Can't find any drives during Windows installation
Jul 26, 2025 am 02:14 AMWhen encountering the problem of "The hard disk cannot be found during Windows installation", first, check whether the hard disk is correctly recognized, enter the BIOS/UEFI settings to confirm whether the hard disk exists. If it does not show, it may be a SATA or M.2 connection problem; secondly, make sure that the boot mode (Legacy or UEFI) matches the installation media, and turn off Secure Boot. 1. If using NVMe solid state or RAID configuration, the motherboard storage driver may need to be loaded manually. 2. The hard disk partition format must be consistent with the installation method. UEFI requires GPT, Legacy requires MBR, and if it does not match, it needs to be adjusted with DiskPart or Rufus. 3. If the hard disk is not initialized or the partition is damaged, you can create a new partition or execute the diskpart command to make it online during the installation process. Most cases can be solved by checking BIOS settings, loading drivers, or adjusting partition format.
It is indeed a headache to encounter the problem of "the hard drive cannot be found during Windows installation". The most common cause is not hardware failure, but setting up or identifying problems. As long as you clarify a few key points, it can be solved in most cases.

1. Check whether the hard disk is correctly identified (BIOS/UEFI settings)
Before installing Windows, first enter the BIOS or UEFI interface to see if the system recognizes your hard disk. The operation method is usually to press the Del, F2, F10 or Esc keys when powered on. The specific one depends on the motherboard brand.

- If the hard disk does not display, it may be a connection problem, such as the SATA cable is loose, or the M.2 is not plugged firmly
- If there is a display but cannot be selected as the installation disk, you may need to switch the startup mode:
- Legacy (legacy BIOS) and UEFI modes must match the format of the installation media (such as whether the USB flash drive is a GPT partition)
- Turning off Secure Boot can sometimes solve the problem
2. Load the hard disk controller driver with the correct driver
Some motherboards (especially NVMe SSD or RAID configurations) require manual loading of the driver to recognize the hard disk when installing Windows.
- Click "Load Driver" on the installation interface and insert the USB drive with the driver
- Find the storage driver for the corresponding motherboard chipset (usually download "Storage Driver" or "RST Driver" on the motherboard official website)
- Note: If it is a dual hard disk (such as an NVMe and a small capacity cache disk), sometimes it is OK if it is only loaded with the main disk drive.
This situation often occurs when a new motherboard is installed with an old version of Windows. For example, if you install Win10 21H2 on a Z790 motherboard, you need to manually load the driver.

3. The hard disk partition format does not match the installation method
Windows installation requires the partition table format (MBR/GPT) of the hard disk. If it is inconsistent, the hard disk will not be visible:
- If it is UEFI booting, the installation disk must be in GPT partition format, and the hard disk must also be in GPT.
- If Legacy is booted, both the installation disk and the hard disk should be in MBR format
If the current hard disk is already GPT but you are booting in Legacy mode, the Windows Installer will not display the hard disk.
you can:
- Use the DiskPart tool to clear the hard disk and convert the format (note: data will be lost)
- Or use Rufus to select the correct partitioning plan when installing USB disks
4. There is a problem with the hard disk itself or is not initialized
Some hard disks are factory-uninitialized, or the previous partition is damaged, causing the Windows Installer to be unable to read.
- You can try using Disk Management or DiskPart to see if it is "Unallocated" status
- If so, you can create a new partition during the installation process and continue the installation
- If the hard disk appears as Offline or Read-only, try running the command prompt with administrator permissions to execute the following command:
-
diskpart
-
list disk
-
select disk X
(X is the target hard disk number) -
online disk
-
clean
-
Basically these common situations. Most of the time, you just need to check the BIOS settings, load the driver or adjust the partition format. Don't rush to change the hard drive, start with these details.
The above is the detailed content of Can't find any drives during Windows installation. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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