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Welcome back to Andysworld! — where homelab dreams come to life, one project at a time.

In Part 3 of our Minisforum MS-A2 Series, we’re diving into the ultimate upgrade combo: installing a high-speed NVMe SSD and setting up Windows 11 on this tiny powerhouse. If you’ve been following along, you already know we’ve upgraded the hardware and reconfigured the internals — now it’s time to breathe life into it.

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Why the MS-A2 Deserves NVMe + Windows 11

The Minisforum MS-A2 continues to impress with its powerful Ryzen APU, dual-channel DDR5 support, and surprisingly modular design. But to unlock its true potential in a modern homelab, we need:

? Fast, reliable storage (via NVMe SSD)
? A clean, up-to-date OS install (Windows 11 Pro FTW)
? Flexibility for running VMs, containers, or lab workloads

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Step 1: Installing the NVMe SSD

Whether you’re using the primary M.2 NVMe slot or (as we showed in Part 2) the secondary A+E Key slot, here’s how we did it:

1. Power off the device and remove the bottom panel.

2. Insert the Samsung NVMe SSD into the M.2 slot.

3. Secure it with the retaining screw.

4. (Optional) Add a heat sink or thermal pad if you’re planning to run it hard.

5. Reassemble and power up!

? Confirmed: BIOS detected the SSD on first boot — no drama.

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Step 2: Installing Windows 11

Now that we’ve got our drive ready, let’s get Windows 11 installed:

What You’ll Need:

• USB stick (8GB or larger)

• Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft

• Rufus for creating a bootable USB

Installation Process:

1. Use Rufus to create a bootable Windows 11 USB.

2. Boot the MS-A2 and hit DEL or F7 to enter the BIOS/boot menu.

3. Select the USB installer and follow the prompts.

4. Choose custom install and select your NVMe SSD.

5. Complete the install and apply your license key or link your Microsoft account.

? Tip: Disable TPM and Secure Boot in the BIOS if you encounter issues — though the MS-A2 should support them natively.

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First Boot – Lightning Fast!

Windows 11 boots in under 10 seconds thanks to the NVMe SSD. With DDR5 and Ryzen onboard, the desktop is snappy and responsive — ideal for:

• Hyper-V, WSL2, or VMware Workstation

• Remote Desktop Gateway

• Lightweight game streaming or media server

• Home automation or dev work

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Final Thoughts: A Tiny Titan for the #homelab

The Minisforum MS-A2 is proving itself as a top-tier mini PC for lab use, and this Part 3 upgrade cements its place in Andysworld!’s go-to toolkit.

Whether you’re deploying Windows, Linux, Proxmox, or VMware, getting fast local storage and a clean OS install is the foundation of a great setup — and this one ticks all the boxes.

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? Coming in Part 4: Exploring Performance Benchmarks and Virtualization Capabilities.

? Be sure to watch the YouTube companion video for this build and subscribe for more homelab tips, bees (yes, bees ?), and tech wizardry.

Until next time —
Stay fast, stay flexible, and keep building.
— Andy @ Andysworld!