1709 Fails to install and how to remove multiple recovery partitions?

Sorry for being late in posting the solution...

I finally got Windows 1709 installed.

To shortly bring into memory:
- in my case the existing Windows was installed on DISK 1
- upgrading to 1709 was not possible
- I wrongly assumed that it did not matter on which disk Windows is being installed
so each install failed as apparently Windows 'demands' being installed on DISK 0

I went on as follows:

1) In BIOS I disabled the SATA port of DISK 1
2) Reboot
3) Diskmgmt showed that DISK 1 (SSD with Windows) became DISK 0
4) Boot from USB (created by Media Creation Tool)
5) Then selected "Repair your computer" (do not select 'Install now')
6) Click "Troubleshoot"
7) Click "Command Prompt"
8) Then execute the DISKPART instructions found on "UEFI/GPT-based hard drive partitions" https://goo.gl/45hy6D
(see at the bottom)


diskpart
list disk
rem make sure to select the correct disk number, in most cases for Windows disk 0
select disk 0
cleanconvert gpt
create partition efi size=100
format quick fs=fat32 label="System"
assign letter="S"
create partition msr size=16
create partition primary
shrink minimum=500
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows"
assign letter="W"
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label="Recovery tools"
assign letter="R"
set id="de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac"
gpt attributes=0x8000000000000001
exit
exit

9) Reboot and launch setup from USB
10) Select "Install now" this time and select the proper partition (named "Windows")



Note that after Windows install and after re-enabling SATA-port of DISK 1 (in BIOS),
the Windows HDD changes back from DISK 0 to DISK 1 again.

-

Well done- Interesting... and relevant in a way to me- basically similar hardware (SSD + SSHD) and my SSD is Disk 1.

However, I CAN upgrade successfully (1607 -> 1703, 1703-> 1709) BUT since 1703 I have a problem with my Recovery partition- a straight upgrade leaves it impossible to use advanced recovery options.

My suspicion as per my earlier post about a change in MS's disk numbering schema is that's the impact of that.

So if I were to follow similar steps I could possibly resolve that.

I always keep Windows on Disk "0" partition "C"; I don't know why one wouldn't.
If Windows is on Disk "0" partition "C" and all other drives are unhooked, I don't believe their will be a problem except for the time it takes to download and install a Upgrade.

Jack

I clean installed Win 10 on this laptop (SSD + HDD) as 1511. When I got to 1703 I found a problem, and realised then my SSD was Disk 1 as seen by Disk Management. No choice, no control.

The disk numbers are seen differently too in installing Windows by builds 1607 and 1703. (When choosing partitions to delete).

But MS changed their numbering scheme internally from 1-9 to 0-9 (an MS tech guy told me) with 1703. Can't say I fully understand it, but that's when I noticed the difference.

Thanks for the info dalchina.

I have never had a laptop, sorry for not understanding. Now I do.

What does Disk Management show now?

Jack

-from 1703 I've had to clean install 1607, then copy C: from my CU or FCU over the newly created C: then let automated repair run - and this time I had to run reagentc /disable & /enable to have recovery options fully available. Weird.

I just wonder how long I'll get away with it. There's a long thread about this when we tried to sort this out before I discovered the disk number difference when clean installing, quite by chance. Maybe it would help if I were to disconnect my data disk, however there are a couple of things that make that not so straightforward.

@ dalchina.

Can the unallocate on Disk "0" be deleted? What is on it?

Maybe Mini Tool would be helpful.

From my computer.



Jack

That's part of the basic disk structure. It's not a partition I've created.