Not enough room to reinstall

RobbyK · 17 Nov 2022

I don't know what happened, but after a few days of random problems, I was online, when suddenly my pc just restarted for unknown reason. Except it did not actually restart, it just showed an error. I tried to research the code number on another computer but it came back unknown.

"Luckily", I still have an install USB so I grabbed it and tried to repair the boot. When that failed saying "unable to complete repair", I tried to reinstall over existing install. That said "Unable to install to partition" it is a 180 Gig partition. After a couple tries I just deleted the partition, all it would let me do. But then "unable to create partition". No reason why just can't do it.

So I'm stuck here, unable to do anything. How do I get past this point? How do I convince it that 20G of data will fit into a 180G space?

Thanks

Dell Inspiron 3793 laptop w10 no version yet.

Malneb · 17 Nov 2022

Put your install usb in and when the computer loads into the install process press shift + F10

- Type diskpart and press enter
- Type list disk press enter
- Select your disk its usually disk 0 So type select disk 0

type format fs=ntfs label="Main Volume" quick compress

exit and try to reinstall windows via the USB media.

if you are unsure paste the info from list disk here and we can look at it.

Megahertz · 17 Nov 2022

Your drive may be failing.
On your hardware specs it mention a 1T HDD. Is Windows installed on this disk? Why do you mention 180G?
If positive, how many partitions you have? Do you have your data on a dedicated partition?

Before you do any thing that can clean your drive:
Boot from the USB Win 10 installation drive
At the Windows Setup screen, press Shift+F10 simultaneously to open a command line prompt. Type
Diskpart
list disk (take note of the Windows drive number. Also see if there is a * under the column GPT)
sel disk n (replace n with the Windows drive number)
list part (with a cel phone take a photo of the partitions and post it here)
Exit

RobbyK · 17 Nov 2022

Here is the disk part, you will notice the 180 gig I'm trying to install to does not show up on the disk part, but it's on the install menu, I also remember the 180gig size from everyday use. I haven't done the "format" command as I was not sure which partition.
here the link I couldn't figure out how to post pictures from mobile.

Diskpart Diskpart - Album on Imgur

SIW2 · 17 Nov 2022

The 180gb is unallocated space. That means it is not in a partition. There is no partition there, so it wont show if you do lis par in diskpart. It looks as if there might have been a partition there before.

Not enough room to reinstall-unallocated.jpg

Megahertz · 17 Nov 2022

Please don't post external links How to Upload and Post Screenshots and Files at Ten Forums
It seems you have a GPT drive but as you didn't do what I asked I can't be sure.

If you don't have anything on the drive you want to keep, do a clean install deleting all partitions on the drive till you have one and only one unallocated space

Windows can be installed in two ways: Legacy-MBR or UEFI-GPT
To install as Legacy-MBR you must boot the installation drive as Legacy
To install as UEFI-GPT you must boot the installation drive as UEFI.

If you have a UEFI BIOS, you should install as UEFI-GPT
Detach any other drives (SATA or Power cable) from the MB.

During POST, press F12(?) to launch the boot menu. You will see two options for the USB drive. USB UEFI (Name) and USB (Name). Select USB UEFI (Name).
Go to install and delete ALL partitions on the main drive till you have one and only one unallocated space and then proceed.
If you don't want to use MS account, don't enable updates or connect to the internet during installation.

SIW2 · 17 Nov 2022

Please don't post external links

the original was too big so the op couldnt upload it here. Often the case with phone pictures.

Highlight the 180gb as you did in the picture, then click the NEW button with a gold star next to it .

because that should create a NEW partition where that unallocated space is.

If it is reluctant, you could delete all of the partitions on that disk. Not sure why you have an msr and a primary apparently on the same disk - just checked and setup does describe them like that oddly. I hardly ever use setup so I hadn't noticed.

Volume Z · 17 Nov 2022

I wonder what Partitions 1, 2 and 3 are. System = Partition 4? That's not right. MSR = Partition 5 likewise.

SIW2 · 18 Nov 2022

Probably above the others and out of shot. The op would have needed to scroll up to show them.

RobbyK · 18 Nov 2022

Megahertz said:

Please don't post external links How to Upload and Post Screenshots and Files at Ten Forums
It seems you have a GPT drive but as you didn't do what I asked I can't be sure.
.

I am sorry I didn't complete your instructions, but as I stated, the partitions were labeled in two or three different ways, and I wasn't sure which one I needed to format. Since I did not want to screw up, I waited until I showed you what I had displayed.

It is UEFI/GPT, luckily my USB is also UEFI. As SIW2 stated, I could not get the whole screen in the pic, I posted, so I showed the part with the partition in question. I usually during install I do the partitioning myself, but this last time, I just let the installer set up everything, after reading something on the Dell website saying all those extra small partitions were needed for recovery partitions. This is not the first time I've had to reinstall in the last year, I assumed I had done something the first time, but this time I had not done anything at all that could have caused this.

Out of morbid curiosity, I decided to try to install the Linux I have, as I was planning on reinstalling it anyway, after my last episode (no Linux on the pc at this crash), anyway, same problem, error stating not enough room for bootloader, requires a 100mb partition, I purposefully sat aside a 5GB partition, and marked all the correct boot flags etc..., but still not enough room. I can run off the live USB, but I can't install it.

I believe it's time for a new laptop, as I'm using a mouse because the trackpad quit, I'm using a USB keyboard because the onboard keyboard quit. This has been the worst pc I've ever owned. The HDD quitting would be par for the course. I am going to go through and delete all partitions, and wipe the HDD, and try again just so I know, but if I can catch a good sale, this one is going in the closet.

Again, thank you to everyone that has responded.

- - - Updated - - -

So today I tried to install LInux, with the same not enough room error, this was after deleting all partitions, and formatting the entire drive as one partition. Then I remembered I had another HDD in the closet, I grabbed it, installed it, threw in the W1 0 installer, and it installed easy as windows can install. So it was what a couple of us were thinking. I do appreciate all the help and ideas from everyone.