My Windows 8.1 installation won't recognise my new SSD. While my existing windows vista does recognise it.

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Hmm_peculiar

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I'm trying to install Windows 8.1 from a Dvd, but the ssd (SanDisk) doesn't show up in the list of drives. I'm assuming it's a software/driver issue as it does shop up in the bios and in my existing vista installation (which I can only start in safe mode). The disk is activated and formatted NTFS, it's also 'Active'. I should also say that I probably haven't tried obvious things, because I'm new at this.

What should I try?

Maybe it's not relevant, but my motherboard is a Rc-410 M2 Rev 2.1, the pc is a Acer aspire E500-8D7E, and I don't think my bios supports AHCI.
 
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popatim
I googled your motherbd and you have a chipset that does not have any driver support beyond vista. It does not appear that 8 or 10 have them built in either. I suspect the vista driver would work ok on 7 though and then you may be able to upgrade 7 to 8 or 10.
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popatim

popatim

Titan
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'Active' is the problem. Windows won't show the drive as being availble to install to because it thinks theres an OS there.
On the empty screen that asks you where you want to install too; click the 'Drive Options' link
Now you should see the SSD there. I would suggest you delete all the partitions on the drive so that its entirely 'unallocated' and then with it selected click Next and windows will partition & format the drive in the way that it likes best.
 
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Hmm_peculiar

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Thanks for the quick reply.

I already tried running the setup without the drive being active. It didn't show up that time either. I set it to Active myself afterward as a way of just trying anything. I will change it to inactive again with diskpart when I'm at my PC next weekend, as well as removing all the partitions (although I think I tried it with an unallocated drive already as well).

With "Drive Options", do you mean this link? (screenshot is not my system):
2440d1231630464-clean-install-windows-7-a-step7.jpg

I don't think that link was there on my system, it looked like this (again, screenshot not my system):
TEG-0072.jpg

I think the link is only there if there is a valid drive in the list, or if one is selected.
 
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Hmm_peculiar

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I successfully installed Vista on the SSD but it doesn't work as well as I'd hoped, so I'm trying to install Windows 10 now. The windows 10 installation also can't find a disk to install on.

The current Windows vista runs on the ssd, so I can't understand why the windows 10 installer can't find it.
 
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popatim

popatim

Titan
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Dec 2, 2009
38,905
980
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I googled your motherbd and you have a chipset that does not have any driver support beyond vista. It does not appear that 8 or 10 have them built in either. I suspect the vista driver would work ok on 7 though and then you may be able to upgrade 7 to 8 or 10.
 
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