What should I do if my Acer Predator has no drive to install Windows 10?
What should I do if my Acer Predator has no drive to install Windows 10?
I’m trying to install Windows 10 on my Acer Predator, but I’m running into a significant issue. Every time I initiate the installation process, the setup can’t detect any drives. I’ve ensured that my USB installation media is correctly set up and works perfectly on other devices. However, on my Acer Predator, it seems like the installation wizard can’t find any drives to proceed with the Windows 10 setup. I’ve checked the BIOS settings, and everything appears to be in order, but the problem persists. This is quite frustrating because I need to get my system up and running as soon as possible. I’ve been scouring forums and troubleshooting guides, but I’m still stuck at this roadblock with my Acer Predator no drive to install Windows 10. Any insight into why this could be happening and how I might resolve it would be highly appreciated.
8 Answers
I fixed the ‘no drive found’ issue by resetting the BIOS to default settings. Here’s how: 1. Reboot and enter BIOS setup by pressing F2. 2. Select ‘Load Default Settings’ or ‘Restore Defaults’. 3. Save the settings and exit. Retrying the installation afterward worked for me, as resetting BIOS settings can fix hidden configuration issues.
In my experience, checking the physical connection of the drive can resolve such issues. Here’s my approach: 1. Turn off and unplug your laptop. 2. Open the back panel to access the drive. 3. Ensure the SSD/HDD is securely connected. 4. Try reseating the drive or connecting to a different port if available. This immediately fixed the problem for me, and the system recognized the drive.
What worked for me was configuring the BIOS settings accurately. Here’s what you need to do: 1. Restart your Acer Predator and press F2 to enter the BIOS setup. 2. Navigate to the ‘Main’ tab and enable F12 Boot Menu. 3. Switch to the ‘Advanced’ tab and make sure the SATA Mode is set to AHCI. 4. Go to the ‘Boot’ tab, disable Secure Boot, and enable Legacy Support. 5. Save the changes and exit. When your laptop restarts, press F12 for the Boot Menu and then continue with the Windows installation. This should help your system recognize the drive during the setup.
Updating the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) drivers sorted my problem. Follow these steps: – Download the latest RST drivers from Intel’s website on another computer. – Transfer these drivers to your USB installation media. – During the Windows installation, when on the drive selection screen, click ‘Load Driver’. – Load the RST drivers from the USB. After this, my installation process detected the SSD and continued without issues.
Updating the SSD firmware is another solution worth trying. Use another computer to visit the SSD manufacturer’s website and download the latest firmware update tool. Apply the firmware update to the SSD. Once done, place the drive back in your Acer Predator and restart the installation. This can help resolve detection issues during installation.
Integrating necessary drivers into the installation USB was the solution for me. Here’s how: 1. Download storage drivers from Acer’s support page and extract them. 2. Use DISM to integrate these drivers into the boot.wim and install.wim files of your Windows installation USB. 3. Boot from the updated USB and start the installation. This ensures all required drivers are present, aiding smooth drive detection.
Using a third-party partition management tool helped me fix this problem: 1. Boot from a live USB with a partition management tool like GParted. 2. Format the drive ensuring it has a single NTFS partition. 3. Change the partition table type to MBR or GPT, whichever is compatible with BIOS. 4. Start the Windows 10 installation again. This method helped my system recognize and prepare the drive for installation.