M.2 NVMe with PCIe adapter on Lenovo M93p doesn't get recognized?

PCIe adapter only starts working with the operating system running, whereas BIOS works before the OS kicks in.

Ask the makers of the PCIe adaptor

Make & model of PCIe card?
Which slot does it use? Your x1 or x16?

First of all. I'm not familiar with Lenovo computers, i have dealt with computers from Dell, Toshiba, Acer and others, but not from Lenovo.

now.
you do not have to see your new M.2 SSD in the BIOS unless you want your M.2 SSD to be the primary storage device (your C: drive) where an operating system is installed, am i correct to assume that?

#1 if you have more than one storage device on your computer, either HDD (regular Harddisk Drives) or SDD. BIOS may not be able to detect one or few hard drives. So first, open the BIOS, and go the Boot Sequence (Boot order or Boot priority) and make sure that the 1st Boot device is set on one of the storage device, either HDD or SSD (i know i know, your M.2 SSD is not there, but just go with it). Now, some BIOS have some additional Boot Options that come with different menus and names. On some computers i use, the option is called Boot Priority Options BBS, and some simply labelled "Hard Disk" menu.

in the Boot Options, it should list down the HDD or the SSD in that 1st Boot Device, but the Options should be able to detect other HDD or SSD that is associated with the current 1st Boot Device. See if you can change it into Samsung M.2 SSD. Hopefully you would now see the new Samsung SSD as the 1st Boot Device.

this goes back how hard drives used to be connected to the motherboard.
on older motherboards from the 1980s upto early 2000s you can connect two hard drives HDDs using ONE serial cable; but you had to set one of the drives as Master and the other as slave. And on older HDD from the 1980s or 1990s, there were actual physical pins at the back of an HDD or an Optic Drive (CD/DVD) to set it into SS Slave setting or PS Primary/master setting using your fingers or using a pair of tweezers.

"you mean you have to use your hands?!" if you get the movie reference.

back in the 1990s, it was a real headache to figure out how to set the pins on the back of an HDD and on the back of an optic Disc-ROM drive (CD/DVD). Some of those old CD ROMs really did not want to be on Slave Setting.
nowadays, you do not see pins at the back of an SDD, an HDD or Optic Drive. Instead, such settings have moved into Boot Options on motherboards that support BBS (BIOS Boot Specification).

in 2019, sometimes when i install a Kingston new SSD on multi-drives system, the same BS happens. It does not show up in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th Boot Priority, and i had to dig out the Kingston drive in the Boot Options or the BBS options.

if you have more than one HDD/SSD detected as the 1st Boot but you still can't see the Samsung SSD on the 1st boot or in the Boot Options (BBS). First switch the 1st Boot into the other HDD/SSD and then look it up in the Boot Options (BBS). If still fail, move to #2.

#2 PCI-express is both backward and forward compatible no matter the version and no matter the number of slots. You can use a PCIe 3.0 with x16 slots device on motherboards with maximum PCIe 1.0 with x4 slots (and vice versa). HOWEVER, when you use an M.2 to PCIe adapter, you should read documentations on the adapter, it may simply incompatible with Samsung devices (assuming that is not faulty nor broken).

to get most of the M.2 to PCIe adapter, the adapter should be at least PCIe 3.0 with the minimum of 4 slots (PCIe 3.0 x4). And since i mentioned slots, is it possible that you have connected the whole thing incorrectly?! Unplug the adapter and the M.2 SSD, and re-plug it again to make sure that you have a good connection.

if that fail. Then remove/unplug/disconnect all SSD and HDD connected to your motherboard EXCEPT the M.2 Samsung SSD and its PCIe adapter. Open the BIOS, and if you can see the Samsung Drive as an option in the 1st Boot device. Then this is slave and master connection BS again that we were having since the 1980s. So you either try #1 again or choose the M.2 to be the only storage device on your computer.

#3 in this scenario, the problem is highly unlikely.
but i had trouble with HDDs in the past and i wonder whether this is the same old problem - corrupted partition table on the M.2 SSD. And i'm not talking about manufacturing error or a faulty M.2 Samsung SSD (although it is NOT impossible), however it is something that a software can correct.

first you need Windows10 installer on a DVD or on USB thumbdrive (i prefer the USB thumbdrive over the DVD option every time with minimum 32GB).
on a different computer, you can download Windows10 Installation Media Tool from Microsoft official websites for free such as and download the installation media. Use the tool to create an installer DVD or on a Thumbdrive. It may take few long minutes, to have a finished Windows10 installer DVD or installer USB thumbdrive.

go back to your Lenovo, and physically remove/unplug/disconnect all SSD/HDD in the system except the M.2 SSD. Plug in the thumbdrive or insert the DVD (the USB thumbdrive is much much faster than the DVD method). And in the BIOS, set the 1st Boot device on the USB or the DVD drive. Save and exit.

run the installation of Windows10 from the USB or DVD. You will be greeted by a dark blue window with a large button in the middle that says "Install Now" and a small link below that says "Repair Your Computer". Remember that screen because we may have to return to it. Click on 'Install Now' and follow the normal procedure of Windows installation, until you reach a white window entitled 'Windows Setup: and Where do you want to install Windows?"

if there's something wrong with the M.2 device, with the PCIe adapter or with the way you connected them into the motherboard. The M.2 Samsung SSD will NOT appear in the list of detected devices. However, if the Samsung SSD is detected and in the list of detected SSD & HDD, it simply means that somehow the settings are off somehow.

in a new unformatted SSD, you may need to click on 'New' to create a new volume on the SSD before installing Windows10. In a formatted SSD, you may simply click on the SSD drive and click on 'Format' to remove any data in preparation to install Windows10.

if the partition table is corrupted on the SSD, both the 'New' and 'format' options will be obscured. And you will not be able to proceed in Windows installation (you will not be able to install Windows10 on the SSD). So you need to go back to the beginning. So restart the PC, run the installation DVD or USB again, and at the dark blue screen, do not click on 'Install Now', but click on a link below it 'Repair My Computer'

here i can't remember where to go next, but you need to find and run Command-Prompt in the options. When you click on the Command Prompt, you will have the black window of MS-DOS.
and then you need to follow series of steps to repair the corrupted partition table.

in modern Windows 64bit, your only option is GPT and not MBR. But if you want to install older Windows version at 32bit, your option is with MBR instead of GPT (so replace the word GPT with MBR in step four below)

Step one: in the command prompt, type "diskpart" and press Enter.
Step Two: type "list Disk" and press Enter. A short list of HDD/SSD detected by the motherboard. And since all other HDD/SSD are disconnected with the exception of your M.2 SSD. Your SSD will have the designation of drive zero (drive 0)
Step three: type 'select Disk 0' … Mind the spaces between the words and the number while typing, and press Enter.
Step four: type 'convert MBR'. And press Enter. And you should get all positive feedback from each step unless there's something physically wrong with the M.2 SSD & PCIe adapter setup.

go back to the dark blue screen, and click Install Now and follow the steps of installing Windows10 as mentioned earlier.

if you can install and run Windows10 from your Samsung SSD, it means that the M.2 device and the PCIe are compatible and working. Next. Connect back your other SSDs/HDDs to your motherboard. Go to the BIOS and see whether the M.2 Samsung SSD is somewhere in the Boot Priority and in the Boot Options (BBS) as mentioned in #1.

#4 if all the above fail. Then you may have a faulty SSD or a faulty adapter.

all the best.