Here are some steps you can follow to troubleshoot and potentially fix “Windows installation drive not found” errors:
Method 1: Restart Your Computer
- Stop any active applications or tasks.
- Close all running processes.
- Press the Ctrl+Alt+Del keys to open Task Manager, and then click on the “Restart” button.
Method 2: Disable and Re-enable Windows Device Mgmt
- Go to Settings > Update & Security > Device Management.
- In the Device Manager, look for an entry that says “Unknown device”.
- Right-click on it and select “Disable device”.
- Wait for a few seconds, then enable it again.
Method 3: Check System File Checker (SFC)
- Press the Windows key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin).
- Type
sfc /scannowand press Enter.
- If there are any issues with your system files, SFC will scan and replace them if necessary.
Method 4: Run System File Checker (SFC) as Administrator
- Press the Windows key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin).
- Type
sfc /scannowand press Enter.
- If there are any issues with your system files, SFC will scan and replace them if necessary.
Method 5: Run Disk Check (chkdsk)
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type
chkdsk /fand press Enter.
- If there are any errors with your hard drive, chkdsk will scan and fix them.
Method 6: Use System Restore
- Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.
- Click on “Get started” under “Reset this PC”.
- Follow the prompts to select a restore point that is closest to when you encountered the error.
Method 7: Run Windows Installation Drive Check (WinErase)
- Press the Windows key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin).
- Type
winerase /d /fand press Enter.
- If there are any issues with your system files, WinErase will delete them.
Method 8: Try Booting in Safe Mode
- Restart your computer.
- Press the F8 key repeatedly while booting to enter Safe Mode.
- If you can log in without any problems, then you likely don’t need to install Windows on that drive.
