Resolve the "Windows Cannot Be Installed to Disk 0 Partition 1" Error

Updated by

Tracy King 

Written by

Linda 

Updated on April 22, 2024

When encountering the error "Windows cannot be installed to disk 0 partition 1" on your computer, you can try these two solutions:

①. Convert disk 0 to MBR or GPT; ②. Clean the target disk.

Follow the step-by-step tutorial to easily install Windows on your Disk 0 Partition 1:

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These solutions are effective for resolving the "Windows cannot be installed on this drive" error on Windows 10/8/7, as well as Windows XP/Vista, etc.

Friendly Reminder: Since Windows installation may cause data loss, ensure that you have事先将目标磁盘上的所有重要数据备份到其他安全存储设备上。例如，将电脑备份到USB闪存驱动器。

Causes for "Windows Cannot Be Installed to This Disk" Error

When encountering the error "Windows cannot be installed to Disk 0 Partition 1" or "Windows is unable to install to the selected location" during Windows installation, don't panic. Can I delete Partition 1? No, we wouldn't advise you to do that. Partition 1 on Disk 0 is typically an operating system reserve partition, and deleting it might cause Windows to stop functioning, resulting in the loss of OS-related data. Consequently, simply deleting Partition 1 will not solve the problem on your computer.

Here, we will examine the two possible reasons that might prevent you from installing Windows on the target disk. If you find this information useful, please share it with others in need by clicking the social media buttons below.

< strong >1. The Target Disk Doesn't Support BIOS or UEFI Boot Mode

The "Windows cannot be installed to this disk 0 partition 1" error typically occurs when the Boot Mode or Boot List Option in the BIOS settings is set to UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), and the hard drive exceeds 2 TB (terabytes) in size.

When it appears, you won't be able to install Windows on your computer successfully. To eliminate this error and proceed with the Windows installation, you'll need to convert the target disk 0 from MBR to GPT first.

2. SAS Driver Issue or Corrupted MFT on the Target Disk

When the target hard drive has issues with the SAS driver or a corrupted Master File Table (MFT), the Windows Partition Manager (partmgr.sys) will lose communication when alterations are made to the partition.

If you try to install Windows 10/8/7 using the internal SAS controller for the hard drives, you might encounter an error message stating "Windows cannot be installed to disk 0 partition 1."

那么如何消除这个错误并有效地在所选的磁盘0分区1上安装Windows计算机呢？请尝试以下部分中的解决方案。

Also Read: Windows 10 Won't Install on SSD

Part 1. Resolve the "Windows Cannot Be Installed on Drive 0 Partition 1" Error

When encountering the "Windows cannot be installed to disk 0 partition 1" error, you can resolve it using DiskPart or a third-party partition tool. Follow the tutorial steps provided below for either method to eliminate this error from your disk. Both solutions are straightforward and user-friendly.

However, since the DiskPart CMD command may cause data loss on the disk, we recommend trying partition software as a safer alternative first.

The tool Partition Master enables you to fix the "Windows cannot be installed to disk 0 partition 1" error without compromising your data.

Method 1: Resolve the issue by converting the disk to MBR or GPT using Partition Master tool.

Applies to: Resolving the "Windows cannot be installed to disk 0 partition 1" error by converting the target disk to MBR or GPT on Windows 10/8.1/7/Vista/XP without any data loss.

#1. Converting Disk 0 (Target Disk) to GPT Translation: #1. Converting Disk 0 (Target Disk) to GUID Partition Table (GPT)

If you receive the error message shown below, don't worry:

"Windows cannot be installed on this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed on GPT disks."

When your target disk 0 has a capacity of over 2TB, you'll also need to convert the target disk to GPT in order to ensure a smooth Windows installation.

First, you need to stop the Windows installation process and restart your computer from your old OS disk.

Then, you can install a partition tool and use it to convert MBR disk to GPT disk so as to easily fix the "Windows cannot be installed to disk 0 partition 1" issue.

