Error Codes 0xA008002A, 0xA008002B, or 0xA008002D or Messages - BIOS Settings or Compatibility with Intel® Optane™ Memory

One of the following Error Codes or Messages was received when managing an Intel® Optane™ memory device: 0xA008002A, 0xA008002B, 0xA008002D

or

Error Enabling Intel® Optane™ Memory
System BIOS is set in Legacy Mode.
Contact your BIOS vendor for the latest version and support

or

Unsupported System Drive 

or

Unsupported System BIOS

The System BIOS settings are not compatible with Intel® Optane™ Memory.

Steps to resolve:

Acceleration with Intel® Optane™ memory requires BIOS support and the proper settings to be enabled for the module to be detected.  

Although some settings are referenced below, it is recommended to review the Intel® Optane™ Optane Memory User Guide for complete details and settings to reduce further issues. 

You should first confirm the system has the proper capabilities (Intel Optane memory-capable) in the BIOS to support Intel Optane memory with the BIOS/Platform vendor.  If it does, continue with the possible issues below.

• SATA Controller is set to AHCI mode [0xA008002A, 0xA008002B]
  • System acceleration with Intel Optane memory requires setting the SATA Controller to 'Intel® RST Premium...'

    Note	This setting cannot be changed manually with the Operating System installed, as it will cause the drive to no longer boot properly.  There are two options to update this setting.

  • Back up all data, make the change in the BIOS, Reinstall the OS.
  • Or, on some systems, the Intel® Optane™ memory application is able to make this change in the BIOS during the installation process of the application in Windows*. See the user guide for more information.

• The BIOS does not support Intel Optane memory or the Boot mode is set to Legacy [0xA008002D]
  • System acceleration with Intel Optane memory requires the BIOS Boot Mode to be set to UEFI, not Legacy.  UEFI is required for Intel® Optane™ memory support as this defines the partition structure during OS installation to GPT.  If all other BIOS settings are correct, the partition structure may be able to be converted to GPT without installing the OS again.
    • Backup all files on your system.
    • Convert the MBR structure to GPT by following the steps here: Converting a Data SSD or SSD with Windows® Installation from Legacy to UEFI without Data Loss.

If the error persists or any additional help is needed, contact support under Memory and Storage.

THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN USED BY OUR CUSTOMERS BUT NOT TESTED, FULLY REPLICATED, OR VALIDATED BY INTEL. INDIVIDUAL RESULTS MAY VARY. ALL POSTINGS AND USE OF THE CONTENT ON THIS SITE ARE SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE OF THE SITE.