Unable to start Windows after a fresh installation on an SSD.
Unable to start Windows after a fresh installation on an SSD.
Hello everyone. I've lost a lot of myself trying everything to fix this situation. Just two choices remain: either disappoint you or give up and surrender my soul. The issue is this: I purchased a LENOVO 320-15ISK I3-6006U 4-500, added a 4GB RAM stick, and upgraded the HDD to a SSD (Crucial MX500 500GB). It was the start of my downfall. Initially, I attempted to clone the old HDD onto the new SSD. That was a huge mistake. Eventually, I couldn't complete the process because the disks had different sector sizes. Some online users claimed you could adjust the disk sectors, but they never succeeded. After several mental breakdowns, I opted for a clean install. I built a Windows ISO using the official tool and made a bootable USB with that image. I swapped the SSD for the HDD, connected the USB drive, and began the installation. After setup, the SSD wouldn't boot. Since both the original disk and its BIOS settings were configured to GPT and UEFI, I used those options in RUFUS. But in desperation, I experimented with other settings: MBR, BIOS (or UEFI CSM). The Windows install failed on the selected SSD ("Windows can't be installed here"). So it was set to GPT UEFI. In the laptop's BIOS, I tried various modes—LEGACY MODE ON/OFF, AHCI/Intel RST Premium. Fast boot and USB boot both worked. Still nothing. With GPT UEFI in RUFUS, I managed to install Windows on the SSD, but when trying to boot, I received "no media found" (if I switch to UEFI) or "no bootable device found" (if I go back to legacy mode). Additional details: 1) No other drives are connected. 2) The SSD appears in BIOS under the hard drive section but not in the boot list when using UEFI. 3) It shows up in the boot list when in legacy mode, but then gives "no bootable device found." 4) I can access the SSD via USB, which seems fine. 5) The Crucial site confirms compatibility. 6) I haven't tried another SSD because I don't have one spare. 7) I successfully installed on the original HDD with UEFI and Intel RST Premium in BIOS. 8) I also tried the SSD via SATA and USB, but got the same results. Any suggestions? Thanks.
I understand it's a laptop but please clear any other HDDs before proceeding, keeping only the SSD connected. Format your USB drive to FAT32 then move the Windows 10 ISO contents into a folder and transfer everything onto the flash drive. On the laptop: 1) Turn off legacy mode and enable Intel Rapid Boot in UEFI 2) Start booting from the flash drive (select UEFI if available) 3) Proceed through setup to the partition screen and exit 4) Press Shift+F10 and type commands exactly as shown, pressing Enter after each one 5) Close the command prompt 6) Proceed to Next without attempting manual partitioning; Windows will handle it 7) Once installed, remove the flash drive. The installation should launch smoothly.
Hello! Thank you for your assistance. I followed your instructions precisely and achieved identical outcomes. A flash drive was formatted to FAT32 via the GUI, and the Windows ISO files were copied inside. The BIOS settings remained unchanged—keeping UEFI mode and Intel RST Premium enabled, matching the setup used during the original HDD installation. My BIOS configuration: I mentioned an "Intel Rapid" setting, but it actually refers to Intel RST Premium (RAID).
The disk appears normal, showing both the EFI boot partition and the system reserved partition correctly. The alternative would be switching SATA Mode to AHCI and retrying. Please adhere to the instructions closely, following the steps you took after upgrading Intel Rapid to AHCI.
In the bios section, secure boot is turned off. (note - I noticed you already disabled it in bios...) Perhaps switching to "Standard" mode would help. Some users reported this resolved their issue even when secure boot was off. I came across a relevant video. Lenovo appears to restart only after resetting the bios to defaults. You can find more details by searching online, for example: https://www.disk-partition.com/articles/...-5740.html. I'm confident you'll discover a solution. Posting on the Lenovo forum could also be useful.
It might not relate to the size of the sector. Check the information here: https://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50193.aspx. The issue could stem from your external enclosure. Alternatively, you can use a desktop PC to duplicate your system with Macrium Reflect.