Jan 27, 2024 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions
If during the installation of Windows 10, you see the error "No drives were found. Click Load Driver to provide a mass storage driver for installation", don't worry. This problem is commonly related to an error in the connection of the device cables or can even be caused because the Windows 10 installer does not have the necessary drivers, however, these problems are usually easy to solve. In this post, I will explain how to solve this problem step by step through different methods.
When the Windows installation software is unable to detect any devices during the installation process, it does not necessarily mean that your hard drive is damaged. It is important to consider that if the disk that is not being detected was previously used to store Windows files, the error may be generated due to the discrepancy between the residual files and configurations of the previous installation, on the other hand, if the hard drive disk that is not being detected is new, the error is more likely to be generated by a wrong configuration in the firmware of your computer (BIOS or UEFI). Fortunately, there are a few methods that can help you to figure out where the problem is and even fix it.
It is important to remember that a Windows installer is a pre-configured tool to work in a basic environment, relying on your computer's firmware to perform a relatively complex task even though there is no installed operating system. It is for this reason that the Windows installer has pre-loaded drivers, in this way it can recognize and use the hardware of your computer, however, there is the possibility that the drivers available or even the firmware of your computer are outdated, generating detection errors of all types of hardware, also, it is important to consider that the most common and even probable cause of this problem is due to a poorly connected SATA or power cable.
Some methods can solve drive detection problems during Windows 10 installation. I will tell you about each one below.
As I mentioned earlier, the source of the problem is likely due to the physical connection between the device and the motherboard. You should check that the SATA cable is properly connected and that it is not damaged, frayed, or worn, if the cable is in good condition and correctly connected, try connecting the cable to another port on your motherboard. Motherboards usually have 2 - 6 SATA ports.
If the disk that is not detected by the Windows installer is a Raid Array, you should bear in mind that this error is relatively common and is solved using a USB or CD / DVD to install an updated version of the RAID drivers according to your motherboard model and its socket, either AMD or Intel. Remember that to install the RAID driver from a USB you will need to connect it to a 2.0 port since the BIOS is unable to use 3.0 and 3.1 technologies.
If the disk that is not recognized by Windows Installer is common, that is, it is not a Raid Array, it is important to know if the disk is recognized or not by the firmware (BIOS / UEFI) of your computer. To find out, pay attention when turning it on, the firmware of your motherboard will indicate the keys you must press to access the BIOS/UEFI (F1, F2, F8, F10, F12, or DEL). Now you should look for the section related to Boot devices and you should check if the disk that is failing is detected by the BIOS or not. If the disk is not detected by your computer's firmware, it may be due to four possible reasons.
Unfortunately, these three problems are difficult to fix and the process can jeopardize the integrity of the device or even your computer.
Keep in mind that companies often offer technical assistance for this type of problem, in most cases, they will offer to replace the product with a new one. However, it is important to remember that there are policies that limit this privilege to specific cases where the product has factory defects.
If you decided to replace the damaged disk with a new one, you may be worried about recovering the information that you had stored on the disk that you are going to replace. I recommend using specialized software for data recovery such as Recoverit. This software is capable of recovering and repairing the information of a hard disk through complex data reconstruction processes based on the residual information and parity segments generated by previous versions of the same file. It will be enough to do a couple of clicks and the software will take care of recovering your data. You can download the software for free from its official website https://recoverit.wondershare.com/. Below I will show you how to use it.
Step 1: Choose a drive to scan
Once you've installed and opened the software, select the drive where the data to recover was located
Step 2: Select the files to recover/restore
Now all you have to do is select the folder or folders you want to recover/restore and click on "Recover".
If you want to install the drivers from a USB, make sure that the USB is connected to a 2.0 port and if the problem persists press the Shift + F10 keys to open the Command Prompt from the Windows Installer and type the following codes:
These commands will erase the undetected volume and correct the file system to NTFS by performing a quick format.
The most common reason for this problem is that the disk is poorly connected, check that both the power cable and the SATA cable are well connected and if the problem persists, it may be due to five possible reasons.
If the Windows 7 installer is unable to recognize a disk, it may be because the installer does not have the necessary drivers. Visit the official website of the manufacturer of the disk and download the drivers of the model of your disk, once this is done, but the drivers in a USB and connect it to a 2.0 port. During the installation of Windows 7 click on the "Load Driver" option and select the location of the drivers. It is important to remember that this problem can also be caused by any of the 5 reasons that I mentioned in the previous answer.
The driver installation process is very simple. Find out what is the model and brand of the device you have and go to the official website of the manufacturer. There you can find a section dedicated to drivers from which you can download a version compatible with the operating system you want to install. Once you have downloaded the drivers, save them to a USB, and make sure the USB is connected to a 2.0 port. Now you should run the Windows installer and once you get the error "No drives were found. Click Load Driver to provide a mass storage driver for installation." Click on "Load Driver" and use the file explorer that will appear to indicate the location of the drivers that you stored in the USB. Once you have selected the drivers, the Windows installer will automatically detect the disk.
Now you know why the Windows installer fails to detect a disk and as you may have noticed, this problem is usually extremely easy to solve, however, there are cases in which the origin of the problem is due to the disk is damaged and if you want to recover the information that you had stored on it, you can use Recoverit to recover and repair any file that you had stored on disk in a very easy and effective way.
If it is a new device that you have never used before, what you should do is activate it, assign a layout to the partition table and a file system. On the other hand, if the device stopped being recognized from one moment to another, you should confirm that the SATA and power cables are in good condition.
You must activate it using Disk Management. The process is simple, run Disk Management in administrator mode. Next, a window may automatically appear asking you to initialize the new device, if not, simply click on it and select the "NEW VOLUME ..." option to assign a layout to the partition table and a file system format.
Yes, but there are some factors that you must bear in mind. The MBR layout cannot handle partitions bigger than 2,2TB, so it would be necessary to switch to GPT to use it as the main boot device, in addition, Windows can only start from a GPT partition if your computer's firmware is compatible with GPT layout.
Read More: How To Install Windows 10/11 on GPT Partition
Installing Windows in a solid state unit is not necessary. However, they usually offer enormous improvements regarding the loading times of the operating system. On the other hand, the main disadvantage of SSDs sole that used to be more considerably more expensive than an HDD, but at present, the cost difference is not that much.
At present, this is not a problem. Thanks to the GUID (GPT) partition tables, the NTFS and the 64-bit architecture, Windows has no problem recognizing a hard drive, regardless of its size. The current technology could handle up to 18 Exabytes (18 billion gigabytes) and even 128 partitions per disk.
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