Windows 10: Win 10 Clean install problem

Lets try this,
boot from the USB. Your first window is Choose your language, Don't choose the language, hold down shift and press F10. You will get a command prompt, it will say X: sources. Type these commands and press enter after each one and wait for a response

Code: diskpart wait for the window to reply 'diskpart' List Disk Select Disk 0 - Select the number assigned to your SSD not the USB. You can tell by the size but it should be Disk 0 (number not letter) clean wait for it to finish, it will tell you exit will put you back to X: sources exit Will put you back to select your language.[/quote] Continue as usual and try again. See if that helps

 

I did what you suggested. I'll report back in a few minutes. I'm at the 'Getting files ready for installation phase.' I did it on the 'unallocated' space, but I didn't get the message that Windows was creating additional partitions like I have in the successful installations I did in the past.

 

If you press 'New' before install, you will see what partitions it creates before you start the install.

 

It didn't work..........

 

OK, just hang on for a few.

 

When I pressed new in one of my attempts it only creates Drive 0 Partition 1, it didn't create that additional smaller system reserved partition.

 

Will do and thanks for the patience and help!

 

I'm just not sure where to go next. I have asked @NavyLCDR to come help. He is excellent at this.

 

Thanks! I'll check back in the morning.

 

The full system specs with the exact make and model of the laptop would help. Also what OS did the laptop come from the factory with? I suspect you are booting the USB flash drive in legacy BIOS (CSM) mode, which causes it to install to the SSD as MBR partitioned without the EFI System Partition and then when you reboot the computer without the USB flash drive inserted, it is trying to boot the SSD in UEFI mode and can't find the required EFI system files to do so.

 

It is a Dell XPS L702X. It came with Win 7 Home, was running Win 10 with a spindle drive, the drive was making noise so I replaced it with an SSD drive.

Core i7 2670 QM @ 2.20 Ghz with 8 GB RAM.

 

I got it to work, with the help of a good friend. He suggested I install Win 7. It created the 100MB partition for the MBR. Then I formatted C: left the 100MB partition created by Win 7, and Installed Win 10. It works like a champ

 

Glad it worked for you. That's weird that Windows 10 setup did not create the same partition.

 

Glad it worked for you. That's one I have never seen before. Congrats.

 

I might be wrong but I think it has to do with what windows version one uses OEM compare to retail. I have 2 Dell PCs and I know Dell is funny that way . That windows 7 you used was it originally for Dell ?