I'm trying to reset my old HP Envy laptop to factory settings, but I've run into a major problem. Every method I've tried ends with an error, despite following various tutorials and commands. Now, I'm considering a full reinstall of Windows 11 to see if it resolves whatever's blocking the reset.
Here's where I'm stuck: I've created a bootable USB and accessed the boot menu, but when I get to the installation step, it only shows the USB as an option for installation. I can't find my C drive, which is the main drive where I want to install Windows.
I've checked the drivers, and they all seem to be set up correctly as AHCI. I just can't figure out why the installer doesn't recognize the internal drives. Has anyone faced this issue or have any ideas on how to proceed?
3 Answers
Are you booting directly from the USB or just running the installer from within Windows? If you're not already booting from the USB, that might be the issue. You should be able to select your USB drive in the boot menu.
Have you explored the repair options in the advanced startup menu? Sometimes, you can reinstall Windows directly from there without needing to format everything.
I checked the repair options, but when I tried it, it just looped back to the same screen without any real fixes. I might need to revisit that again.
Seems like the Windows installer isn't detecting your internal drives due to a setup issue. When you're at the 'Select location to install Windows 11' screen, see if you can access Disk Management from there to diagnose further. You might have to adjust settings in the BIOS too.
I've checked Disk Management before and both drives were fine. They are GPT formatted, so I'm unsure why the installer can't see them now.
I've been booting from the USB in the advanced startup section, so I haven't tried just running it from the desktop. Maybe I should give that a shot!