Thanks — good detail. Short answer: this is almost always either a leftover partition/partition‑table problem (Windows dislikes how GParted/EaseUS left the disk), a storage‑mode/driver mismatch (RAID/IRST vs AHCI or missing NVMe driver), or failing/locked hardware. The quickest reliable fix is to wipe the disk from the Windows installer with diskpart (so Windows creates the correct GPT/EFI layout) and confirm firmware settings first. Below I give a safe, ordered checklist you can follow and what to report back if it still fails.
What to check first (quick):
- Is the drive internal (M.2 NVMe or SATA) or an external SD/USB? (You said internal laptop drive, confirm NVMe vs SATA.)
- Post the exact installer error text (copy it or take a photo). That message matters.
- If you have another internal/data drive attached, disconnect it while installing (prevents confusion and leftover boot entries).
Recommended step‑by‑step (do this from the Windows 11 USB installer)
1) Boot the installer and open a Command Prompt (Shift + F10). Then run diskpart and do this (replace X with the target disk number shown by list disk):
- diskpart
- list disk
- select disk X
- clean
- convert gpt
- create partition efi size=100
- format quick fs=fat32 label=System
- create partition msr size=16
- create partition primary
- format quick fs=ntfs label=Windows
- assign letter=C
- exit
This forces a clean GPT + correct EFI and MSR partitions so Windows Setup can install. Many successful fixes use this exact flow. n → select the NTFS partition you created (or simply select the unallocated space after running clean/convert and click New so Setup builds partitions automatically). This avoids Linux/GParted-created metadata that Setup dislikes.
3) Check BIOS/UEFI settings (power off, eBoot mode = UEFI (not Legacy/CSM).
- Storage mode = AHCI (not RAID/Intel RST). If the laptop is set to RAID/IRST, either switch to AHCI or load the OEM IRST driver during Setup. Many HPs default to Intel RST/RAID and that will prevent install unless the correct driver is loaded.
- Temporarily disable Secure Boot while troubleshooting (re-enable after successful install).
If you find “RAID” or “Intel RST” enabled, either change to AHCI (and then reinstall) or download the IRST driver from HP and “Load driver” in Setup.
4) If Windows setup reports it cannot find/format the disk or asks for drivers, try loading the storage/NVMe driver from an HP support USB (put driver files on a second USB and use “Load driver” in Setup). This is the usual cure when the installer can’t talk to an NVMe controller.
5) If the disk still refuses install after the above:
- Test the drive health on another PC ( run CrystalDiskInfo or smartctl). A failing SSD will act weird after partitioning attempts. Forum reports show driver/device errors after cloning/partitioning that indicated hardware or driver faults (stornvme-type errors). If you see device driver errors in Event Viewer or the drive disappears from Linux tools intermittently, consider hardware failure.
Extra troubleshooting notes
- Avoid reformatting the disk in Linux/GParted before trying the Windows installer; Windows setup prefers being given an unallocated disk (or use diskpart as above) so it can create the EFI/MSR/Windows partitions correctly.
- If you get an error like “Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table…” it means the disk is MBR while firmwvert gpt step fixes that. If the error is different, tell me the exact text.
- If you see “Access denied” running bootrec /fixboot during repairs, that’s an EFI permission quirk — I can give the workaround if you hit that.
What I need from you if thxact installer error text or a photo of the partition selection screen.
- The Diskpart output from the Windows installer (run: diskpart → list diskst partition). Paste those outputs here.
- Confirm whether the drive is NVMe (M.2) or a SATA HDD/SSD, and whether you tried installing with any other drives attached.
If you want, I’ll walk you through each diskpart command step‑by‑step while you’re at the installer. Start with the diskpart clean/convert gpt flow above and tell me the installer message if it still refuses — we’ll take it from there.
