Windows 10 Having problems installing Windows.

MikeHawthorne

Essential Member
Microsoft Community Contributor
Hi

I got a new computer and I'm giving my old one to my nephew.
I cleaned it all out formatted the drives and reinstalled Windows 10 pro.

The problem is first I had a lot of problems getting the install to run.
When I get to the point where I select the drive to install it on I get the message...

Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition Table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks.

I eventually got past this but now it's back again.

Second once I got past this and installed Windows there was no problem until Windows loaded, everything looked great, until I tried to install the video drivers.
The second that I did that the Edge Window shrank to the task bar and wouldn't expand again. I found that I could open software but it only appeared on the task bar, none of the Windows would expand.

I rebooted and it booted to a black screen with a working cursor.

I went through this 4 times trying to find some way to get the Nvidia drivers installed, because I though that the video drives were the problem.

Just now I managed to get by the first problem again, I have no idea what I did other then try over and over until it worked.

But right now it's installing Windows again.

Anyone have any idea what I an do at the point that Windows installs? I've looked for a way to get into safe mode so that it won't try and switch to my video card before I'm ready but I can't find any option to do it.

I've gone through the whole repair your computer, advance, thing and find no option to get into safe mode.

Any ideas appreciated. If someone can tell my what I change in the bios to get it to stop doing the can use this disk thing that would help.

Mike

PS, I would have asked this yesterday but every time I tried to post here, it opened a window with no place to write in a title or post.
I've had this before and when I logged in this morning it was back to normal.
 
Make sure the system is not on legacy boot and also build the USB drive with rufus as a UEFI partition scheme then format the drive and re-install.
 
Hi

I have a Asus mother board with the graphic interface in the bios, I can't find where I determine if it's in legacy boot or not.
Do you have any idea how I find that?

I'm building another USB drive right now using the Microsoft Media Creation tool, I didn't see any options as to how it is set up?

Thanks for the help.

Mike

The computer is going through the Windows install process again, I'm not sure why it bypasses the can't install to this drive sometimes and sometimes not. It's like if I do it 8 times it will let my go through.

It's not installing from my USB stick it's still doing it from the DVD that I made originally.

It appears that it's going to complete again. it's in the last stages of installing.

I'm at the HI screen, this will bring my back to the problem with it not expanding software to the desktop, or letting me change the video resolution.

Ok it's at the Start Windows with Edge open.

Now I don't have a clue what to do.
 
Hi

I'm back again, here's where I'm at, Windows is installed, I can open the start menu, I can open software.
The opened software appears on the task bar.

If I put the cursor over the icon for the software I can see the thumbnail of the program window.

But is will not open in the main window and the computer is still running from the mother board drivers.

Since I can't do anything I can't figure out how to install the video drives and I'm pretty sure that if I reboot it will boot back into a black screen with a active cursor.

At least that's what has happened every other time I've gone through this.

Mike
 
You'd need to do it with Rufus.

As far as the boot up I couldn't tell you where it is in your BIOS since they all vary quite a bit. I'd look for boot up or under security. It may be called Legacy or hybrid CSM.
 
I'll go to the Asus site and see if I can find instructions.
Any Idea what I do when I get where I am now and no programs will display.

Every thing seems to work as far as the interface goes and I'm guessing that if I could install the Nvidia drivers it would probably fix this but I don't know any way to do it.

And I'm going to download Rufus, I've never used it.
 
Hi

Well I seem to have gotten around that problem, but I've installed Windows 5 times and I get a working Windows with edge open until I start trying to do something, and then edge minimizes to the task bar as does anything else I open.

If I reboot then it reboots to a black screen with a active cursor but it won't load the Windows interface.

Right now I'm trying to see if I can move my Windows install from my new computer by making a backup and restoring it to my old computer.
It is doing it but I don't know if it will boot when I get done.

I did check and found that the video drivers are compatible between my video cards both Nvidia.
I'm not sure what else could cause problems.

At least the backup software didn't throw up any red flags.

Mike
 
Is this a restore from a drive image? Have you tried just a clean install, or boot into safe mode and see if things work. The black screen/cursor sounds like a driver issue.
 
Hi

Yes I've done 5 clean installs, the same result every time, I think the issue it the Video driver.

The Windows Desktop seems normal until you try and do anything that prompts it to change from the on-board video, then it stops showing stuff on the desktop and only loads things to the task bar.

It's sitting right now at the Desktop, I can reboot, the cursor works but I can't do anything that would allow me to update the driver.

Any program I open shows on the task bar, if I mouse over I can see the popup that shows a small version of the page, but it won't open up on the screen so I can interact with it.

I was trying to find the video driver in .inf format so I could add it to a repair disk but I can only find the Nvidia drivers as .exe files.

Right now I have a program from EaseUS that is supposed to move your OS from one computer to another.
I'm going to try that, I've already checked and both the old Nvidia cards and the new 2080 card use the same driver so the driver should be compatible.

The program will let you add drivers but as I said I can't find the drivers in .inf format so I'm going to go ahead and do it with the same drivers that's in my new computer.

Mike
 
Hi

Here's where I'm at, I have Windows installed, the keyboard works, the mouse works, I can open the Start Menu, right click works, if I right click on the desktop I get the normal options including Nvidia Control Panel.

All the software that I click on opens in the Task Bar. If I mouse over them I can see the thumbnails of the open page.
I can even click on Next Desktop Background and the background changes, I can open Agent Ransack and the page opens on the desktop.
So far that's the only thing I've found that opens.

I got here by moving my Windows install from my new PC to the old one.

The only thing I have left to try is setting my new PC to 1920 by 1080 and making a new backup and seeing if I move it over set to the correct resolution will work. My new monitor is 3440 by 1440.

I'm not sure that that will work because while its better I had basically the same thing when I just installed.
However I don't find anything that doesn't work now except that it won't open software on the screen only to the task bar.

In fact it just did a Windows Update, shutdown opened back up all on it's own and it's still the same.

Mike
 
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