Help, Windows 10 Pro not able to create install partition.

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  1. Posts : 636
    Windows 10 PRO 64Bit
       #1

    Help, Windows 10 Pro not able to create install partition.


    I bought a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 NVM Express drive. I was able to format it as an MBR drive and install the Windows 10 Pro operating system. It booted fine and I installed all of my programs. When I had finished I went to format an old Seagate hard drive that I did not need and when my system restarted, the bios could not find the boot record on this new SSD drive.

    I tried to get Windows to repair this SSD but it reported it could not be repaired. Then I put back the old system drive and tried to fix this drive using DOS Commands but those did not work either. The drive still had all the files on it, is just seems to have lost the Master Boot Record.

    I formatted the drive as simple volume and then I tried to install Windows 10 Pro again on it. The install program finds the drive but when I select that drive for installing, it reports that it could not install into that partition (or something like that) and it told me for more details to looks at the install log. It would have been nice if I knew where those logs are kept.

    I am not quite sure how I can fix this problem, maybe the SSD is faulty? What I am thinking of doing is creating 2 partitions on that drive and then trying to get the Windows 10 installer to install to the second partition. Anyone have some other suggestions?

    Ak
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #2

    If you want to do a complete clean reinstall of Windows 10 on the SSD only - disconnect the old HDD. Boot from the Windows 10 install media. Select the custom install option, delete all the partitions on the SSD, click on the unallocated space to install to.

    What happened the first time was that you had the old hard drive installed and Windows 10 saw the boot files on it and kept the boot files there - it only updated the pointer to Windows to reflect the new location on the SSD. Bios was actually booting the computer from the old HDD before the boot files passed control to Windows located on the SSD.

    What failed the second time you tried to install to the SSD with one big partition on it - there was no boot partition left on the HDD, so Windows 10 was attempting to create a boot partition on the SSD, the drive you told it to. You didn't leave any empty space on the SSD for Windows to create a boot partition.

    Installing to an unallocated space with no partitions on the SSD will allow Windows 10 to create it's own partitions: you'll get a system reserved partition for the boot files, an OS partition, and a recovery partition (450mb). With UEFI and GPT you'll also get a 128mb empty space between the system reserved (EFI) partition and OS partition.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 636
    Windows 10 PRO 64Bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    It sounds plausible and I will disconnect all the drives except the new SSD tomorrow. I will leave the entire SSD drive unallocated and see what happens. The installer will not install onto a GPT drive.

    If it works, I'll will give you a thumbs up!

    Ak
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,832
    Windows 10 Pro X64
       #4

    Hi,

    The installer will not install onto a GPT drive.
    Why is that ?

    Not sure why you'd want to install in legacy mode with such sota hardware but if it refuses to install in EFI mode then maybe some bios settings could prevent it.

    Cheers,
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 5,478
    2004
       #5

    fdegrove said:
    Why is that ?
    It depends how you boot your installation media. If you load it in EFI mode you can only install to GPT (and you'd have to go into diskpart and clean, convert gpt before installing). If it boots through the legacy boot loader it will not allow you to install to a GPT disk.

    I use rEFInd as a bootloader and for a Windows Installation USB it gives me 2 options confusingly called "Windows" for BIOS and "Legacy boot loader" for EFI.

    If you have a computer with a BIOS (I do not) then presumably there will be some setting there to force EFI booting of the installation media as you say.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 636
    Windows 10 PRO 64Bit
    Thread Starter
       #6

    I have this M.2 SSD installed on a PCI-e card and Windows will not install to a GPT disk. :-( I have to enable Compatibility Support Module in the bios and use legacy mode to be able to boot from that PCI-e SSD. I will lookup rEFind and see if that is of any help to me.

    Thanks
    Ak
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #7

    Installing to the unallocated space and letting Windows create the partitions works with either MBR or GPT disks.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 2,832
    Windows 10 Pro X64
       #8

    Hi,

    This it the one you're looking for:

    http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/

    2 options confusingly called "Windows" for BIOS and "Legacy boot loader" for EFI.
    OMG.

    Cheers,
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 5,478
    2004
       #9

    alkaufmann said:
    I have this M.2 SSD installed on a PCI-e card and Windows will not install to a GPT disk. :-( I have to enable Compatibility Support Module in the bios and use legacy mode to be able to boot from that PCI-e SSD. I will lookup rEFind and see if that is of any help to me
    If you really can't boot EFI it will not help as rEFInd is an alternate EFI bootloader. I use it becuase I have an Apple Mac (which uses a sort of EFI) but boot into different OS most of the time.

    I've looked at your spes but they don't mean a lot to me to be honest (although this says you should be able to boot UEFI with a Maximus VI). My SSD is PCI-e also so that bit isn't the issue.

    NavyLCDR said:
    Installing to the unallocated space and letting Windows create the partitions works with either MBR or GPT disks.
    True but you'll need to convert the disk to mbr or gpt as well if it is formatted in the wrong style - not just delete all the partitions.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 3
    Windows 10
       #10

    lx07 said:
    True but you'll need to convert the disk to mbr or gpt as well if it is formatted in the wrong style - not just delete all the partitions.
    No no no!
      My Computer


 

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