Question I'm so frustrated - - - why can't I install Windows on this computer ?

[flon_klar]

Background: For the past week, I've been dealing with an issue regarding the sudden inability of my computer to access the internet. The guys here on Tom's were very patient with me, talking me through different tests, and trying to help. I had the tech from the ISP out to look at everything- he found nothing wrong with his equipment. I talked with the Motorola (router) tech- we determined that it wasn't his equipment either. I couldn't find any hardware problems, so finally I made the decision that the problem must lie in Windows so I decided to install a fresh copy of the OS. I was able to get online, because I remembered I had an old C: drive that was functional. I popped it in, and that OS was still able to get an internet connection.

So I made the USB boot drive from the Microsoft website and let it work. After a while, the machine stopped, shut down completely. I figured it was done. I restarted it, but it wouldn't boot (yes, I changed the boot order in BIOS). I changed the boot order back to the old drive that worked, and then took a look at the drive that I had intended to load the new copy of Windows on. It was blank. So apparently the drive had been formatted but the OS had not been installed. I tried again, several times, to install Windows on it, but I kept getting a message that Windows could not be installed on that partition because it was the wrong file system. I thought it was weird that Windows had formatted it to a system it couldn't use.

I went to Disk Management to check it out and reformat it. "Format" was grayed out. I tried to format it from the context menu. It wouldn't format, saying that the drive was open and in use, even though it wasn't.

I feel like I'm going crazy. Nothing I can do will allow me to install a fresh copy of Windows on, or even format, this drive. Every time I try to run the new installation, the computer goes into automatic repair mode, but then tells me it cannot repair it. Does anyone have some suggestions of how to troubleshoot and resolve this?? Thanks.

 

[USAFRet]

I understand this, I was simply trying ANYTHING to get the partitions off the drive. If I boot from the Installation Media, how do I access Powershell to perform Clean? Where is the function that deletes partitions? This is where I'm lost.

From the above linked tutorials, Section II, Step 6 & 7 speak to DELETING all existing partitions on the drive in question.

 

[BFG-9000]

BFG-9000 and Darkbreeze- I have been listening, and I have been trying to delete partitions. Where do you suggest I do this? There is no function in the Installation Media to delete anything. If you look at my images of the installation process, you will see that it does not mention deleting anything, at least I'm not seeing it as such.

You see your second to last picture? There's a big red X button for Delete but instead of pressing it, you keep trying to press the Format button instead like in your last picture. After you delete that partition, highlight the remaining partitions one at a time and press the red X for those too before hitting Next. The fact that it's red means it is not locked out.

 

[caution1397]

You are being totally clear, you simply aren't wanting to listen to the answer that is required to move forward. I, and others, have told you SPECIFICALLY how to rectify your problem, and you are simply not hearing it. This is not new. We see this all the time. Unfortunately, I guess you're going to have to go through the painful process of learning it for yourself before you will believe what we all already know from YEARS of dealing with the same problem you are dealing with.

Exactly, I was going to write a similar reply yesterday, haha.
This person needs to take the computer to a computer shop. haha.

 

[SkyNetRising]

If I boot from the Installation Media, how do I access Powershell to perform Clean?
Where is the function that deletes partitions? This is where I'm lost.

Press Shift+F10.
That opens command prompt window.
Then you can run all diskpart commands.

 

[Darkbreeze]

You see your second to last picture? There's a big red X button for Delete but instead of pressing it, you keep trying to press the Format button instead like in your last picture. After you delete that partition, highlight the remaining partitions one at a time and press the red X for those too before hitting Next. The fact that it's red means it is not locked out.

This. Exactly this. There is no need to run "clean" or use any partitioning software. If you delete all the existing partitions by highlighting them and then clicking on delete, then in the end you end up with a single drive that is not partitioned OR formatted, and then if you click on that drive and click next Windows will do EVERYTHING else itself. There is NEVER any need to use command prompt to eradicate everything on the drive during Windows installation. You can, but there is absolutely no need to. There is also no need to use boot loaders, third party partitioning software or anything else. Ever.

It's very, VERY simple, and I can't understand why we're two pages into something that should only have taken one post to explain. But in any case, that is the gist.