After changing the original SSD in my DELL XPS 15 9750 to a Seagate FireCuda 530, I wanted to install Windows 11. Before even the first screen of the installer could load, it crashed with the Blue Screen of Death and the KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE stop code:
Errors like this are rare these days, and Google only found comparable problems with defective hard drives. After a very long search I got a different explanation that turned out to be the root cause of this error: The BIOS setting for the disk adapter may be on the wrong setting.
Boot into the BIOS (with hitting the F2 key when the DELL logo shows up) and go to Settings -> System Configuration -> SATA Operation. My setting was “RAID On” and I had to change it to “AHCI“:
After this change, the Windows Installer displayed the installation dialogue, and I could finally install Windows.
“Dealing with a crashing Windows Installer on my Dell XPS with a Seagate SSD has been quite a headache. Really looking forward to reading this guide to see if it offers effective solutions. It’s reassuring to know that there’s a resource addressing this specific issue, and I’m hopeful the tips provided will help resolve the problem. Thanks for sharing this troubleshooting guide!”