Question Problems Installing Windows 10 on Lenovo 14w eMMC Storage

[Ty Galle]

I have recently come into possession of a Lenovo 14w (Gen 1) School Laptop after my school started to phase out Chromebooks in favor of Macbooks. Normally, Windows 10 is preinstalled on the laptops, but the school tech department decided to install ChromeOS Flex on them, so they could be used as loaner Chromebooks, if someone forgot theirs.

In the process of reinstalling Windows 10 on the laptop, I figured out that the installer likely can't detect eMMC storage and the trackpad didn't work. I have tested three versions of Windows 10. I have tested 22H2 (BSOD), 1507 (Doesn't detect eMMC drive), and 19H1/1903 (Doesn't detect eMMC/drive). I tested 22H2 multiple times, I used the Windows 10 media creator to create a installation USB, and I used Rufus to also create a installation USB. For 1507 and 19H1/1903, I used Rufus to create the installation USB. The USB I'm using has a capacity of 8 GB, but when I ran a Rufus bad block test on the USB, it said that two blocks were corrupted. After I found out that, I reformatted it completely, not a quick-format. When I was able to get the installer to run, the installer wouldn't detect the eMMC drive, but it said that I could use/install a driver from a USB, but I wouldn't know the process of that. It should also be noted that the eMMC drive is partitioned with two "bootable" operating systems on it, Chrome OS Flex (boots) and Linpus lite (doesn't boot). The laptop has a 64gb eMMC drive, 4gb of ram, and a touchless display (special custimizations of this laptop).

I'm mostly currious what my best next steps should be to install Windows 10 on the laptop. If you have any questions about specifics, I'll happily clarify the situation.

Lenevo 14w Product Page: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/lenovo/windows-edu-laptops/lenovo-14w/88el10s9990
Lenevo 14w Spec List: https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/Lenovo/Lenovo_14w/Lenovo_14w_Spec.PDF

P.S. It should also be noted that I'm not a 100% tech-savvy, but I do know a good amount about computers.

 

[KingLoki]

Using Rufus Utility.....
You need to format in FAT32 and if the system has UEFI, then use GPT partitioning while creating boot disk.

 

[Ty Galle]

Using Rufus Utility.....
You need to format in FAT32 and if the system has UEFI, then use GPT partitioning while creating boot disk.

Ok I’ll try doing that this afternoon. Also, when you put the “…” after Rufus utility do you mean that Rufus isn’t the best tool for the job?

 

[SkyNetRising]

what my best next steps should be to install Windows 10 on the laptop.

You have to load necessary drivers during windows installation.
Find those drivers on laptop manufacturer support site.

 

[Ty Galle]

You have to load necessary drivers during windows installation.
Find those drivers on laptop manufacturer support site.

I found the driver and put it on a usb, and the trackpad worked this time, but the driver wasn't detected when I got to driver selection. Is there something special I need to do to the driver to allow for it to be detected during Windows Installation?

Driver Page: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/...ches)&id=FB762CAD-DE8B-49C2-A04B-809B4958F608
Driver Download Link: https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles/annt06ww.exe

 

[KingLoki]

Won't get picked up during driver installation because it's a .exe file.

Many vendors (including Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) supply their drivers in the form of self-extracting exe or zip archive files. Such archives must be unpacked to a local disk so that inf, cat, and sys files are located in the directory with the driver.

Once you extract them, you can copy the .inf, .sys, .cat files to the usb.
you can put them on the usb boot stick then browse to it when prompted.

The other way is to inject the drivers into the boot disk .wim file. More complicated/longer way to do it, using the DISM Tool or Powershell Prompt in windows, which you can prepare on another pc before installation to the emmc chip.

 

[stonecarver]

I just went to your driver download page and grabbed the driver below to test if ---7-zip--- can and will extract the driver package and it will. That should open up installing drivers the way post #4 outlines.
The point is there no longer an .exe package.

I'm not sure if the driver I tested is one you need but it was on the link you posted for manufacture drivers from Lenovo.

AMD Kit Driver

angg11ww.exe
238 MB
25.20.14023.2002
Windows 10 (64-bit)


07 May 2019
Recommended

 

[Ty Galle]

The other way is to inject the drivers into the boot disk .wim file. More complicated/longer way to do it, using the DISM Tool or Powershell Prompt in windows, which you can prepare on another pc before installation to the emmc chip.

I saw that on some other forum about Windows 7, but I'd rather not try that try that.

 

[Ty Galle]

I'm not sure if the driver I tested is one you need but it was on the link you posted for manufacture drivers from Lenovo.

It's the eMMC bridge chip driver, so I would believe that would be the appropriate driver.

 

[KingLoki]

That should do it and any associated files if needed. If it works by the first way I mentioned then much simpler.

 

[Ty Galle]

Won't get picked up during driver installation because it's a .exe file.

Many vendors (including Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) supply their drivers in the form of self-extracting exe or zip archive files. Such archives must be unpacked to a local disk so that inf, cat, and sys files are located in the directory with the driver.

Once you extract them, you can copy the .inf, .sys, .cat files to the usb.
you can put them on the usb boot stick then browse to it when prompted.

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that the driver works and that the Windows installer recognizes the drive. The bad news is that I can't install it on any drive/partition.

https://imgur.com/a/9sL98yI

 

[KingLoki]

The partition needs to be converted from MBR to GPT.

 

[beyondlogic]

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that the driver works and that the Windows installer recognizes the drive. The bad news is that I can't install it on any drive/partition.

https://imgur.com/a/9sL98yI

normally you would install it on unallocated space

 

[Ty Galle]

normally you would install it on unallocated space

Sadly, normally isn't reality

 

[beyondlogic]

Sadly, normally isn't reality

try this ive used this method before

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ilMAAk1Q8&t=229s

 

[Ty Galle]

The partition needs to be converted from MBR to GPT.

I don't see an easy way to do that right now.

 

[Ty Galle]

try this ive used this method before

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ilMAAk1Q8&t=229s

I'm going to try that really quick.

Edit: I'm not going to try making an additional partition to the drive as the installer can't recognize it without a driver. Going to try using it to make a single partition if possible.

Edit 2: Just got it to work without having to try the command line. I don't know what changed, but it's working now. I'll keep you posted if anything changes.

 

[Ty Galle]

Success! Thank you everyone your help! I was able to get to the OOBE screen.

https://imgur.com/a/O1zNJg7

 

[beyondlogic]

Success! Thank you everyone your help! I was able to get to the OOBE screen.

https://imgur.com/a/O1zNJg7

good glad that the whole thing got there in the end.

 

[Ty Galle]

good glad that the whole thing got there in the end.

I'm currently planning on using it as a secondary computer, as I already had one previously. Going to experiment with Windows to try to fully understand it.