Question I am not able to install windows 10 in a Dell Inspiron 15 N5050

[tcmgl]

I had a similar issue with another old Dell laptop and was never able to do a clean windows install to an SSD. But here I have a Dell Inspiron 15 N5050, a 2012 I believe.

I had previously cloned the old HDD to the SSD and it worked fine for a little over 2 years. But now it was giving problems, and it had many systems errors in Windows Event viewer, so I thot I would just to a clean windows install, so I started with resetting the PC but keeping the files. It was just not successful, I am not sure what the issue was.

But I wanted to just do a complete windows install, so I just put another SSD in it, and tried to install windows normally, and I just get this:

We couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one. For more information, see the Setup log files

So I tried these steps by pressing Shift + F10:

1. Type DISKPART
2. Type LIST DISK
3. Type SELECT DISK [the number next to your SSD]
4. Type CLEAN
5. Type CONVERT MBR
6. Type CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
7. Type LIST VOLUME
8. Type SELECT VOLUME [the number next to your SSD]
9. Type FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK
10. Type EXIT and close the CMD program

I did MBR because it would says something to the affect that it will not be able to partition drive because it was a type GPT. So I found these steps and just changed the GPT to MBR, not sure if all the other steps remain the same, like step 9?

In BIOS:
External ports enabled
SATA Operation: Tried with both given options, ATA and AHCI but same results
And nothing I still get the same error.

I try to format the drive just by using the Format button in the installation media.....still the same.

I have search around in these forums and other sites, but can't seem to find a solution that will work.

I followed this steps and still nothing:

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/wind...ate-a-new-partition-or-locate-an-existing-one

Can anybody give me any further instructions here?

 

[USAFRet]

Delete ALL existing partitions on the drive.

Follow this step by step, and let us know where it fails.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[tcmgl]

Delete ALL existing partitions on the drive.

Follow this step by step, and let us know where it fails.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

I basically followed that guide before posting this issue. A few things I might have done slightly differently is that I did not use the actual Windows Creation Media tool to create the USB bootable media. I basically just use Ventoy, but would that make a difference? I highly doubt it

When I select the drive to install Windows, it is a "Drive 0 Unallocated Space" and all partitions are deleted and there is only unallocated space available.

But I still get that error....

 

[USAFRet]

If possible, show us a screencap of that exact fail step.

 

[tcmgl]

If possible, show us a screencap of that exact fail step.

Yes, this is what I am getting:

https://imgur.com/9qCwrf0

View: https://imgur.com/9qCwrf0

 

[USAFRet]

Yes, this is what I am getting:

https://imgur.com/9qCwrf0

View: https://imgur.com/9qCwrf0

What happens if you click DELETE?

 

[tcmgl]

I had pressed delete and tried, and also had tried pressing format and it also brings up the same message. Then I had done also the format and new partition, also the same.

 

[tcmgl]

Good morning, just wondering if anybody had anything on this? I just don't know what to do with this, and depends on the solution we can find, I actually have another Dell laptop that would like to try, has basically the same issue.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Yes, this is what I am getting:

https://imgur.com/9qCwrf0

View: https://imgur.com/9qCwrf0

The drive has to be empty - all unallocated.
You have EFI system partition (bootloader) spanning entire drive, there's no space to install windows.
Delete all partitions.
Do not create partitions manually.
Do not format anything manually.
Install process will do everything as necessary.

It has too look like this, before you press <Next> button.

 

[lantis3]

I also encountered all sorts of partition error/difficulty with a HP laptop and a mini pc a few months ago. Was not able to install Windows while change BIOS settings. delete partitions, mbr <--> gpt conversions, for numerous times. Eventually both devices worked, but It's really a frustrating experience and I didn't even remember what I did.

See if reset the BIOS to factory default will help.

 

[tcmgl]

The drive has to be empty - all unallocated.
You have EFI system partition (bootloader) spanning entire drive, there's no space to install windows.
Delete all partitions.
Do not create partitions manually.
Do not format anything manually.
Install process will do everything as necessary.

It has too look like this, before you press <Next> button.

I tried this @SkyNetRising and it did not work either. So I deleted the all partitions, see picture:

Then I clicked next and this came up:

@lantis3 I also reseted BIOS and it did not help either same error.

Any other suggestions?

 

[lantis3]

Try to use different partition managers to convert mrb <--> gpt several times.

Gparted, PartitionWizard, EaseUS Partiton Manager, Genius Disk, etc. all ave free versions.

---

Forgot to mention you need a Windows To Go installation (using Rufus) on a fast usb drive to install and run mentioned Windows app.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Any other suggestions?

Then create partitions manually using script Create-Partitions-UEFI.txt
Adjust EFI partition size to 500MB. In this script it gets created as 100MB partition.
EFI partition too small can cause some windows updates to fail.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/w...&preserve-view=true#-createpartitions-uefitxt

 

[tcmgl]

Then create partitions manually using script Create-Partitions-UEFI.txt
Adjust EFI partition size to 500MB. In this script it gets created as 100MB partition.
EFI partition too small can cause some windows updates to fail.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/w...&preserve-view=true#-createpartitions-uefitxt

Thank you for this, I just now tried this and was successful in executing all the commands fine, but that did not work. Here is a screenshot:

So when I tried installing windows on this, this came up. Saying that it could not install to this disk because is of the GPT partition style.

So I went ahead with this script for BIOS system:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/w...&preserve-view=true#-createpartitions-biostxt

And this is the outcome, it did not help:

Kind of feel like I am at square one : )

Any other suggestion or steps I could try? Would really appreciate it.

 

[USAFRet]

DELETE all 3 of those partitions!

 

[tcmgl]

DELETE all 3 of those partitions!

I have done that already and many times, check post #11 in this thread

 

[USAFRet]

I have done that already and many times, check post #11 in this thread

Yes, I saw that.

But something is NOT right.

Either faulty installation media, or faulty drive, or you're doing something wrong.

With everything working, a Windows install is not that hard.