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Unable to install windows 10 to new SSD

2K views 52 replies 4 participants last post by  Dylan20002 
#1 ·
I'll try give the full, clear story so everything gets covered. I got a new ssd the other day (critical mx500 500gb ssd) for my amd gigabyte A320M-S2H motherboard. Since my old hdd is 512 sectors and the new ssd is 4096 sectors I was unable to clone the data from my hdd to my ssd, so I opted to simply reinstall windows 10 on the ssd and use the hdd as backup storage with my old files on it. I got the windows 10 install tool on a formatted USB and then unplugged my hdd and left my ssd where it was. Following a tutorial online, I selected the correct drive partition, waited for the install to finish and had my pc restart. At first it brought me to the start of the windows 10 install again, which I learned you had to unplug your USB when restarting to avoid this and have it boot from the ssd instead. But after doing that the second time it just brought me to a screen that says 'reboot and select proper boot device after installing new hard drive'. I heard that I needed to prioritize the ssd in the right order as coming first, but it's already listed as first when I took out the usb, and even if I leave it in and set the ssd as first and usb second it just goes to the beginning of the windows install process like before. I've also tried formatting the ssd in the partition menu and tried the repair option in the troubleshoot menu. I also tried switching the cables to my ssd in my pc just to be sure, but still no difference. I'm not a total expert with PCs so I'd really appreciate it to try and keep things simple with explanations if possible. And of course any help at all I'm grateful for. Any questions, feel free to ask away.
 
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#4 ·
No. Make the bootable usb using the media creation tool. If you have already done this, that is fine.
Have just the ssd drive connected to the first sata port. Some boards call this sata0 and some sata1.
Boot with the install usb. Delete ALL partitions on the drive during the install. Let setup partition and format as it sees necessary.
Note you do not have to change any boot order. Gigabyte boards have a quick boot menu that you access by hitting the F12 key during POST. Select your usb install as the boot drive and setup starts.
 
#6 ·
BTW an install goes much easier IF you have all of the drivers, utilities you normally use, etc all in one place. Here is a link to the support page for your board;
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-A320M-S2H-rev-1x/support#dl
Download the chipset, lan, sound, and any of the utilities ie charging app, etc. Place these on another flash drive, external, whatever. This way you have all your drivers, etc in one place AND the install goes much quicker.
 
#8 · (Edited)
In order from left to right is what I did. Thought pictures would make things easier. This is what's been happening and I'm hoping what I did is along the lines of what you described. If not let me know. Also you asked if my ssd is the the only drive plugged in to which it is since I unplugged my hdd.
 

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#9 ·
You can store files on the USB that you created the tool on. It doesn't affect it.

As to the problem itself... Check the boot order and make sure your drive is listed in it.

Also, in the Boot Menu (F12), if you used UEFI option to boot to the USB but your BIOS is set to use Legacy (or vice versa) then that would also cause this issue. To confirm, try changing the Boot Type to the other (so if it was on legacy, change to UEFI, or vice versa) and see if that helps.
 
#10 ·
I don't think its the boot order since crjdriver said: "Note you do not have to change any boot order. Gigabyte boards have a quick boot menu that you access by hitting the F12 key during POST." And I've tried changing the boot order in bios before but usually it only shows my ssd as first to which I can't change it to anything else and it just brings up the reboot and select proper boot device... screen when I try booting from it. If you just meant to check the boot order to see if the ssd shows up there then it is showing up. I'll include a few more pictures below to show what my bios looks like so you can see for yourself what it looks like.
 

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#11 ·
In the 'BIOS' section in the pic I sent of the bios menu, I just tried changing the 'storage boot option control' from 'legacy only' to 'UEFI only' and tried booting via 'UEFI: flash, partition 1' in the boot menu and went through the same process as shown above in the installation pictures, but the same thing happened. Idk if that's what you meant but I gave it a try at least. If I'm wrong let me know.
 
#12 ·
I have been offline for a while [fighting with the internet and the internet won]
Your install pictures show a legacy type install with the three partitions on the drive. When you install in uefi mode, your first boot device will be windows boot mgr.
Here is what I would do;
1 Set the bios to uefi mode or Auto [if used]
2 With only the ssd connected, boot the install usb
3 When the install windows appears, click on the repair your computer
4 I believe the next option is advanced then choose command prompt
5 When at the command prompt, type "diskpart" without quotes and hit enter
6 Type list disk
7 Note the number for your ssd. Type select disk 1 or whatever number was assigned
8 You should see disk 1 is the selected disk. Type clean and hit enter
9 When done, reboot and use the quick menu to select your usb install. Install windows

That was from memory so hopefully I did not miss a step.
 
#14 ·
Before I do that I should also mention I did change the disk to gtp at one point using that method above, after selecting clean and typing convert gtp when trying to fix a problem in the drive select. I don't know what the drive was originally. It could've been gtp or it could've been mgr or maybe I'm wrong all together. I don't know if this is important or not but let me know if you don't mind. I'll do what you asked in the meantime
 
#17 ·
Sorry for making things awkward but I went ahead and made a very short edited video on exactly what I did and compressed it to send here. Its just to make things less confusing and to show you exactly what I did. If I did anything wrong from what you said, would you be able to point out the time in the video and tell me exactly what to do to fix it. If its something that's not in the video then let me know also. If I did all of this correctly and theres more to do after, make sure to fill me in on that too. Sorry for the quality too, you should just about be able to make out what is being shown on screen at certain parts so it should all be viable enough hopefully. I'll be sure to get back to you tomorrow on it
 

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#20 ·
Again sorry about the quality and choppiness of the video, I had to do my best to condense it so it was short enough to upload here. For bios version it says F1.

Just on a side note, I've obviously had to turn off and reset my pc a ton while trying to fix this problem. Will this effect my pc in future or damage it because I remember hearing that turning a pc off instantly instead of letting it boot down normally is bad for its health. I'm starting to cringe everytime I hit the power button because I feel like I'm shortening my pc's life span. It's late again so I'll get back to you tomorrow
 
#21 ·
You might try updating your bios to something like F31 or similar. IF you decide to do this task, be sure you read and fully understand the flashing procedure. While a bios flash is not difficult, an incorrect flash can render your board unbootable ie junk.
The only way I ever update a bios on a gigabyte board is by using QFlash which is build into the bios. IMO using a windows based flashing program is just adding an extra layer of complexity to the task.
 
#26 ·
I just had a quick look online and saw that updating the bios isn't actually necessary to get your ssd working. If I'm wrong could you explain how updating the bios could potentially fix the problem. It's just that updating the bios is literally my last resort given how risky it can be if something goes wrong and I haven't the money currently to afford a new motherboard. Is there anything else you could suggest I try doing or is updating the bios the only option?
 
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