Cant install windows, old partitions keep coming back in windows setup.

Question

Cant install windows, old partitions keep coming back in windows setup.

Gin 0

Trying to wipe ssd and install new copy of windows.

Deleting partitions doesnt work so I used diskpart to clean then refresh.

It succesfully cleans and whats left is: "drive 0 unallocated space" using diskpart clean. i click new then apply, it then says we couldnt create a new partition, then for some reason it reverts back to its old 4 partitions with the same total size and free space.

I also ran attributes disk clear readonly, diskpart returned the error: "Diskpart failed to clear disk attributes."

Plus a warning from windows: windows cannot be installed to this disk. The disk may fail soon.

Can it be fixed or is the ssd really failing?

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

DaveM121 932.3K Independent Advisor

Before you decided to reinstall Windows were you experiencing any problems with that drive, usually when the partitions re-appear after using diskpart to clean the drive even though the command indicates the drive has been successfully cleaned, that indicates there is a hardware fault on the drive.

Gin 0 Reputation points

2026-09-15T05:36:10.12+00:00

The pc hadnt been opened in a few yrs and when it was first opened it was severely lagging. Now its manageable but i feel like it still has big freezes and lag whenever you try to download or update something. Disk hits 100 percent.

Wmic diskdrive get status also says pred fail. Then one time windows prompted me to restart due to disk error after i tried updating steam. It starts of normal but whenever you try to do something like update, install it lags a lot and freezes to the point you have to restart. Do you think the ssd is the only problem?
DaveM121 932.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-15T05:38:17.8+00:00

Please download the widely available free CrystalDiskInfo utility and provide a screenshot of what that indicates for the disk.

Answer 2

The SSD is likely failing.

The strongest indicator is the Windows Setup warning: "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The disk may fail soon." The behavior described also matches a failing drive or a controller that has entered a read-only or unstable state:

diskpart clean appears to work temporarily.
After refresh or partition creation, the old partitions reappear.
attributes disk clear readonly fails.
Windows Setup cannot create a new partition.

A CRC/data error or disk problems during setup are associated with hardware issues, and the documented guidance is to run Chkdsk.exe to check for disk problems and replace the hard disk if it is damaged.

What can still be tried:

Verify the correct disk is selected On systems with multiple drives, disk numbers can change and may not match SATA channel numbering.
- In Windows Setup, press Shift+F10.
- Run:
```
     diskpart
     list disk
```
- Confirm the target by size before doing anything else.
Try a full clean install path one more time This is destructive and permanently removes all partitions and data on the selected disk.
- In Windows Setup, press Shift+F10.
- Run:
```
     diskpart
     list disk
     select disk <disk number>
     clean
     convert gpt
     exit
```
- Close Command Prompt.
- Back in Setup, click Refresh.
- Select the unallocated space and click Next.
If clean or partition creation still fails, stop using that SSD for the install The documented guidance is to replace the disk if it is damaged.
Check BIOS/firmware detection If needed, verify that the system BIOS correctly detects the hard disk and check for firmware or BIOS updates through the hardware manufacturer.

Important risk note:

Using clean, clean all, deleting partitions, or converting the disk permanently removes data.
If any files still matter, avoid further write attempts to that SSD.

Based on the symptoms provided, this is not a normal partition-table issue. If the old partitions keep reappearing after clean, and Setup warns the disk may fail soon, replacement is the correct next step.

References: