Windows installer doesn't work?

Anonymous
2019-03-03T03:18:06+00:00

So I'm having a bit of a weird issue. I've installed windows 10 on a few computers before and have never run into this until now. I recently bought an ssd to boot my OS from, but running the install media usb doesn't seem to work right. I only used windows 10's install media tool. I should also mention I only have a keyboard, mouse, monitor and the install usb plugged in.

I created the usb (twice now), then shut my pc off, removed the existing hdd, then plugged in the ssd and the usb with the install tool on it. I boot into setup, make sure the drive is all unallocated space, and then hit new. I let it create the necessary partitions and then click next. I've also tried just clicking next with a totally blank ssd.

The setup tool runs normally, prompts a restart which is when I remove the install usb, if I don't remove the usb then it loops back to the installer again. When I remove the usb and then restart though, my pc prompts me to insert boot media into the drive and press any key. It doesnt seem to actually install the necessary files to download and install windows 10. No matter what I do, after the install media tool finishes and causes a restart I cannot continue with the installation. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I know it isn't a problem with another component because plugging in the original hard drive works fine. I've also plugged both drives in and scanned for errors on the ssd to no avail. I checked and there are files being installed on the ssd. It seems to work normally otherwise so I dont think it's a bad drive either.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Install and upgrade

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-03-04T03:52:50+00:00

    I tried it because the other guy asked me to do so.. I am saying the same thing you just did. For the installer to work, my ssd must be set as GPT format, which is automatically done from a blank drive via the uefi install media. So that's where my solution is. I can let the install media complete so that it restarts but the ssd doesnt work. The files are there it just isn't recognized as a bootable drive. It functions normally otherwise so it isnt totally broken if something is wrong with it.

    I am sorry I havent been able to reply to everything, but i assure you i have followed all your steps properly. Regardless of what you assume I'm not an idiot. I was being nice because you've been trying to help but now you're just being rude. Just because your solution doesnt work for me doesnt mean I did something wrong or that I've skipped over things. Do you not see how much I've typed? I've been working on this for 2 straight days. I dont have time for this but I've been doing everything as you ask even though you've instructed me to do the same things over and over, then accuse me of not following your instructions right. How about instead of worrying about the things I forgot to answer you about you assume I've done it right and I need another suggestion. If you were actually reading the thread I'm pretty sure ive answered most of if not all of your questions. Maybe I got confused and replied to someone else but the answers to your question are already here. I did what you said the entire time and I am still stuck at the same spot. You haven't actually helped at all. Pretty much all of your solutions I have found on Google already and tried. It's simple stuff. The furthest I am able to get is getting windows installed from the uefi device to the ssd. It isnt an issue with that. It isnt an issue with the hardware because I swapped it all out. The only thing that was the same was the ssd. Same thing. It is either missing files or the ssd just cant be booted from. If you have any suggestions on why a drive would not be bootable even with a valid windows install then I'd love to hear it. But if you're just going to repeat the same stuff and be rude to me I don't want your help. Feel free to take your "expertise" somewhere else.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-03-04T03:32:11+00:00

    After formatting as MBR I ran the specific legacy drive. It was not compatible with the ssd so I tried the legacy install media, did not work either. Good to know that it being set as not bootable cant be the issue though. Different SATA cable and slot does not seem to affect things. It could be the ssd's internal controller. Would I just have to replace it if so? Like I said, a blank drive with uefi seems to work best. I dont think it is compatible with legacy at all. But the only thing I can think of is that it is a problem with the ssd booting even if it works fine for storage.

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  3. Greg Carmack 24,780 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2019-03-04T03:24:42+00:00

    I explained that a UEFI install must be formatted GPT, and that the best way to do this is boot the media as a UEFI device,  delete all partitions or wipe the drive, then let it format the partitions for UEFI automatically by clicking Next. 

    Drivers would only be an issue if the drive didn't show up during install.

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-03-04T03:22:28+00:00

    Hi,

    After wiping the drive and formatting it as MBR... Did you use the specific UEFI or Legacy flash drive ?

    Very Important...

    There are no drivers needed for what you are attempting to do... Anything needed would be included in the Windows 10 installation media... Whether HDD or SSD...

    The only reason my one installation required drivers was that there were no drivers available for that type of device included with windows...

    There is no way it could be configured to not be a boot device because of some previous use...

    Unless the HDD was plugged in at the same time maybe...

    What you see in the way of drive letters within windows has nothing to do with a installation... Especially after the drive was wiped...

    In reality, if you were to have a problem installing windows to the SSD, that should happen with UEFI, not the Legacy... You might double check that your Bios does in fact switch to Legacy when attempting a Legacy installation...

    I'm thinking that there is a problem with the SSD's internal controller that it is not being recognized properly...

    Just a thought... You might try plugging it in to a different SATA port on the motherboard just to see if it makes a difference...

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  5. Anonymous
    2019-03-04T02:58:53+00:00

    Installing as uefi brings me back to the original error. Wiping the drive and formatting it as mbr gives me an error saying it cannot install because it has a MBR table. Tried both iso with rufus and windows install media tool. It does not appear to make a difference which I use, uefi ends up at the black screen and legacy mode gives the errors I said before. I'm still stuck on how I can run things through the other installation on my hdd, but windows wont boot off the ssd.

    Would drivers have something to do with it? I assume before it was originally usable from the hdd it had to download drivers. Should I try uninstalling them or something? I did already wipe the drive so i may need to specifically uninstall the drivers or something. It still is listed as drive D btw. When I remove the hdd this does not change. Is it possible it was automatically configured to not be a boot drive when it was used as a 2nd drive before? This could explain why the ssd has data and is usable but cant boot windows. If it is set to specifically not boot then it might do something like this.

    It does really seem like the uefi usb installer is working. It just cannot boot this ssd after it finishes for some reason. If it is made to not be bootable in a way cleaning wouldnt erase then no matter how many times I repeat the steps it would never boot the ssd. At least until it was set to be bootable. Is this an option within windows somewhere?

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