I installed a 2TB 2.5-inch WD Green SATA SSD in my Alienware 13 laptop and tried installing Windows from a USB drive created with Rufus. Windows Setup detects the SSD, but initially reports that it has an MBR partition table and must be converted to GPT for installation on a UEFI system. Deleting the existing partitions changes it to unallocated space, but installation then fails with error 0x80300002. After refreshing the disk list or using DiskPart with clean and convert gpt, the SSD disappears or shows as offline. BIOS is set to UEFI, AHCI, and Secure Boot. What could be causing the drive to go offline, and how can I determine whether this is a configuration, driver, or failing-drive problem?
3 Answers
The installer may need the storage-controller driver, such as Intel Rapid Storage Technology, depending on the exact laptop and motherboard configuration. Download the appropriate driver from the manufacturer's support page, extract it to the Windows USB, and use Load driver in the disk-selection screen. Also make sure the USB installer was created for UEFI/GPT rather than legacy BIOS mode.
Check the storage-controller setting in BIOS. Some Dell and Alienware systems ship with SATA Operation set to RAID On, and Windows Setup may not have the required Intel storage driver. Switching to AHCI often makes the drive usable. Since this is a clean installation on an empty disk, changing from RAID to AHCI should not affect an existing Windows install.
It is already set to AHCI, with UEFI and Secure Boot enabled, but the same error still appears.
The MBR warning by itself is easy to fix, but a disk going offline while DiskPart is cleaning it points to a deeper problem. Test the SSD in another computer or with a SATA-to-USB adapter, check its health with the manufacturer's diagnostic utility, and try another SATA connection if available. A benchmark saying the drive is good does not necessarily rule out controller, firmware, cable, or intermittent power problems. If it repeatedly disconnects during writes or partition changes, replacing the SSD is the most likely solution.
I ran a general drive test and it reported the SSD as healthy, but I have not yet tested it in another system or with the manufacturer's diagnostic tool.
The laptop uses the standard board for the Alienware 13 model, identified as Compal LA-A301P and associated with Dell part numbers 076JXP, 76JXP, and 0N4F3N.