Introduction
Fixing "Couldn't Create a New Partition" Error When Installing Windows 10
Technology

Fixing "Couldn't Create a New Partition" Error When Installing Windows 10

we couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one

I got this error over the weekend while trying to upgrade one of my computers to Windows 10. I was using a bootable USB built with the Media Creation Tool.

Everything started up fine, but when I tried to install Windows 10 on a specified partition, I got an error: we couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one".

It turns out, Windows tries to create a few partitions on the primary hard drive (the one you booted from) to support the installation of Windows. However, the installer won't create said partitions on a removable device - which is what I had set as my primary boot device.

To solve this issue, I removed all of the boot devices - except my hard drive - from the BIOS menu and restarted. As my computer was rebooting, I loaded the quick boot menu and selected my USB device. After that, I was able to install Windows like normal.

Robert Greiner
Author

Robert Greiner

Professional optimist. Passionate about cultivating high-performing teams @ scale by integrating the timeless wisdom of the past with the marvel of today's emergent technology in a practical way.

View Comments
Next Post

Enterprise Ops

Previous Post

My RSS Workflow

Subscribe for free

Subscribe to my newsletter and get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox for free. I don't spam and your email won't be shared with third-parties.

Thanks for subscribing!

Check your inbox to confirm your subscription.

Please enter a valid email address!