Tutorial: Steps to Convert Target Disk (0) to GPT: 1. Backup your data: Before making any changes to your disk, ensure that you have a complete backup of all important files and data on the target disk (0). This is crucial in case anything goes wrong during the conversion process. 2. Boot from a Windows Installation or Rescue Media: Insert a USB with a Windows installation media or a bootable rescue disk that supports disk partitioning tools. Restart your computer and enter the BIOS or UEFI settings to change the boot order, prioritizing the USB drive. 3. Access the Command Prompt: In the Windows Setup or rescue environment, choose the appropriate language and click "Next." Then, click "Repair your computer" and select "Troubleshoot." Choose "Advanced options" and then "Command Prompt." 4. Identify your target disk: In the Command Prompt, type "diskpart" and press Enter. This will launch the Disk Partition utility. Next, type "list disk" and press Enter. This will display a list of available disks on your system. Identify the target disk (usually labeled as Disk 0). 5. Select the target disk: Type "select disk X," replacing 'X' with the number of the target disk (e.g., "select disk 0") and press Enter. 6. Clean the disk: Type "clean" and press Enter. This command will erase all data from the selected disk, so make sure you've backed up your data beforehand. 7. Convert the disk to GPT: Type "convert gpt" and press Enter. This command will convert the disk's partition style to GUID Partition Table (GPT). 8. Create partitions: If necessary, create partitions on the GPT disk using the following commands: - "create partition primary" - "assign" (to assign a drive letter) - "format fs=ntfs quick" (to format the partition with NTFS file system) 9. Exit and reboot: Type "exit" twice to close the Command Prompt and return to the main menu. Remove the USB drive, and reboot your computer. The system should now recognize the disk as GPT formatted. Remember, this process will erase all data on the target disk, so ensure you have a backup before proceeding.

Step 1. Download and launch tools Partition Master on your computer.

Step 2. Proceed to Disk Converter, choose "Convert MBR to GPT," and click "Next" to proceed.

Step 3. Select the target MBR disk that you want to convert to GPT, and click "Convert" to start the conversion process.

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#2. Convert the Target Disk (0) to MBR

When you encounter the following error message while installing Windows on your chosen disk, remain calm:

"Windows cannot be installed on this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition style. Windows cannot be installed to this hard disk space. The partition is an EFI system partition (ESP)."

First, exit or cancel the Windows installation process.

Next, you can easily fix "Windows cannot be installed to disk 0 partition 1" issue by using tools Partition Master to convert GPT disk to MBR disk on your own.

Tutorial: Steps to Convert Destination Disk to MBR:

Step 1. Install and launch tools Partition Master on your computer and go to the Disk Converter section.

Step 2. Choose "Convert GPT to MBR" and click "Next" to proceed.

Step 3. Select the target GPT disk that you wish to convert to MBR and click "Convert" to initiate the conversion process.

When the process is complete, restart your computer if needed. Then, you can proceed to Part 2 to finish installing Windows on Disk 0 Partition 1.

?Also read: Fix Total Identified Windows Installations 0

Method 2: Resolve the Issue by Cleaning Target Disk Partitions with the DiskPart Clean Command

Applies to: Resolving SAS driver issues or fixing corrupted MFT on the target disk, or clearing a disk partition for installing Windows. This process involves data deletion.

When encountering the error "Windows cannot be installed on Drive 0 Partition 1" on your computer, you can close the Windows setup window. Then, follow these steps to erase all existing partitions on the target disk using the DiskPart clean command:

Step 1. Close the Windows Setup window.

Step 2. Press "Shift+F10" to open the Command Prompt window.

Step 3. Type the following command and press Enter after each one:

• diskpart
• list disk
• select disk 0 (0 represents the disk number of your target disk.)
• clean
These are commands for the Diskpart utility in Windows, which is used for managing disks.

Step 4. Type exit to close the DiskPart window.

After completing the steps above, you can proceed with the steps in Part 2 to finish installing Windows on your target disk.

Part 2: Installing Windows After Resolving the "Windows Cannot Be Installed to This Disk" Error

Applies to: Proceed with the complete Windows installation process following the resolution of the "Windows cannot be installed to disk 0 partition 1" error on Windows 10/8/7.

You can directly contact Microsoft to start afresh with a clean installation of Windows. Here, we will use Windows 10 as an example to guide you through the entire process of installing Windows 10 using the Windows Installation Media.

Step 1. Create a Windows Installation Media on an empty USB flash drive and plug it into your PC.

Step 2. Restart your PC and enter BIOS, configuring your computer to boot from the USB installation media.

Step 3: Once your PC boots from the installation media, click "Install Now" to set up preference settings, such as language and time, etc.

Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows. If you have a product key, activate it during the process.

Step 5. Configure your PC to boot from the new disk (disk 0) after installing Windows in BIOS.

Save the changes and restart your PC. Upon restarting, log in and activate your Windows using an activation key, if you didn't do so during the installation process.

Now, you can restore your backups back to your computer and enjoy life with a new Windows OS.

Conclusion

On this page, we have discussed the reasons behind the inability to install Windows on a chosen disk partition and presented two practical solutions to resolve the "Windows cannot be installed to Disk 0 Partition 1" error.

If your target disk is not Disk 0 Partition but you encounter a similar issue, you can also utilize the tools Partition Master or DiskPart command to effectively address this problem.

Backup all your data in advance to mitigate the risk of data loss during the Windows installation process.