but no solution yet. Best bet is to buy their product or use an external hard drive in the USB 3.0 until a fix comes out whenever that will be! Might take a look at CasaOS or RaspberryPi for now. ---
**Author:** ![MadMacks](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/madmacks/32/5182_2.png) [@MadMacks](https://community.umbrel.com/u/MadMacks)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/5 "2024-03-26T17:37:18Z")
I’ve reluctantly ordered a USB3 enclosure for my 2TB drive, and will reluctantly try using that set up. I completely understand that this is community supported software, but they had to know 1.0 wasn’t supporting NVMe from the start so it’s disappointing that there wasn’t more information shared about the (still listed) “Now available for Umbrel Home, Raspberry Pi 4, and Raspberry Pi 5.” capabilities without any caveats on the Pi 5 and NVMe. A detailed “supports the following tech” list would be a more transparent way to inform users… ---
**Author:** ![Piman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Piman](https://community.umbrel.com/u/Piman)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 6:34pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/6 "2024-03-26T18:34:53Z")
Yes, It’s not the best way but moving forward at least it is usable for now. My concern is later on from the USB 3.0 to the nvme once there is a supportive update for it will you have to reinstall the system again or be able to read the current data on the device? From a profit’s perspective it’s more attractive and convenient to buy their built in product then use pi devices, you’d think it would help from a cost perspective but with the way the software is you can easily be left with redundant hardware. They have pushed out another update recently 1.0.4 but no mention about nvme support, only pi 4 external hard drive support. I give credit to them, it’s hard work and I appreciate their efforts but I was just disappointed that they don’t support nvme yet, hopefully in time 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MadMacks](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/madmacks/32/5182_2.png) [@MadMacks](https://community.umbrel.com/u/MadMacks)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 7:52pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/7 "2024-03-26T19:52:02Z")
Agree completely. They’re working had for the good of all of us, and that’s appreciated. Not supporting NVMe initially would not have been an issue if I’d know about it prior to buying the hardware set up I did in expectation of RPi 5 support. But now I too am thinking the move from USB3 to NVMe at a later date might be a pain… Guess we’ll find out… Buying their equipment, is an option, but in my situation it’s not that palatable…I live completely off grid on a solar/battery based system, and I generally do not use an inverter most of the time (RV 12v/24v DC based appliances). I build or buy custom buck/boost DC to DC converters to power things like my StarLink set up, TVs, routers, radios, etc. I monitor my power usage very carefully so turning on an inverter to power an Intel power hog is something I avoid as I’d lose around 15% of my supplied power just in the inversion process, not counting the inefficiencies of Intel based systems…but I’m the odd man out the way I live. ---
**Author:** ![Piman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Piman](https://community.umbrel.com/u/Piman)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/8 "2024-03-26T20:52:01Z")
**@mayank are you planning to support nvme anytime soon?** ---
**Author:** ![MadMacks](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/madmacks/32/5182_2.png) [@MadMacks](https://community.umbrel.com/u/MadMacks)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:20am UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/9 "2024-03-27T01:20:02Z")
I’m really getting sick of this. Just how flaky is this OS and environment? After not being able to boot and use a NVMe based drive I bought a USB 3 enclosure, to move my 2 TB SSD to USB 3 on the Pi 5 (while waiting for 1.1). I then checked that it was readable by connecting it to my MacBook Pro, and Disk Utility sees the device (unformatted). I then downloaded the 1.0.4 image for RPi 5, flashed it to the 64 gb micro card, plugged in the USB3 SSD drive and booted per the install process instructions. Nothing. Wait 5 minutes, nothing. Wait 10 minutes, nothing. So I ssh to the IP assigned and I can log in, but an lsblk shows the following… ```auto NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS mmcblk0 179:0 0 59.5G 0 disk |-mmcblk0p1 179:1 0 256M 0 part /run/rugpi/mounts/config |-mmcblk0p2 179:2 0 128M 0 part /boot |-mmcblk0p3 179:3 0 128M 0 part |-mmcblk0p4 179:4 0 1K 0 part |-mmcblk0p5 179:5 0 5G 0 part /run/rugpi/mounts/system |-mmcblk0p6 179:6 0 5G 0 part `-mmcblk0p7 179:7 0 49G 0 part /mnt/root/var/log /var/log /home /data /run/rugpi/state /run/rugpi/mounts/data ``` So clearly the 2 TB drive isn’t seen by the OS. Which should mean it just boots to the Micro card, right? So, maybe a reboot. Wait, 5 minutes. No response from umbrella.local or the IP address. No response from SSH. So wait 5 more minutes. Nothing. So, reboot again. OK. Better. Umbrel.local now responds and shows the set up process, which I do. When