Windows 10: Windows 10 reinstallation fails - Media on USB drive does not boot

Folks,

I need to replace my failing (but still functioning) Hard Drive on my Dell XPS 8300 Desktop. The operating system is Windows 10.

My plan has been to buy a brand new hard drive (DONE), install a fresh bootable Windows 10 operating system on it while connected via USB, swap the old and the new drives, and then reinstall all other applications on the new drive one by one, and finally copy the data back on. No rush, but should work.

I bought the new drive, connected it to the computer via USB (using a USB 2.0 to SATA/IDE device made by SIIG), then from (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10) downloaded the Media Creation tool (MediaCreationTool.exe), ran it from the desktop, created the ESD-USB file structure on the new hard drive, and restarted the computer.

When restarting the computer, I went into the setup (F2) to change the boot order:

• First time, I placed the ‘USB Hard drive’ ahead of the Main hard drive. The Main hard drive booted ignoring the ‘USB’ Hard drive.
• Second time, I tried again by fully disabling the main Hard drive, but with that setting, the computer didn’t start at all and I got the following message:

‘Reboot and Select proper Boot device
Or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key’

So why am I failing to boot from the external hard drive?

Is my strategy of directly installing the new Windows 10 on the external Hard drive wrong?

The Microsoft support site’s instruction is to use a ‘USB flash drive or DVD.’ But instead of the USB flash drive, I used the actual Hard Drive that I intend to install Windows 10 on. Is that wrong? And why? I did so on the understanding that the instruction to use a flash drive or DVD is so as to install the operating system on a different PC. In my case I want to install on the existing PC but on a new drive.

One way of course would be to follow the Microsoft instruction create the new installation media on the flash drive or DVD, swap the drives and boot from the flash drive or DVD. But why would the Windows Creation media boot from the flash drive or DVD but not from the USB Hard drive?

Another reason for wanting to install Windows directly on the external Hard Drive is to have access to all my application at all times.

Help please.

:)

 

Windows media creation tool error 0x80004005 - 0xa001a

Hi, Since the Fall update I have had nothing but problems with a bootable USB drive. Windows media creation tool returns an error 0x80004005 - 0xa001a, which the internet seems oblivious too and the windows 7 USB/DVD download tool creates a drive which is
none bootable.

I spoke to microsoft who advised me to download the windows 10 ISO and use the windows 7 USB/DVD download tool to create the media but it failed to boot.

I searched online for solutions as to why windows 7 USB/DVD download tool would not create a bootable USB drive from a windows 7 ISO and I was given directions to use Diskpart. This also failed.

So does anyone have any solutions to fix the 0x80004005 - 0xa001a error with the media creation tool.

I also tried both windows 7 and windows 10 USB Drive in 2 systems and neither would boot the windows install program.

Thanks Baz

 

Unable to access Windows installion after booting from CD

It's trying to boot the hard drive and not the media.

Boot media by powering up the PC while pressing the
BIOS Boot Menu Key, choose UEFI version of media if offered, then Custom install.

If this does not transpire, then at what step does it fail.

Test the media by trying it in another PC. If it fails there too then create another using

Media Creation Tool.

If flash media, try DVD.

As Andre suggested, reset BIOS or UEFI to defaults, save and exit. Then go back to check SATA controller is set to AHCI, Hard drive is set first to boot (for a Legacy BIOS) or Windows Boot Manager for UEFI.

Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes.

 

I would approach the problem a different way. While your current HDD is still working, why not make a system image including any data partitions to an external HDD? Then you could swap out the failing drive, put the new one in and restore the image to it. You'd end up with the same system with all your apps and files, but running on a new drive.

If you don't have a CD/DVD drive you'd need to make a USB Recovery Drive (no need to include system files) and boot from that to perform the restore. If you do have a CD/DVD drive you are offered the chance to make a restore boot disk at the end of making a system image.

*Arrow Create System Image in Windows 10

*Arrow Create Recovery Drive in Windows 10

 

Use the media creation tool to download ISO to your working windows installation. Format your external HDD NTFS. Mount your ISO, and open command as admin. Run this command changing paths as necessary. Now reboot, and select external to boot from. Code: Dism /apply-image /imagefile:N:\Sources\install.wim /index:1 /ApplyDir:E:\[/quote] Make sure you install the correct image, as MS has several images in one install.wim. You can check which number corresponds to the version you wish to install by running this command after mounting the ISO. Code: dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:N:\sources\install.wim[/quote] Again you will want to change the path letter to correspond to the drive of your mounted ISO.

 

Make sure you install the correct image, as MS has several images in one install.wim. You can check which number corresponds to the version you wish to install by running this command after mounting the ISO. Code: dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:N:\sources\install.wim[/quote] Again you will want to change the path letter to correspond to the drive of your mounted ISO.[/quote] You have the right idea but your instruction will not work. The command above does what Windows installation would do ie. extract the content of install.wim to the root folder of the destination drive. However, You also need to create additional partition for bootmgr (System Reserved for MBR type installation or EFI System/Recovery/MSR for GPT).

OR:
run bcdboot E:\Windows which uses the current Bootmgr to dual boot. (assuming E: is the destination drive you unzip install.wim to)

@GeorgeCOR
Yes, you can install Windows from the HD. Create a small partition (8GB) on the HD, format as FAT32, set active then extract the content of the ISO to it.

 

Thank you. I completely forgot that part. EasyBCD works really well for this.

 

Easy BCD would work ie. create a BCD in C: Drive (without System Reserved). However, Easy BCD only works with MBR type installation, does not support UEFI)

 

This is from the neosmart.net site.

Code: https://neosmart.net/wiki/easybcd/uefi/[/quote]

 

@flybynite
For UEFI. It is better to use:
Manage EFI/UEFI boot options & Manage EFI System Partitions & Fix EFI/UEFI boot issues the easy way!

 

Well you would know better than I since my MB is MBR only.

 

Boot order does not matter if new drive is blank as pc will boot from a usb drive automatically as searches in boot order until it finds an OS.

 

@GeorgeCOR ,

I would very highly recommend that you install Windows 10 the way the Microsoft intended it to be installed. Use the Media Creation Tool to create a USB flash drive for Windows 10 installation. Install the new HDD in the computer (and it's best if that is the only drive installed, besides DVD/CDROMs). Boot the computer from the USB flash drive created with the Media Creation Tool and just install Windows 10 to the new HDD installed in the computer.

Clean Install Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

Then once you have Windows 10 installed on the new drive, you can connect the old HDD either internally in the computer, or via the USB adapter you have to copy files over.

Sure, you can use different commands to do a completely custom, manual install. But Microsoft has provided an easy way for you to do it that ensures the install meets their requirements for future upgrades.

 

Thank you all for your various comments and suggestions. Please accept my apology for failing to acknowledge your responses before.
I am following up on your various suggestions, and will re-post when I am either stuck or have succeeded in my task. This may take a few more days.
gc

 

Hi @Bree, I understand the appeal of your approach, but was reluctant to follow it as I feared that I would be copying applications that might have become corrupted as a result of my failing HDD. At the end the failing HDD actually failed, and that option was by then gone.

@topgundcp
I tried this but for reasons that still puzzle me, it failed. As best as I can describe it, the BIOS on the machine failed to "see" the new HDD connected to it using the SIIG USB 2.0 to SATA/IDE connector.

Thank you @NavyLCDR. I tried all other suggestions, and failed then went back to the "the way the Microsoft intended it to be installed" and things went smoothly. I do have some issues with the new installation but these are outside the scope of this thread.