Question Can't Install Windows 10- Create or locate system partition, and GPT?

weatherphobia

Distinguished
Dec 30, 2008
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I'm trying to install Windows 10 home on new built AMD system.
I downloaded the Media Creation Tool from this website

I ran it and it installed completely to a bootable USB.

Then I wanted to install Windows from the SSD instead so I followed the instructions on this YouTube video "create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition"
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ilMAAk1Q8


So now I have a SSD 500GB drive with a 5GB partition only which has all the USB boot files that were created with the media creation tool from Microsoft.
The remaining ~490GB of the SSD is marked UNALLOCATED as instructed by the Video.
According to the Video instructions the Unallocated part of the disk is where Windows will allow it to be Installed.

Will this work? Will it install Windows 10 for me?

Other serious Problem--> I've been warned on previous attempts that Windows requires disks that are GPT???
But the instruction ABOVE are creating NFTS?

What should I do? Should I make the Drive GPT and would erase or alter all that careful DISKPART command line effort?

Or? I am lost here....lost as in 5 year old at the mall lost 😕
Please help. Thank You :)
 

britechguy

Commendable
Jul 2, 2019
1,479
243
1,340
You're mixing some apples and oranges here.

GPT (current, GUID Partition Table) versus MBR (older, Master Boot Record) are related to how the machine boots, and has nothing to do with the file system type(s) that might be used in the various partitions of the drive itself. The boot segments/sectors are their own little world.

If you have just built this machine and it's got UEFI (which it should if this is a modern mobo) then you definitely want to use GPT. MBR is typically only employed on older hardware that uses true BIOS rather than UEFI.

When a fresh install of Windows is done the file system created will definitely be NTFS.

You do not want to have your install media on the drive to which a clean install is being done. Either have an 8GB (or larger) USB thumb drive and create the Win10 bootable media on that or, if your machine has an optical drive, you can burn the ISO you download to bootable format on DVD. Most use USB these days.

Here are my instructions for doing a completely clean (re)install of Windows 10:
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Important Reminder 1:

If your computer has ever had a valid, licensed copy of Windows 10 installed, even if that's been later replaced by, say, Linux, you can still do a completely clean install of Windows 10 without having to acquire a new license. Windows 10 licenses are stored electronically on Microsoft servers, and are linked to your computer's motherboard. The installer will locate that existing license if you are reinstalling Windows 10.

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Important Reminder 2:


It should go without saying, but, if you have a functioning, even poorly functioning, system that you're hoping to wipe clean to get a fresh start you should definitely do a full system image backup and a separate user data backup before following the instructions for doing a completely clean reinstallation. It also makes sense to use a utility such as Belarc Advisor to create an inventory of the software you have installed and the license keys for same so that you have a handy list when it comes time to put them on your brand new Windows 10 installation.

____

You can use the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool either to create bootable USB media directly, or if you want to have a copy of the ISO file, to download that and use a separate utility to create the bootable USB media. Either way will work.

These instructions are current as of July 29, 2019. They have changed little during the life of Windows 10.

Doing a completely clean (re)installation of Windows 10 using the Media Creation Tool (MCT):

A) To create a bootable USB drive using the MCT itself:

- MS-Word Format: Completely Clean Win10 (Re)install Using MCT to Create a Bootable USB Drive

- PDF Format: Completely Clean Win10 (Re)install Using MCT to Create a Bootable USB Drive


B) To download the Windows 10 ISO file and use Rufus to create the bootable USB

- MS-Word Format: Completely Clean Win10 (Re)install Using MCT to Download Win10 ISO File

- PDF Format: Completely Clean Win10 (Re)install Using MCT to Download Win10 ISO File
 
D

Deleted member 14196

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Install it from the USB and make sure to format the entire disk during the install. Had you done that you would’ve been done in five minutes