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Windows 10/11 Cannot Be Installed to This Disk: 33 Easy Tips

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Updated onFebruary 29, 2024

updated onFebruary 29, 2024

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Installing Windows isn’t always simple, and sometimes certain issues can occur. One of the most problematic issues isWindows cannot be installed to this diskerror, so let’s see how to fix it.

This isn’t the only installation error, and many have reportedInstallation failed in the safe_os phase, so the problem can appear during any parts of the setup.

In most cases, the error is caused by hardware incompatibility. After that, check your SATA device or use the diskpart tool.

For full instructions, check the guide below.

What can I do if Windows 10/11 cannot be installed to this disk?

Windows 10 can’t install to this disk

Sometimes additional hard drive or storage devices can cause this error to appear, therefore you need to disconnect all hard drives except the one that you’re going to use toinstall Windows 10.

Users also reported that sometimes USB flash drives or SD cards can interfere with Windows 10 installation, so be sure to remove them all. If needs be, try to installWindows 10from a DVD.

According to users, this error can appear if your primary hard drive is attached to eSATAport, so be sure to connect it to a differentport. In addition, be sure that your SATA controller is set to AHCI or RAID mode.

If you have CD, DVD or Blu-ray drive attached to eSATA or SATA 3 port, be sure to disconnect them and attach them to SATA 2 controller.

Also, do not use an enclosure casing with a SATA 3 HDD that is connected to a SATA 3 controller.

Keep in mind that a faulty drive will cause you to get Windows cannot be installed to this disk the disk may fail soon error, so be prepared to replace your drive.

Windows 10 can’t install on GPT partitions

Once again we have to mention that the clean command will delete all files andpartitionsfrom a selected hard drive.

Therefore be sure to back up important files or use this solution if you have a new computer that doesn’t have any important files on it.

After the download is finished, you need to use Rufus to create a bootable media. You can do that by following these steps:

Windows 10 can’t install on MBR partitions

After disabling EFI Boot Sources you should be able to installWindowswithout any issues. If the installation is successful, you need to go back to BIOS and enable EFI Boot Sources.

If you’re getting Windows 10 cannot be installed to this disk MBR partition table on EFI system, then your only option might be to format your drive.

If you’re having this problem you should be able to circumvent it by using a DVD drive to installWindows 10. When installing the operating system from a DVD users are suggesting to use ODD option instead of EFI.

In addition, you can also try to use an external DVD drive to fix this problem.

Newer motherboards support UEFI boot option, but sometimes UEFI boot can give youWindows cannot be installed to this diskerror. To fix it, you need to enter BIOS and enable Legacy Boot option.

For more information on how to enter BIOS and how to use Legacy Boot, we strongly advise you to check your motherboard manual.

Some motherboards support both UEFI and Legacy boot so you can use both modes without having to disable anything. In some situations, you can even fix this problem by disabling Legacy boot and using UEFI instead.

If this process seems complicated to you, you can always use third-party tools that come with graphical interface, such as AOMEI Partition Assistant.

With such tools you can easily delete partitions, format them or perform any other disk-managing actions easily and in a matter of seconds.

⇒Get AOMEI Partition Assistant

Many motherboards support both UEFI and Legacy boot, and some motherboards will start UEFI boot first. If you seePress any key to boot from diskmessage, do not press anything.

If your motherboard has UEFI and Legacy boot enabled the same message will appear again. WhenPress any key to boot from diskmessage appears for the second time press any key to boot from a designated device.

Users reported that USB 3.0 flash drives don’t give them the option to choose MBR or Legacy boot while choosing a boot device, but you can fix this problem by using a USB 2.0 flash drive instead.

Alternatively, you can use USB 2.0 port on your PC if you have one.

The computer hardware may not support booting

To fix Windows 10 cannot be installed to this disk GPT without losing data error you might have to delete all yourpartitions. This procedure will delete all your files, therefore we urge you to create a backup before you start.

If your hard drive is larger than 2TB, you must convert it to GPT. To do that, use diskpart tool to clean your hard drive and then convert it to GPT.

For more instructions on how to do that be sure to check our guide on how toconvert MBR to GPT disk.

If you don’t want to use command line to fix this problem, you can start your PC from a Live Linux CD. After Linux starts, locate the appropriate disk management tool and format it to FAT32 drive.

Be sure to use the slow method to completely clean your hard drive. This procedure will delete all files from your hard drive, so be sure to back them up.

After your hard drive is formatted, try to installWindows 10again.

For more information on how to disable boot devices be sure to check your motherboard manual.

These types of problems can sometimes appear if your hard drive is not connected to Intel SATA 3 port, so be sure to connect it to Intel SATA 3 port on your PC.

