Windows 10 install don't boot : EMMC drive set as Storage Space Device

Hi,

I'm trying to reinstall windows 10 x64 on a HP notebook after malware, but have a problem with the EMMC drive that doesn't appear in boot manager and gives an error "Boot Device Not Found" at start.

I have done a lot of tests and follow all usual methods to reinstall windows, but not any worked. I don't put here the list of all i have done but Bios and EMMC drive seem healthy, so i don't think it is a material problem.

I tryed to reinstall different versions of Windows 10 and 8 with a boot key (made with Microsoft MediaCreationToolbios and Rufus) and Bios settings set to UEFI (security boot and legacy boot desactivated) and EMMC drive completely reseted with DISKPART: clean. The partition table of EMMC drive is well GPT(not MBR).

All the time the windows install is doing fine, but at restart there is no boot. But all the 4 windows10 partitions (especially the UFI Boot partition) and windows files are well written on the drive, so the Windows installation seems ok

Where i am now is to think that there is a problem with the EMMC driver, because DISKPART command "Detail disk" says that the EMMC drive is not bootable and the driver of the disk is "Microsoft Storage Space Device" (normally used only for "Storage Pool" Windows feature that i don't use) instead of a normal SATA driver :

I'm not sure it is normal, as this notebook has only one internal EMMC drive, so it doesn't make sense to create a storage pool.

I found a post here that seems to correspond to my problem, but the solution proposed at the end doesn't work for me :

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...0-abcf1621fab8

I used a WinPE boot key to start powershell and delete all storage pool (that could have been made by windows installation) with command "Remove-StoragePool" as it is proposed in the post, but this doesn't work.

To be sure i'm not going in the wrong direction, could someone tell me if it is normal that an EMMC drive is recognized as a "Microsoft Storage Space Device", that could explain why it is not seen by Bios and declared not bootable.

In particular if someone has a HP notebook with EMMC drive, could you please look in its properties (like in picture 1) to see how it is recognized by the system in a healthy configuration.

Thanks a lot for any help

I don't have one of those systems specifically, so maybe someone else can provided more specific suggestions, but here are a few ideas:

1) Check the BIOS options for drive options. If there are various options for the internal media, try making sure that AHCI mode is enabled.

2) If that still does not help, try enabling the legacy option. I have a very modern HP laptop that still boots in UEFI mode, but I have to enable legacy support in my UEFI firmware.

Thank you for your help.

Unfortunately in the Bios of this notebook there is very few options and none for the drive (no sata controler AHCI mode). I suppose this is done like this because the drive is a proprietary HP EMMC with a specific flat connector to motherboard (there is nothing to connect a standard SSD) so you can't change anything or even test the EMMC drive on another pc. This is what makes the things more difficult.

The only 2 options I have in boot options is "secure boot" (i try to install windows 10 with this option activated and disactivated with no change) and "legacy boot" (CSM support) to boot with partition table MBR instead of UEFI + GPT (the normal way for windows 10).

I have already try to reinstall in this "legacy boot" mode (then also convert the partition table of the EMMC drive to MBR wwith DISKPART "convert mbr" that works) but I am always stuck at the beginning of installation by the classical error:

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's Bios Menu"

I have try with a boot key with windows 7, 8.1, 10 (different versions like 1909, 1903, 1703, 1803), all gives the same error message. For each installation test, I have checked that the partition table of the drive is well under MBR and reset the drive from previous partition with DISKPART "clean" command that works well.Anyway, when the drive is formated as GPT the windows installater don't launch at boot when in "legacy boot".

So I din't find a way to install any windows version on this notebook under "legacy boot" (CSM support) with MBR.

The installation works only without problem with UEFI + GPT, but after restart it doesn't boot because the drive is not recognized, although you can test it, read, write on it without problem. For example, after windows 10 installation, all folder and windows files are there.


My actual guess is the problem could come from the fact that the system manage the drive with a controler named "Microsoft Storage Space Device" instead of a classical sata controler.

And furthermore, Diskpart "detail disk" indicates clearly that this drive is not bootable, even before I install windows when there is not any partition on drive (drive completely reset with DISKPART clean).

I try to disconnect the connector of the drive to the motherboard, but when replug the problem is the same. I also try to desinstall the driver of the EMMC in the windows device manager (launch by a usb key with different tools to fix boot problems), but at reinstall, the system reinstall automatically this controler "Microsoft Storage Space Device".

On the post i mentioned above, the author that had the same kind of problem says:

"It turns out that the newest update of windows 10 had added a feature, that converted all formatted drives to ”microsoft storage space devices” by default. I only had to format the drive again with different settings to get it working."

I have tried to do it with powershell without success (supress storage pool if any, but doesn't seem to have one).

What i have understood about windows storage pool is that when a drive has been once formated to be a part of a storage pool, this information is written somewhere on the drive and i don't know how to delete this information to make this drive again recognized as a bootable drive as it should be.