Can't install windows 10 on laptop (new hard drive)

MattBeastblood

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Mar 25, 2013
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I just swapped in a bigger hard drive into a gateway nv55c laptop and although I followed the windows media creation tool instructions for creating a usb bootable disk rather than the ISO, nothing is working.

I go into the BIOS setup, the USB HDD is recognized and I did set it to boot first but when I do it just keeps saying no bootable device

There is now UEFI or legacy option.

This was originally a windows 7 PC but that shouldn't matter should it?

I don't know what to do here
 
Solution
I got it to work.

Before (what didn't work)-

5 TB HDD in AC powered enclosure USB 3.0, exFAT format before turning into Windows boot drive
Tried both windows media creation tool and Rufus
64 bit version only

What worked-
320 GB HDD in USB powered enclosure formatted to FAT32
Used windows media creation tool
Both 32 bit and 64 bit versions (it let me install 64 bit so the 32 bit part is probably irrelevant)

MattBeastblood

Honorable
Mar 25, 2013
59
0
10,640
I got it to work.

Before (what didn't work)-

5 TB HDD in AC powered enclosure USB 3.0, exFAT format before turning into Windows boot drive
Tried both windows media creation tool and Rufus
64 bit version only

What worked-
320 GB HDD in USB powered enclosure formatted to FAT32
Used windows media creation tool
Both 32 bit and 64 bit versions (it let me install 64 bit so the 32 bit part is probably irrelevant)
 
Solution

Hoffie_Naples

Prominent
Jun 26, 2017
2
0
510


 

Hoffie_Naples

Prominent
Jun 26, 2017
2
0
510
You need to go into the setup utility when you first start your computer. Different computers have different keys to do this like F2, F10, Esc, Del. It usually appears on the screen just before Windows boots. Once in the utility you can change the boot order so it looks first for you USB drive or CD/DVD drive. This should not matter since it is just an order. If it does not find an operating system on your hard drive, it will continue to look for the next drive in the order.
In the setup menu you can disable the secure boot setting, which is there to protect against malware from taking over your computer's booting. The newer EUFI bios may be keeping it from booting and that will fix that. You can also enable legacy BIOS, which is the older BIOS version used. This can be helpful with older systems.
But the most likely thing that will work is to reset your CMOS to the factory defaults. I had a hard drive crash and put in a new one. The computer would not recognize the USB or CD/DVD until I did this. You do this in the setup utility. There's usually a button that says restore default values. On my computer when you arrowed over to the exit menu choice, the screen showed a restore default values.
I then ran into another problem installing Windows 10 operating system. I came to a part where it said Windows can't be installed on Drive 0 Partition 1. Here's a link to a video on how to fix that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGoae8X9I5w
 

MattBeastblood

Honorable
Mar 25, 2013
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I was simply having an issue with the HDD I was using I think. Was using a 5 TB exFAT HDD at first, wouldn't work but a 320 GB FAT32 did. Not sure if it was the format or the shear size of the first drive that was the issue but the 320GB worked.

The 5 TB was brand new and had nothing on it so I was trying to do it with that but I should've just backed up the 320 and used that in the first place. Thought the 5 TB would be less work since it was totally empty but the opposite happened.

All is well now.