Some motherboards require that you connect your hard drive and optical drive to appropriateports. Users reported that after connecting the hard drive and optical drive to SATA 5 and SATA 6portson their motherboard the issue was resolved.

For more information on which SATAportsyou should use, we strongly suggest checking your motherboard manual.

Few users reported that you can avoid this issue simply by removing your USB installation media. According to users, you need to remove your installation media before your computer restarts during the setup process.

After the USB media is removed, the installation should continue without any issues. In addition, be sure that you don’t have any additionalUSB drivesor devices attached to your PC.

We don’t know if this solution works, but a couple of users reported that it fixed the issue for them, so feel free to give it a try.

Few users reported that their hard drive had an exclamation mark before it in Boot options menu, meaning that the hard drive is disabled.

According to them, you can enable your hard drive again simply by usingCtrl+1shortcut. Keep in mind that different versions of BIOS might use different shortcuts, so check your motherboard manual for detailed explanation.

Few users reported that you can fix this issue on Sony Vaio devices by disabling External Device Boot. According to them, the device finds more than one boot option from BIOS, but you can fix that by following these steps:

If your device supports Intel Boot Security feature you should disable it from BIOS. Users reported that Intel Boot Security feature can interfere withWindows 10installation, therefore be sure to disable this option in BIOS.

After disabling Boot SecurityWindows 10should be installed without problems.

After using this solutions, the Windows cannot be installed to this disk ensure disk controller is enabled in BIOS message will be gone.

Many users reported that they fixed this issue simply by unplugging the Ethernet cable.

We don’t know why Ethernet cable caused this problem, but if you’re gettingThe computer hardware may not support bootingerror be sure to try this solution.

Few users reported this error while selecting their USB drive as the boot device. According to them, the only way to fix this issue was to enter BIOS and set theUSB flash driveas the first boot device.

For some strange reason the quick boot menu option wouldn’t work for them, but after changing the boot order in BIOS the issue was resolved.

Sometimes you might get Windows 10 cannot be installed to this disk the selected disk is of the GPT partition style error, but that can be fixed with diskpart.

Windows cannot be installed to this disk SSD

According to users, installation problems withWindows 10can occur if your SSD drive isn’t clean. To fix this problem be sure to remove allpartitionsand files from your SSD and try to installWindows 10again.

In addition, be sure that AHCI is enabled.

Few users reported that you can fix this problem simply by using non-UEFI boot, so you might want to try it.

If you have two or more SSDs on your PC you might experience this error. One of the simplest solutions is to disconnect all other SSD drives and check if that fixes the problem.

In addition, be sure to disconnect any storage devices from your PC.

Users reported that this issue can occur if the SATA 3 expansion board is faulty, so you might want to try using SATA 2 port instead.

According to users, they were able to installWindows 10after connecting their SSD to SATA 2 port, so be sure to try that.

It seems that this issue appears when you connect both your SSD and DVD to the controller.

One of the simplest solutions is to disconnect your DVD drive and connect it to the motherboard while keeping the SSD connected to the controller.

After doing that, Windows cannot be installed to this disk setup does not support USB message will be gone.

Users reported this problem while using RAID, and according to them, removing RAID configuration from BIOS fixed this issue.

After removing RAID, create it again, make it bootable and you should be able to installWindows 10.

This is a very unlikely issue, but users reported thatWindows 10installation can fail if you’re trying to install it withUSB flash drive.

Users reported that they had problems with CorsairUSB flash driveand SSD, but after replacing the Corsair flash drive with a different brand the issue was fixed.

The partition contains one or more dynamic volumes

After your disk is converted to basic, try to installWindows 10again.

What can I do if Windows 11 cannot be installed to this disk?

This issue affects all versions of Windows, and in most cases it’s caused by your configuration, so adjusting the BIOS settings will fix the problem.

Since this is such a common issue and caused by BIOS, fixing it on Windows 11 is exactly the same like on the older versions.

Windows cannot be installed to this diskerror can be a big problem and prevent you from installingWindows 10, but you should be able to fix this issue by using one of our solutions.

In case the problem is still there, read ourWindows cannot install required filesarticle for more easy-to-follow solutions.

Before you leave, don’t miss ourWe couldn’t create a new partition errorguide, since it can provide you with more solutions.

We also have a guide on what to do ifWindows cannot install required fileserror appears during the setup.

If you found another way to solve this error or you have any other questions, feel free to share in the comments section below.

More about the topics:System Errors,windows 10 fix,Windows 11 Fix

Milan Stanojevic

Windows Toubleshooting Expert

Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.

Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.

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Milan Stanojevic

Windows Toubleshooting Expert

Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.