> windows 7 setup is unable to create / locate partition - yada yada yada
> setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition

Something to that effect.


Tying to install W7 x64 (as dual boot).

Existing system, W7 x86, installed on Disk 1 (Volume) E:

Originally, I had a second instance of W7 x86 installed on Disk 1 (Volume) C:

Installed both from the outset, first to C:, then a second time to E:.
The C: install was only used as a "placeholder" to force the second install (to be called) E: (as I wanted). (And the C: could always be used as a backup in case I screwed up E:. Otherwise C: was never touched.)

In preparation of installing x64, I (used a) "TakeOwnership" (reg) script to facilitate zapping C:\WINDOWS, C:\Program Files ... That all was fine. Boot menu still showed two 'Windows 7's, (as it always has), but that was expected.

Never bothered with BCDEDIT, just figured a new install would add a third entry & somewhere along the line I'd figure out how to delete, the (now) missing Windows. (Hah! I used a <reg> script for TAKEOWN, & regardless of what you know says ;-), it is the way to go, I could, maybe have <after reviewing Grogans earlier posts> gotten that to work, but BCDEDIT, hah! forget about it.)

Anyhow, "burned" x64 to my Flash drive (YUMI), plugged it in & rebooted, booting from the Flash into W7 Setup.

Originally, I said, install to C:. (Had had W7 installed there, since removed, so why not.) Setup farted ... unable yada yada yada.

Maybe it needs it's own partition? Resized C: (Shrink Volume), leaving an open 22 GB space. Boot from Flash, select the 22 GB space. Setup farted ...

Maybe it wants it as a Partition & Formated? Partition, primary, Formatted, NTFS. Boot from Flash, select the 22 GB Partition. Setup farted ...

Maybe it is seeing the first (now gone) instance of W7 in the boot manager & it doesn't like it? Download EasyBCD, delete the first W7, give the second an actual descriptive name (Windows 7 @ E:, worked for me), saved the changes. Boot from Flash, select the 22 GB Partition. Setup farted ...





C: & E: look like such:
E: is virtually entirely "windows". Nothing (as much as as I can) gets installed to E:.




Tried my W7 DVD with the same results, farted.

The fart said to view the "log" for more information, but the log must be in my woodpile, cause I haven't a clue where else to look?

I have not tried installing x64 to any other drive/volume.
Drives are NTFS, but no RAID or "driver" required.

Ideas?


(I'm reading, "changing 1st boot device to "hard drive" and not CD or USB did the trick" <mine is CD>, which I can try, tomorrow perhaps. If that is it, what a load of crap!. Stay tuned ...)

Is the Win7 DVD an " upgrade" disk or a "full" version?

Full.
And I was doing a "custom" install, selecting where to install to (rather then doing an "upgrade" install).

Quote:

(I'm reading, "changing 1st boot device to "hard drive" and not CD or USB did the trick" <mine is CD>, which I can try, tomorrow perhaps. If that is it, what a load of crap!. Stay tuned ...)

Un-for-eakin believable. That appears to be it - basically.
Seemingly not necessarily that "some" drive is set in the BIOS as the first boot device, but the "C:" drive is set in the BIOS as the first boot device.

So switching the CD (which was first) with "some" HDD did not work.

Trying to ascertain which HDD (there are many) was which - per the BIOS, & as contrasted to Windows Disk Management was not a cakewalk.

First attempt I simply flipped the order of CD & Disk#1, which turned out to be wrong.

(And at that point, I still didn't know the answer, still didn't know why it was happening.)

So some more reading & I'm getting all kinds of theories. This worked for one, something else worked for another, & yet another did something different again.

Disconnect all drives expect for the drive you want to install Windows onto. Some did it physically, unplugging. Some questioned whether disabling in the BIOS was sufficient.

Then there was talk on BIOS 'boot sector virus protect'. And AHCI vs IDE vs RAID. And AHCI would not work, you had to set as IDE (most likely wrong).

And pre-partitioning & pre-formatting - or not pre-paritioning & pre-formatting. And dropping to a command prompt during setup & running DISKPART.

And copying the setup files to your HDD, remove the CD, & rebooting & then reinserting the CD. And removing any external drives (like the Flash drive that I'm booting from in order install Windows).

And this's & that's & the other's.

BUT HERE IT IS BOYS & GIRLS, two-thousand-eleven, soon to be two-thousand-twelve, & MS farts when there are multiple HDDs installed & (seemingly) the BIOS boot order of the drive you want to install to is not set as the first device.

And dumies (you're looking at one) spend hours trying this & trying that & rebooting again & again & again.

Un-for-eakin believable.

There was one oddity after the x64 install.

All my drives, volumes were identified, but my C: drive was not assigned a drive letter.
I had to go into Disk Management & assign a letter to the drive. (I choose "F:". <For Fail?>)