Completely solve 8 ways to select or format hard disk partition when installing Vista

Recently, when a friend installed Vista, he encountered a situation in which the hard disk partition could not be selected or formatted. Basically one or more of the following symptoms:

• The hard disk on which Windows Vista is to be installed is not listed.
• You cannot select a hard disk partition to install Windows Vista.
• Unable to format one or more hard disk partitions.
• The correct size cannot be set for the hard disk partition.
• You will receive the following error message: Windows cannot find a system volume that meets its installation criteria

Cause analysis: This issue may be caused by one of the following reasons—

• Windows Vista is not compatible with mass storage controllers or mass storage drivers.
• The mass storage controller or mass storage driver has expired.
• The hard disk to install Windows Vista is a dynamic disk.
• A data cable in your computer is loose or has other hardware problems.
• The hard disk or Windows file system is corrupt.
• You are trying to select a FAT32 partition or other partition type that is not compatible with Windows Vista.

Solution: To solve this problem, use one or more of the following methods -

Method 1: Verify that the partition is compatible with Windows Vista

FAT32 partition Windows Vista cannot be installed. In addition, dynamic disks must be properly configured for use with Windows Vista. To verify that the partition is compatible with Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. For a dynamic disk with a simple volume, use the Diskpart.exe utility to configure the disk as an active disk. For more information about how to use the Diskpart.exe utility, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
300415 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300415/) Diskpart command line utility introduction.

2. For FAT32 partitions, reformat them or convert them to NTFS file system partitions using the Convert.exe command. Note: When you format a partition, all the data in the partition is deleted, including all the files on the partition. For more information about how to use the Convert.exe command, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 314097 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314097/) How to use Convert .exe converts the partition to an NTFS file system.

Method 2: Update the driver of the hard disk controller

If you want to install Windows Vista in the upgrade mode, please update the driver of the hard disk controller to the latest driver.

Note: The Windows Vista installer provides a feature to migrate current drivers to the new operating system. Therefore, Windows Vista Setup can use the drivers that are currently installed on your computer. If your computer does not have the latest drivers installed, the installer may use outdated drivers. In this case, you may experience compatibility issues.

Method 3: Provide the correct driver for the hard disk controller

If you are trying to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista, you must provide the correct driver for your hard disk controller. When you are prompted to select a disk on which you want to install Window Vista, you must also click to select the Load Driver option. The Windows Vista installer will guide you through the rest of the process.

Method 4: Check the Setupact.log file to verify that the partition is active

If you receive the following error message, verify that the partition is active by checking the Setupact.log file: Windows cannot find a system volume that meets its installation criteria.

Note:

• If you are installing Windows Vista in an upgraded manner, the Setupact.log file is located in the Drive:\\$WINDOWS.~BT\\Sources\\Panther folder. Drive represents a drive that contains an existing Windows installation.
• If you perform a clean installation of Windows Vista, the Setupact.log file is located in the Drive:\\$WINDOWS\\Sources\\Panther folder. Drive represents the DVD drive that contains the Windows Vista installer files.

To verify that the partition is active, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type notepad, and then click OK.
2. On the File menu, click Open.
3. Locate and click the Setupact.log file, and then click Open.
4. Find the "DumpDiskInformation" section. This section contains information about partition mapping.
5. In the "DumpDiskInformation" section, find a log entry similar to the following:
Disk [0] partition [1] is an active partition
6. If this log entry is displayed similar to the following After the entry for the content, the hard disk cannot be configured to use a Windows-based operating system:

Unknown
In this case, use the Diskpart.exe utility to configure another partition as an active status. Note: This step will prevent third-party operating systems from starting.

Method 5: Check Firmware Updates and System BIOS Updates

For information about firmware updates and system BIOS updates, contact your computer hardware manufacturer. For information about how to contact your hardware manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the list below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
65416 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/65416/) Hardware and Software Vendor Contact Information A-K60781 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/60781/) Hardware and Software Vendor Contact Information L-P60782 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/60782/) Hardware and software vendor contact information QZ

Method 6: Verify that the system BIOS correctly detected the hard disk

For information on how to verify that the system BIOS correctly detected the hard disk, please contact the computer. Contact the hardware manufacturer.

Method 7: Use the Chkdsk.exe utility to check for problems.

Run the Chkdsk.exe utility to check for disk problems. If the hard drive is damaged, replace the hard drive.

Method eight:

Use the Diskpart.exe utility to clean the disk and then run Windows Vista Setup again
If you have tried all the methods listed in this section, but the problem remains Exist, use the Diskpart.exe utility to clean up the disk and then run the Windows Vista installer again. Note: This method is only available if you are performing a clean installation of Windows Vista. When the hard drive is cleaned, the hard drive will be formatted. All partitions and all data on the hard drive will be permanently deleted. We strongly recommend backing up the files on your hard drive before cleaning up the disk. To clean your hard disk using the Diskpart.exe utility, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type diskpart, and then click OK.
2. Type list disk and press Enter. A list of available hard disks will be displayed.
3. Type sel disk number and press Enter. Number is the number of the hard disk to be cleaned. The drive is now selected.
4. Type det disk and press Enter. A list of partitions on this hard disk will be displayed. Use this information to verify that the correct disk is selected. 5. Make sure the disk does not contain the required data, type clean all, and then press ENTER to clean the disk. All partitions and all data on this disk will be permanently deleted.
6. Type exit, and then press ENTER.
7. Run the Windows Vista installer to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista.