I'm trying to do a fresh install of Windows on a laptop that was gifted to me, an HP Dragonfly G2. When I start the installation, it says that it can't find any drives to install Windows on. I've seen suggestions that I need to download the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) driver for this laptop from HP's website, but I've searched and I can't find any drivers listed there. Does anyone have advice on how to solve this? Can I download the driver from another source?
3 Answers
Have you tried checking the BIOS settings? Sometimes there's an option to change the storage mode to AHCI, which could bypass the need for additional drivers during the installation. Also, it’s worth digging deeper on HP’s support site. They often list drivers under different categories like chipset or storage, so you might find the storage drivers hidden there. Make sure to extract the drivers to your USB instead of copying the executable directly.
You can check the Intel website directly for the IRST driver. Just make sure you extract the files from the downloaded executable onto your USB drive before starting the install. Some users have reported success using drivers from there. Also, if you were dealing with a company laptop, it might have some restrictions that could complicate the install process once you connect it to the internet.
If you're having trouble finding drives, there’s a chance the previous owner removed the physical hard drive for security reasons. You might want to check if the drive is still there if you haven’t already. Otherwise, try using a live Linux USB to see if you can access the drives that way before proceeding with the Windows installation.
I had a similar issue, and using a Linux live USB helped me identify that the drive was indeed missing. If that's the case, you'll need to get a new one before trying the Windows install again.