Fresh Win 7 64bit Error 0x80070057 on SSD

wavou

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Dec 3, 2010
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18,510
I've done some heavy reading on the many threads on the web. Here is my situation..

Just picked up a new rig

MB: ASUS P6X58D-E
CPU: i7 950
MEM: Corsair 6gb kit (3x2gb)
SSD: G.SKILL FM-25S2S-120GBP2
couple video cards, another secondary drive(not connected)

Well I've been trying to install windows 7 64, and every time it gets to the point where I can select the partition to format or install on it fails with error 0x80070057. I've also tried installing Windows xp (didnt have an installer or license for Vista, like a previous solution) and XP was not able to format the drive either.

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to how to format the drive so I can install windows 7 (via USB preferably).

Or could someone help with the my existing win 7 media to resolve the issue.

Thanks for your time
 

rockman777

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Oct 9, 2013
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10,510



So far I have about 3 days’ worth of energy into trying to get Windows 7 on an ASUS Crosshair V Formula Z motherboard. The motherboard runs EUFI above BIOS. What I have found so far is that a new drive when put into the computer will get a GPT table. Windows 7 will general the additional volumes but when it goes to format the main volume, the system comes up with a 0x80070057 error, UNABLE TO FORMAT THE VOLUME. I have spent a large amount of time exploring why this happens. Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux Mint 15 and Windows XP all have the same problem. Why. There is a tool that came with the Windows 7 3 Pak. I had been curious about what it is and how it works but until now I never explored what it was meant to do.

The disk form Microsoft is basically a DOS disk that will execute the DISKPART commands on a drive. I found a knowledge base article that details how to use the DISKPART commands. This would lead you to believe that the drive can have the volumes and partitions deleted, which it does but mentions that the type of drive can be changed also. I have found this not to be the case, but I could be using the wrong commands to execute this change. When you are finished using DISKPART the drive has 100% unallocated space but there is still a GPT shell. I have not been able to remove this GPT table structure using the DISKPART commands.

Ok, I went looking for a utility that would remove the GPT structure on an unallocated drive. I found a program called “D-PARTED”. This utility uses Linux to basically clean the drive based on commands. This too appeared to work but after trying to load Windows 7 on a non-EFI system, the disk would fail saying it encountered a GPT structure and the software would stop or just hang. This is a pretty slick program and it is free. Installs were attempted on a non-UEFI system, using Ubantu, Windows 7 and XP, all with the same results, system hangs. This program does work and removes the GPT structure eventhough the disc is 100% unallocated and a BASIC structure. I later formatted the drive as a MSDOS image and low and behold, Ubuntu now loads.


I went off looking again for a program to handle completely scrubbing a drive and removing the GPT. I found a program called EASEUS. It is a $40 program but seems to be the best at scrubbing a drive. I am waiting for a license key to complete the scrubbing, but it does appear to work.

While doing all this I found an update from Microsoft that says it will remove this problem. Like many of the idiots on the internet discussing this problem, it is assumed that Windows is already on the computer. A new load assumes a blank drive, hence we have the classic ‘CHICKEN AND EGG” scenario.

There appears to be something funny going on with the ASUS Crosshair V Formula Z. When the newly formatted drive that now loads Ubuntu was put back into the ASUS chasis, I again was at square one. There appears to be a setting that is not correct on this motherboard which messes up the drive and then gives the error “Unable to format this drive. 0x80070057. I am now looking at what setting or settings are incorrect and messing up the drive.


 

rockman777

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Oct 9, 2013
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10,510
ok, after working 6 days on this I finally found the answer. Here is what is going on. On a EUFI based system, when the BIOS is not set up correctly to go to the BIOS, and the system uses EUFI to boot into Windows 7, a GPT structure is written to the disk drive. You start to load Windows, you split the partitions into a small partition and a large disk space using the remainder of the drive. You try to format the large partition and BANG! 0x80070057 error, Windows can not format this drive. So you try it again and again this happens. You check the cable, maybe replace the drive with a new drive, only to get the same results. You look at deleting the partitions and it appears that the drive is unallocated. This keeps happening with you beating your head against the wall.

Here is what is going on. On a computer that is not configured for just BIOS, EUFI writes a small GPT structure. Windows 7 can not write to any partition on the drive when there is a GPT structure. The Windows 7 install appears to allocate the drive so you can split the drive and load Windows 7. This will not work until this GPT structure is completely removed.

This was confirmed on a drive with the GPT structure when LinuxMint 15 or Kubuntu tries to install. LinuxMint gets to the point where it is ready to install itself on to the drive and the install stops complaining about the GPT structure.

Windows appears to be STUPID! about unallocating the drive when loading Windows 7. It really does not handle the removing of the GPT structure on the drive.

Now the only thing to do is to place the drive into a non-EUFI computer and use a disk manager called EASEUS to remove the GPT structure on the drive. Once this is done the drive is ready for a load of Windows 7 on the EUFI computer. You need to make sure that the EUFI computer is set up for BIOS, not EUFI to load Windows 7.

The load is now successful after I changed the settings on my ASUS Crosshair V Formuala-Z motherboard to just use BIOS and booting Windows 7 to do a new clean install. This now will load Windows 7.