Windows installer doesn't work?

It would definitely complicate things trying to run 2 windows installations. But I'm not. Up until I took a break from attempting to fix the issue, the hdd was completely detached. I switched them out and everything works as normal again.

I'd really like to try and get windows to boot from the ssd but I can always just use it as a drive to run any programs I want to, just not the OS. 

I can confirm with pretty good confidence that the hdd used the legacy version of the media creation tool, way back at the release of windows 10. Could it be an issue where a drive using the legacy version but the uefi doesnt? This would be weird to me though considering the motherboard uses uefi and it is enabled. Is there a setting I'm missing that forces legacy mode only? I did also try installing on the ssd with the legacy media but it was not compatible. I even tried formatting the disk as MBR instead of GPT. A blank drive says it's just not compatible, when formatted as GPT it says it cannot because it isn't compatible with GPT. But when formatted as MBR it says it cannot install because of a MBR partition table. No matter what option I choose it isnt compatible with the legacy install media for some reason or the other. I can try mounting the iso again but I don't think it will work like last time.

It has to be a problem with the installer or the drive. But again the drive seems to work and the installer does too. The install media successfully runs. It seems like it missing a necessary file to boot windows or something. But then there are tons of files on the ssd, and I can also run other things from the ssd without issue. I can reformat it and use it as a second drive, just not a boot drive for some reason.

Could the board just not boot uefi type installations? The board is getting old, it was bought about 5 or 6 years ago now. The last firmware update was from 2014. Maybe the bios works with uefi but I'm forced to boot via legacy?

Hi,

You can have two windows installations on your machine at once, but it complicates things...

The boot files for the SSD may end up on the HDD for instance...

Do you know for a fact which Bios type the original HDD was set up for ?

I know Gregg is quite knowledgeable about this stuff, but I disagree with his opinion of the use of the Media Creation Tool to make the Installation Flash Drive...

It does not always work... Some machines simply can not interpret the combination UEFI\Legacy drive it creates... This is dependent upon the machines Bios, and what it specifically responds to...

UEFI Bios is supposedly "Uniform" between machines, but it is not... What may work on one Machine's Bios may not work with another machine... The standardization is not very precise...

That is why I suggest RUFUS... Rufus does not install... it just runs... It creates a drive specifically for a UEFI or Legacy machine, and as a result, removes some of the guessing as to what is going on with the Bios...

As I mentioned about my machine... It auto switches it's Bios configuration based upon the boot media configuration... Obviously, if it can not clearly distinguish what is being booted, things do not go smoothly..

I think your issues are down to two possibilities...

The flash drive is not being detected properly...

The SSD has a problem..

I'm not sure how you want to proceed.. I know my first encounter with the UEFI Bios about drove me nuts... I didn't even know my motherboard was UEFI capable, as the first OS installed on it was from a Windows 7 Pro SP1 DVD... This automatically configured the Bios for Legacy, and everything worked...

It wasn't until later when the newer machines came out and UEFI problems popping up everywhere that I became more aware of it...

What really got me mixed up in it was the installation of a PCIe NVMe M.2 drive...

The drive does not even appear as a boot selection... Just the WindowsBootManager that is on it...

It required adding driver files to the installation media just to install Windows 7 to it...

I have since removed it, as the boot speed was no faster than my regular SSD, and it was a bit of a pain to deal with..

Under hard drive bbs priorities I am able to select the boot devices. Unsure what this does but the uefi drive is not listed. It is only the normal USB with CSM media and the ssd. Just to be safe I have the ssd set to first priority there too.

There are definitely files on the ssd. To show I have plugged in my hdd, booted from from that and gone to file manager. I am able to copy over files like pictures/video/etc, and use them. I can open text documents. I can even go into the system files, open up .dll files, config files and other system files and can see data being stored. It may be a corrupt or incomplete windows install but there is definitely data on the drive. The drive is working at least to some capacity. Windows should boot. There are system files on the ssd. Even regedit, notepad and explorer are installed and useable. It makes no sense to me.

It could still be the ssd. Maybe something is preventing it from booting even though it can be used as external storage instead. You are right though, my apologies. It is not samsung it is an hp ssd. It's been a long 2 days haha.

I agree though. It baffles me how I am able to connect both drives and boot to the hdd fine, but the ssd will not. It should be as easy as switching the drives out, installing windows and then connecting the hdd later, removing windows from it and keeping my files on it. Technically I should be able to boot from both, to my normal setup and also to a clean win10 install. But even though both drives are listed in my boot options only the hdd actually boots. I may just end up having to settle for a slow OS and then put all my programs on the ssd. I'd just really like to have windows on it too. I was planning to only use my old hdd for files and things that I dont care about load times on but maybe this ssd just cant boot windows or something.

Hi,

What is under "Hard Drive BBS Priorities" ?

It may be that you simply have a defective SSD...

Because of the way the internal controller works and etc., it could show files, but they are not complete or accessible... I have had weird issues such as that with SSD previously...

The file name may be in the directory, but no files in it, as a for instance...

There is no reason you should be able to run your machine with a HDD, but not a modern SSD...

Plugging your SSD into the HDD connector should be all that is needed, but the fact you tried to install to the SSD with the HDD still in the machine may have caused some complications and\or confusion...

I don't know if that SSD is a Samsung or not... The model number is for a HP SSD...

I have tried to use rufus but I have been sticking with the disk containing media creation tool because of what you said. It created installation media for both uefi and CSM. Been using that one because a)it doesnt require a 3rd party software to mount an iso, it just turns the usb into a boot drive. And b) it has both modes installed so I can switch back to the legacy installer whenever and test that as well. Then I dont need to go remount the iso but set for CSM, I just select the normal usb drive. But the CSM version of the installer is not compatible with my ssd so I must need to use the uefi one.

I may be forgetting to respond to things but I am listening to your instructions as best I can. I'm sure this is frustrating for you too and I'm sorry. I really do appreciate the help. Like I've said before, I've installed windows on many PC's. I do know what I'm doing for the most part. The connection itself cant be the issue because I can plug my existing hdd in with the same cords and it boots like normal. I can even connect the ssd and view the windows files on it as if it was a secondary drive. I can put things on it and use them. I tested treating it as an external storage drive and this works. For example I can save a movie or game to it, and then run that file without issue. But windows wont boot no matter how many times I try the installer. I've had other issues in the past such as forgetting to set the drive to boot first, or not properly formatting it etc. But I've never had a drive that has installed windows, with boot files verifiably on it, tell me that there is no boot media available.