Hey everyone! My friend handed down his old PC to me after he upgraded, and it was originally running Windows 10. But now, after I wiped it, I'm stuck in a boot loop and can't get into Windows at all. When I try to reinstall Windows, I get an error saying it doesn't detect any drivers. I'm struggling to find the right drivers, especially since most of them are GUIs rather than standalone installers. My BIOS can see the M.2 drive, but the Windows installer can't. Also, I found out that Windows 11 says my PC isn't supported. I'm using an MSI B450I GAMING PLUS AC motherboard with a Ryzen 5 3600X, and the drive is an ADATA SX8100NP with about 1TB of space. Right now, I'm creating the installation media using Media Creation Tool on my mom's laptop since I can't get the Win10 ISO to work on my Mac. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
5 Answers
Since Windows 10 is reaching its end of life soon, I'd suggest really considering switching to Windows 11. It should install just fine once you enable TPM. Your hardware should be compatible, so that's definitely the way to go for future-proofing your setup!
If you're still having issues after trying the above, consider replacing the ADATA drive. That brand is known for reliability problems. Updating your BIOS could also be a good step, but if a new NVMe works without fuss, that's probably the safest bet!
It sounds like you're having a tricky time with those drivers. If Windows 11 is giving you the unsupported message, make sure you check the BIOS settings for things like TPM or secure boot—sometimes those need to be tweaked. Since Windows installer is having issues detecting the drive, it's worth checking if RAID is enabled in the NVMe settings. You might need to disable that. Also, try using a lightweight Linux distro as a boot option to troubleshoot the hardware before going back to Windows!
Good point about Linux! It could help you figure out if the issue lies within the Windows installation process or if it's something deeper with the hardware.
Exactly! Linux is great for diagnosing if everything is working properly with your setup.
From what you've described, it sounds like Windows 11 might require some BIOS changes to work. Enable TPM in BIOS—that's usually under the Security section. Also, clarify whether the installer says it can't find *drives* or *drivers*—that could make a significant difference in troubleshooting.
A common issue with installers not detecting drives typically comes from having RAID enabled in BIOS. I'd suggest checking that first and switching it off if it's on. While you're at it, enabling TPM 2.0 could also help with Windows 11 installation.
Even if the installer indicates that it's unsupported, there are ways to bypass that! Look it up—you might be surprised at the options!