Benchmarks from AnandTech and Tom’s Hardware show that on a Z790 board with a Samsung 990 Pro, the nonvmd driver results in 0.3ms average access time versus 0.4ms with VMD enabled. The "top" non-vmd driver is the performance king for client systems.
Troubleshooting No Drives Found: Using Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) Drivers
: Denotes complete architectural exclusivity for 64-bit processing environments (Windows 10 / Windows 11 x64 systems).
f6flpy-x64-Non-VMD.zip (often misspelled as f6flpyx64nonvmdzip ) is a driver package for Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST)
To fully grasp the importance of the f6flpy file set, a foundational understanding of the underlying technologies is required. rapid intel storage technology f6flpyx64nonvmdzip top
Intel Rapid Storage Technology is a solution built into many Intel-based motherboards to manage
: The "F6" name refers to an legacy Windows setup method where users pressed the F6 key to load third-party storage drivers from a floppy disk; today, it is handled via USB. Non-VMD vs. VMD : While the
Used when in the system BIOS. f6flpy-x64-Non-VMD.zip
Unzip the file to a folder on your Windows installation USB. Run Setup: Boot into the Windows installer. Benchmarks from AnandTech and Tom’s Hardware show that
: Required if the VMD controller is enabled in the BIOS, a common default on 11th Gen+ Intel laptops and desktops to manage NVMe RAID or power states. How to Use the Driver
While modern Intel CPUs use VMD to manage NVMe drives, many systems still rely on standard SATA controllers or older NVMe configurations. If your BIOS/UEFI is set to AHCI mode (instead of RST VMD), the installer might fail to see your drive. This driver enables Windows to communicate with that storage controller. 2. Key Features of Intel RST (Non-VMD)
To resolve storage detection issues, it helps to understand what these drivers do and why Windows requires them out of the box. F6flpy-x64-Non-VMD.zip and F6flpy-x64-VMD.zip Removed
Historically, the term dates back to older Windows XP/7 setups where users pressed the F10 or F6 function keys to manually inject external storage controller drivers via a floppy disk. f6flpy-x64-Non-VMD
: Use the F6flpy-x64-VMD.zip version for 11th Gen Intel processors and newer that have the VMD controller enabled. Changes in Availability
Would you like the version recommendation/download for a specific motherboard/Windows build?
Given that the original ZIP files are no longer officially provided, there are to obtain the required storage driver. These methods are listed in order of reliability and security.
You need this specific driver if: