I have a new PEXUSB311AC3 card and trying to use it with a Dell OptiPlex 7010 Small Form Factor Plus computer running Windows11. There is a x16 slot and an x4 slot. If I install it in the x16 slot I get a BSOD upon boot-up with a INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE error. If I install it in the x4 slot, the PC boots ok but the device is not showing up in the Device Manager or any other of several hardware interrogation apps I tried.
I installed the latest BIOS, Intel chipset drivers. The optional SATA cable is installed. The chip on the card is warm. I don’t see anywhere in the BIOS where the PCI slots could be disabled.
I tried this on another Dell OptiPlex 7010 SFF that uses a different processor, no joy, same behavior. It did show up on the first boot on that machine in the Device Manager under the main heading of “Other Devices > Unknown Device”, but after a second (and third, and forth…) boot, that disappeared as well and I’ve been unable to get it back.
Have looked at Administrative Events and the Logs, but nothing jumps out. Have tried everything I know to get it to recognize the card. Chipset is Intel Q670.
Open to any suggestions. Have tried to find a free software app that would allow me to examine the PCI bus in greater detail than what’s in the OS, would like recommendations there too please! CAS-103359
Hello @synthRodriguez and thank you for your interest in our Community.
From what you have described, it seems like this situation would be best handled by a direct interaction with our Technical Support. We have reached out, please verify your email for contact opportunity so that we can help troubleshoot and find a solution.
Thank you very much for taking the time to reach out to us.
Thanks for sharing the details. Since the card is detected in BIOS but not in Windows 11, the hardware link is good: this usually points to an OS-level issue. Here are a few things to check:
Driver Installation
In Device Manager, look under “Other devices” for an unknown PCIe USB controller.
Make sure the Dell QBT1250 chipset drivers are up to date. Even with BIOS updated, missing chipset drivers can prevent PCIe devices from enumerating properly.
Disable Fast Boot in BIOS and reboot.
Power Management Settings
In BIOS, disable PCIe power-saving features (ASPM or Slot Power Management). These can sometimes interfere with add-on cards.
If possible, try another PCIe slot or disable unused onboard devices to free resources.
If you’ve already updated firmware and tested on another PC successfully, this is almost certainly a Windows configuration or driver issue. After applying the above steps, reboot and check if the card appears in Device Manager.
Let us know if this helps. Should you still experience issues with the card, please contact our Technical Support for further assistance.