SSD not accepted as startup disk.

Nicolay Setre · Jan 22, 2014

If i where to write down everything that i'v tried, done and gotten nowhere with this would have been the 2nd Bible. So, just gonna stick with explaning the problem.

Hardware:

Case: NZXT Phantom 410
Case cooling: 3x 120mm Cooler Master blue led intake fans.
1x 120mm Cooler Master blue led exhaust fan.
2x 140mm Cooler Master blue led exhaust fans.

CPU: AMD FX 8350 8-core 4.6Ghz oc (4.0Ghz stock).
CPU cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Mobo: Asus M5A97 R2.0

GPU: Asus Geforce GTX 650 Ti 2gb

RAM: Corsair XMS3 8gb (2x 4gb)

PSU: Corsair CX600M 80+ Bronze

HDD: Kingston KC300 120gb SSD

OS: Microsoft Windows 8 Enterprise 64bit

I bought a new Kingston KC300 120gb OEM SDD disk about a week ago. Got home and installed the disk and made sure that the pc detected it. Started the OS installation and before installing, formated my old HDD (stupid me), seing as people said that it was recommended to format and do a clean OS install on the SSD instead of cloning the old drive.

Only to get a message that i can't install an OS on the SSD because my hardware might not let that disk be a startup disk. And told me to check the BIOS settings. (the OS install file is flashed to a portable USB. Recently used it on multiple pc's, both desktop and laptops before without problems, so know that its not the USB).

Now i'v been trough every setting there is in the BIOS, and still get the same message.
Then tried another USB with Windows 7 instead. Got pretty much the same message, only this time it also said that the target for the OS installation had to be to a partition that was formated as NTFS.
Now i'v checked it about 300 times, and the SSD is NTFS (doesn't even let me format it to anything other than that).

Then i tried to install using a Windows 7 home premium 64bit CD, same thing happens.

Anyone got a clue about whats causing this, and hopefully a solution to it? Have quite alot of experience with hardware, and with building pc's. So know that the components are okey (have been tested), and that everything is wired properly.
But this is the first time i'v encountered a problem like this one, and so far haven't been able to find any kind of proper solution to it other places online.

Alec Mowat · Jan 22, 2014

Did you try removing any other drives, so only the SSD is attached?

Nicolay Setre · Jan 22, 2014

Alec Mowat :

Yes, same result.

Alec Mowat · Jan 22, 2014

Is the drive set in BIOS to SATA, IDE or RAID?

Nicolay Setre · Jan 22, 2014

Alec Mowat :

Its set to IDE by default on all ports. Can seperatly change port 1-4 and 5-6.

Alec Mowat · Jan 22, 2014

No

Set it to SATA.

nitrium · Jan 22, 2014

Nicolay Setre :

Helpful would be the EXACT wording of the message (i.e. write it down word for word what it says). With that in hand (you) or someone else can Google the forums and give you some definitive help - you won't be the first to ever see it. I have myself never encountered anything like this in 20+ years of Windows so am curious about it.

Alec Mowat · Jan 22, 2014

Port 1 -4 are the RAID controller, 5-6 are a seperate SATA controller.
If you have it set to IDE, it might be looking for a RAID, which is why it's failing. IDE is the old ribbon style drives.
Set everything to SATA (if it's an option).

Nicolay Setre · Jan 22, 2014

nitrium :

"Windows can not be installed on this disk. Your computer hardware may not support boot this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the BIOS menu of your computer."

Nicolay Setre · Jan 22, 2014

Alec Mowat :

No, SATA is not an option.
IDE, RAID and AHCI. Have tried all 3, same message.

Alec Mowat · Jan 22, 2014

Use AHCI

make sure Secure Boot is set to "Other OS". Or try toggling that.

If not, try connecting the HD to one of the two top ports, 5-6.

I swear I had this problem before. I think I ended up formatting the disk with Ubuntu, because Windows secured the disk.

Nicolay Setre · Jan 22, 2014

Alec Mowat :

I'll give that a try when i get up. Got my examination in 5 hours, so have to hit the sack. I'll post a reply about the result a.s.a.p.

Nicolay Setre · Jan 22, 2014

Alec Mowat :

AHCI and Other OS didn't work.

Then changed to port 5, and tried installing again. It now made me all the hidden partitsions that normally occur on an OS disk. But also said that it wouldn't suggest to continue with the installation because the system probebly wouldn't be able to boot up, due to the disk being a GPT-disk.

Someone Somewhere · Jan 22, 2014

Ah - that 'GPT' is exactly the bit we needed. Delete all the partitions, then create a new one.

nitrium · Jan 22, 2014

Nicolay Setre :

While I have never seen that, I suspect you might need to delete all existing data on the drive using the DISKPART command before it will accept a Win7 install. Can't really imagine how it got to be in that state tho (was it a new drive?).
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/52129-disk-clean-clean-all-diskpart-command.html

Someone Somewhere · Jan 22, 2014

By the sound of it, he's booting the DVD in legacy mode, but the disk is GPT. Which should work fine, except microsoft.

Alec Mowat · Jan 22, 2014

If you have another Windows Computer you can format it back to MBR in the Disk Manager.

Plug it into the computer, go to Disk Management
Right click on the disk and click "convert to MBR"

You can do this through DISKPART as well in the command line recovery tools.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/26203-convert-gpt-disk-mbr-disk.html
(Option 2)

Nicolay Setre · Jan 23, 2014

After converting the disk to MBR, i got this message:

"Windows can not be installed on this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks."

Alec Mowat · Jan 23, 2014

Did you format with disk part of on another windows machine?

nitrium · Jan 23, 2014

Nicolay Setre :

Good grief what a mess! Try disabling EFI (temporarily). Enter BIOS. Select storage/boot order, and disable EFI boot sources. You can reenable it again after installation (assuming that works).

Nicolay Setre · Jan 23, 2014

Alec Mowat :

Yes, i inserted another HDD that already had Win8 on it. Converted the disk to MBR, tried to install the OS trough a UEFI boot and a non UEFI boot, both attempts game me the message about the OS disk is required to be GPT for the pc to accept it as an OS drive.
Converted it back to GPT and tried both with and without UEFI, same result again.

The only differense / progress that has been made since i first posted this is that in the beginning it wouldn't even allow me to press "next" to initiate the installation. Now it allowes me to install the OS itself, but its still not bootable.

Alec Mowat · Jan 23, 2014

You can fix the boot sector if you can install windows

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/win7-windows-7-mbr,10036.html

SSD not accepted as startup disk.

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