I have a situation where my boot drive is detected by Linux, but Windows isn't picking it up at all. I recently updated to Windows 11 (version 24h2), but the update failed, and my system got stuck in a boot loop. I ended up formatting the drive using a bootable USB with Ubuntu installed. Now, while I have Ubuntu running and can use my laptop for basic tasks like web browsing, the Windows 11 installer doesn't recognize the boot SSD anymore, and I can't install Windows on it. I can see my external SSD and HDD, but they are connected via USB, so I can't install Windows onto them. Any suggestions on how to fix this?
2 Answers
Be careful when making changes to your BIOS or disk setup, as this could lead to data loss. Make sure you've backed up your data before doing anything drastic. Also, check out some common troubleshooting tips in the FAQ thread!
It sounds like your Ubuntu install formatted the drive to EXT4, which Windows can't read natively. Even during the Windows installer, if it's formatted this way, it won't show up. You might need to reformat the drive to NTFS using Ubuntu to make it visible for the Windows installer. Just remember to back up any data first!
I did check the Windows installer before formatting, but it still wouldn't detect the SSD! So I'm not sure how to proceed.