Super stuck - Installing Win 8 on a SSD

tolove

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May 11, 2013
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Ok, I've spent some time on this and I've run out of things to try.

System: Lenovo Y400, win8
Goal: To install Windows 8 on a Crucial 64GB SSD Drive.

Here's the basic step by step run down and where I'm finding my problem:

> Created Windows 8 Recovery Bootable DVDs from inside win8
> Updated SSD drivers, format it to blank NTFS, run checks to see if it's healthy (in both linux and Disk Management inside win8).
> Unplugged the HDD to reduce chance of Windows installing in the wrong place.
> Booted the Windows Repair Disc
> Ran the Clean command in the cmd prompt
> Click on Advanced Settings, System Image Recovery,
> And here's where my problem occurs. When it tries to format, it gives a generic restore failed error. It can't find a partitioned drive or that it can't format the disk.

Aaand, I'm pretty much out of options. I think my only next idea is to call and beg Lenovo support for an actual product service key and Windows 8 disk. Maybe that will work, but that will take a week or so.

Anyone out there have an idea for me to try? Thank you very much for reading!

 

tolove

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May 11, 2013
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How do I do this? My current windows size is over 32GB, and that was from a fresh "reset." When I go to Restore Image in the boot disc, or reset windows, it only gives me options to exclude hard drive, and will always reinstall back onto the larger partition.

edit: Spent a few hours deleting bloatware, removed pagefile.sys and the hibernate file. Have it below 30. Will post again to let you know if this works or not. Thanks for the advise!
 

As long as the C partition will fit on your SSD and your Windows is within that limit you'll be fine. Where are you creating your System Image? I used Windows 7 File Recovery,(Type 'Recovery' at your Start Screen and choose it from Settings) and created a Repair device separately on a USB Flash drive (Only req about 250Mb)
Boot from the Repair Device with just the SSD installed
Choose Keyboard
'No' to Reset PC
Advanced Options
System Image Recovery
Insert System Image Disks
Rest should proceed automatically. (I used an External USB drive for the System Image)
Note. If you set your C partition to less than the SSD size, you will probably have some 'unallocated space' to expand into. It would probably work if you set C to exactly the same as the SSD, but I knew 'less' would definitely work...

 
To re-size 'C'
Open EaseUS Main Page and click on 'C'
Choose Resize from Top Toolbar
Simply slide the ball on the right of the drive to reduce size to less than your SSD, choose 'Apply' and EaseUs will perform the operation on reboot as it can't be achieved with Windows running...
bde0369d65d345ec96d4cc4.png
 

tolove

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May 11, 2013
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Alright, I have been doing exactly this, and I have shrunk down the windows partition to 25GB, SSD is 32GB. Ran Clean, restarted. I used DVDs as medium. It still isn't working.

"No disk that can be used for recovering the system disk can be found."

The SSD is showing up in cmd prompt, though.

Any ideas?
 
Don't understand why it can't find the disk in the drive, had it been the Recovery disk not being recognised you could suspect the UEFI. I'll try to replicate the situation tomorrow using DVDs instead of a USB drive, see what comes up. I assume that your Recovery disk is functioning to the extent that you can get to the point where you choose 'System Image Recovery'.
It was at this point I plugged in the USB drive containing the System Image, when it said the Recovery media could not be found. i.e. I had only the SSD and the Recovery drive installed initially...
 

tolove

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Yeah, I can get to the point where it asks me to insert image disc, then as soon as it tries to begin, it looks for the SSD and can't find it. I just "image restored" with those DVDs on the HDD, and it loaded up perfectly. So I know the discs work.

Really out of ideas.. Not sure what else to try. Maybe call Lenovo and try to get them to give me a windows 8 activation key, then call Microsoft and tell them the key to get an actual OEM install disc. That will take weeks though, but it's pretty much my last hope if I insist on using the SSD.
 

Ah, I picked you up wrong, I thought you meant the System Image disk couldn't be found! Not that I can explain why the SSD can't be seen.... Perhaps check your BIOS to make sure it is enabled. You should be able to get the Key using Belarc Advisor, but you would still need an OEM install disk, and that would need to come from Lenovo.
 

tolove

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May 11, 2013
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With an activation key, I can get a full Windows 8 install disk through microsoft support, I think. It might cost something, or I think it's just a download burn my own. With that, maybe it will recognize the drive or whatever the problem is.

The BIOS is fully updated, enabled, and the SSD is functioning. I can store files to it right now, and it passes healthy tests. It's just.. not wanting to be installed on.