I go to Settings I see the 2 TB drive. That’s good. But when I try to view the system details I get a “something went wrong” error. So, maybe, another reboot. So I click the Reboot icon, and wait, and wait, and wait. Nothing. So, why not, hard power the RPi 5 (again). I unplug the power cord and wait a few, the plug back in… Now I can SSH but no 2 TB drive in the lsblk list, again. And no response on port 80 for umbrellas.local or the IP address. So thinking its a boot sequence thing, and hard powering the device might not give the system the time to see the USB drive, I run a reboot using “sudo reboot”, hoping the USB being powered at reboot will allow UmbrelOS to see the damn thing at start up. Nope. No http response, but SSH works. A quick lsblk still doesn’t see the 2 TB drive. I know for a fact that the power supply is fine as I’ve tested it and it puts out up to 6 amps at 5.2 volts. So it’s not a low power issue. I know the SSD is available as I can see it on my MacBook and “sometimes” on the RPi 5 running UmbrelOS 1.0.4. Anybody out there from Umbrel that has any clue on what’s going on will hopefully chime in ASAP before I blow off the entire effort. I’ve wasted way to many hours for what was supposed to be a real sweet release of the amazing and powerful UmbrelOS 1.0! Good grief… ---
**Author:** ![MadMacks](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/madmacks/32/5182_2.png) [@MadMacks](https://community.umbrel.com/u/MadMacks)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:29am UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/10 "2024-03-27T01:29:11Z")
Even stranger, I just ran a “df” and I get the following… ```auto umbrel@umbrel:~$ df Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on overlay 50219552 113188 47522916 1% / tmp 4122880 5312 4117568 1% /run /dev/mmcblk0p7 50219552 113188 47522916 1% /run/rugpi/mounts/data /dev/root 3334328 2946436 198200 94% /run/rugpi/mounts/system /dev/mmcblk0p1 261864 1148 260716 1% /run/rugpi/mounts/config /dev/mmcblk0p2 130796 61380 69416 47% /boot devtmpfs 4096 0 4096 0% /dev tmpfs 4122880 0 4122880 0% /dev/shm tmpfs 5120 0 5120 0% /run/lock /dev/sda1 1921680472 5011960 1818978764 1% /mnt/data tmpfs 824576 0 824576 0% /run/user/1000 ``` So df says the SSD is mounted at /mnt/data. But lsblk shows nothing! And still nothing from port 80 on umbrel.local or the IP. And a reboot doesn’t help. ---
**Author:** ![MadMacks](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/madmacks/32/5182_2.png) [@MadMacks](https://community.umbrel.com/u/MadMacks)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/11 "2024-03-27T01:34:31Z")
Here’s a top output…not sure what http daemon is being used, but I don’t see httpd at all… ```auto top - 01:32:56 up 10 min, 1 user, load average: 1.53, 1.48, 0.94 Tasks: 158 total, 2 running, 156 sleeping, 0 stopped, 0 zombie %Cpu(s): 29.7 us, 2.0 sy, 0.0 ni, 68.3 id, 0.0 wa, 0.0 hi, 0.0 si, 0.0 st MiB Mem : 8052.5 total, 7309.1 free, 324.8 used, 507.7 buff/cache MiB Swap: 4096.0 total, 4096.0 free, 0.0 used. 7727.7 avail Mem PID USER PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM TIME+ COMMAND 10983 root 20 0 628320 73728 39424 R 27.6 0.9 0:00.83 npm 17 root 20 0 0 0 0 I 0.3 0.0 0:00.57 rcu_preempt 32 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.3 0.0 0:00.06 ksoftirqd/3 258 message+ 20 0 9968 3584 3072 S 0.3 0.0 0:00.47 dbus-daemon 286 root 20 0 260736 17920 14336 S 0.3 0.2 0:01.27 NetworkManager 319 ntpsec rt 0 85040 18128 7680 S 0.3 0.2 0:00.18 ntpd 1 root 20 0 169024 11152 7680 S 0.0 0.1 0:03.31 systemd 2 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kthreadd 3 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 pool_workqueue_release 4 root 0 -20 0 0 0 I 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kworker/R-rcu_g 5 root 0 -20 0 0 0 I 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kworker/R-rcu_p 6 root 0 -20 0 0 0 I 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kworker/R-slub_ 7 root 0 -20 0 0 0 I 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kworker/R-netns 8 root 20 0 0 0 0 I 0.0 0.0 0:00.09 kworker/0:0-cgroup_destroy 11 root 20 0 0 0 0 I 0.0 0.0 0:00.36 kworker/u8:0-scsi_tmf_0 12 root 0 -20 0 0 0 I 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kworker/R-mm_pe 13 root 20 0 0 0 0 I 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 rcu_tasks_kthread 14 root 20 0 0 0 0 I 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 rcu_tasks_rude_kthread 15 root 20 0 0 0 0 I 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 rcu_tasks_trace_kthread 16 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.07 ksoftirqd/0 18 root rt 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 migration/0 19 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 cpuhp/0 20 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 cpuhp/1 21 root rt 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 migration/1 22 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.06 ksoftirqd/1 ``` ---
**Author:** ![whynot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@whynot](https://community.umbrel.com/u/whynot)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 4:51am UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/formatting-nvme-m-2-hardrive/15618/12 "2024-03-27T04:51:24Z")
My thoughts exactly.