What I think I'm going to do now is just leave my partition with Windows on it under 30GB, then save my files to different partitions like always. Then maybe in a few months when I've got the hair back on my chin I'll try it again.
 
Not sure of the setup in the Lenovo, is it a standard 2.5" SSD in a 2nd HDD bay? If not, and it's not on the SATA controller, then my advice would be to replace the 2.5" HDD with an SSD so that you only have the SSD and your Recovery disk in place initially. Time I looked at your Manual...
I assumed that, like some 17" HP laptops, you had two 2.5" Drive bays.
 
OK. From your manual I see you have a 'Removable HDD Bay'. If that is were you're trying to install your System Image to, Windows only see's it as an external drive. If it's a 2.5" caddy and you can slip your HDD in there for storage, do so after you've installed your System Image to your SSD whilst in the main Drive Bay...
 

tolove

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May 11, 2013
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I put this guide on the Lenovo forums. I just remembered that I posted here as well, so I'll update this for anyone else who happens to come along. This is the solution I found:

Installing Windows 8 onto a Crucial SSD inside a Lenovo Y400

WARNING:

This is a very tricky and frustrating process if you do not do it properly. I am posting here because this is a top google search, and I could not find any other adequate information elsewhere during my own struggle.

Things you need to understand:

The Lenovo Y400 is going to come pre-installed with around 100GB of bloatware. The bloatware is installed in your default Windows 8 installation, and backups of the bloatware exist in separate partitions. All this bloatware makes it impossible to have a simple transfer of data onto a SSD less than 256GB in size. Deleting it is time consuming, but once you delete it all, you can make an image of your OS and never have to deal with it again.

Something else:

You do not own a copy of Windows 8. This makes reinstalling Windows onto a new drive rather tricky. You will not have the normal options of creating a partition table when you boot up from your self-made disc.



I am not going to provide detailed steps, but general guidelines for you to figure out on your own. This is a time consuming process, and I do not advise it for anyone without patience or knowledge of computers.

Let's begin:

You must create a Bootable Repair Disk along with a System Image. A DVD is easiest for the boot disk, USB drives are possible. A large thumb drive or external hard drive is easiest for the system image. I highly advise against creating a series of disks for your system image. The Repair Disk is independent of the files on your hard drive. The system image is a copy of everything you have. Create this before doing anything that will risk compromising your laptop. They will reinstall everything from scratch. To create them, start up Windows 8, press Windows Key + C and search for "Windows 7 File Recovery." Your options are in there. Yes, Windows 7 is not a type-o. This was a pain to find.

Windows 8 will refuse to install on your SSD drive through normal means. Other guides that advise removing your HDD before trying to install on your SSD did not work for me. It will give errors complaining about locked drives or missing partitions. If you attempt to partition your SSD manually, and then make a mistake, your laptop will refuse to boot until the SSD is removed. The SSD is not broken, and can be cleaned if plugged into another computer. I did this, and fixed it by purchasing an adapter off amazon ($5) that allows you to plug the mSATA SSD into an ordinary SATA desktop.

The only option I found that would work is the Disk Clone option in EaseUS Todo Backup. There is a free trial for this program available from their website. Before cloning, you must delete and resize your large 1TB HDD down to a size less than your SSD. This includes all those bloatware partitions. There are only two partitions that are required: The main Windows8_OS partition and the SYSTEM_DRV (EFI System Partition) partition. Important clarification: The large 1TB hard drive must have paritions with a cumulative value less than your SSD. The rest of your large HDD must be unpartitioned space.

Good luck! It's worth it in the end. Hopefully you wont make as many mistakes as I did.

EDIT: Going to add some more bits of information:

* Do not bother calling technical support for either Lenovo or Microsoft. You will be told to contact whoever you didn't call, be transferred back and forth to "advanced technical help," told you need to purchase a retail version of Windows 8, and other useless things.
* Be very careful opening your Lenovo Y400 for the first time. It sticks shut and you can break the casing or bend parts inside the computer. After the first time you take it apart, it opens rather easily.
* There's a guide floating around out there for the Y500. It's not actually for the Y500. It's for a Y580 or something, the older Lenovo model. It did not help me. If you decide to follow it, be aware of the model number. It wont hurt anything, but it will waste your time.
* On an unrelated note, I highly advise you install the program Core Temp. It's a freeware program that shows your CPU temperature. As with all gaming laptops, they run very hot when playing newer games. A temperature above 72 C will shorten the life of your laptop. The Lenovo Y400 will run newer games on high setting with dynamic shadows, but it will also go up to 90 C.