How I fixed Windows 11 Installation Errors on Lenovo X390 Yoga

Installing Windows 11 from a bootable USB should be straightforward. However, sometimes Windows Setup detects your internal SSD but refuses to proceed with the installation.

I recently encountered this issue while installing Windows 11 on a Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Yoga. After troubleshooting the bootable USB and BIOS settings, I finally resolved the problem by cleaning the internal SSD and converting its partition table from MBR to GPT.

In this article, I'll walk you through the problem, what caused it, and how I fixed it.

The Problem1

I had created a Windows 11 bootable USB using Rufus. The USB was initially configured with the MBR partition scheme.

The laptop successfully detected the USB through the F12 boot menu, and Windows Setup loaded successfully.

However, when I reached the "Select location to install Windows 11" screen, I encountered an installation error.

Windows Setup detected the following storage devices:

• Disk 0: Internal SSD (approximately 238 GB).
• Disk 1: Windows 11 bootable USB (approximately 14.6 GB).

Although the internal SSD was detected, Windows Setup identified its main partition as Unknown and refused to install Windows 11.

Understanding the Cause

One possible cause of this issue is a mismatch between the disk partition scheme and the firmware boot mode.

Windows systems support two common partition schemes:

• MBR (Master Boot Record): An older partitioning standard commonly associated with Legacy BIOS boot mode.
• GPT (GUID Partition Table): The modern partitioning standard used with UEFI firmware.

For a standard Windows 11 installation, GPT with UEFI is the recommended configuration.

In my case, the internal SSD's partition structure was preventing Windows Setup from proceeding normally.

Step 1: Access Windows Setup Command Prompt

When Windows Setup displays the drive selection screen:

1. Press "Shift + F10" on your keyboard.
2. Command Prompt will open.
3. Type the following command:

diskpart

This launches the Windows DiskPart utility, which allows you to manage disks and partitions.

Step 2: Identify the Internal SSD

Run:

list disk

This displays all connected storage devices.

Identify your internal SSD by checking its capacity.

For my Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Yoga, the internal SSD was approximately 238 GB, while the installation USB was approximately 14.6 GB.

Important: Identify the correct disk before proceeding. Selecting the wrong disk could erase your bootable USB or another storage device.

Step 3: Select and Clean the Internal SSD

Once you've identified the internal SSD, execute:

select disk 0

Replace "0" with the correct disk number if your internal SSD has a different number.

Next, execute:

clean

This removes the existing partition information from the selected disk.

Warning: The "clean" command deletes the partition structure and makes the existing data inaccessible. Back up important files before proceeding.

Step 4: Convert the Disk to GPT

After cleaning the disk, execute:

convert gpt

This converts the internal SSD to the GPT partitioning scheme.

Then exit DiskPart:

exit

Close Command Prompt by typing:

exit

Step 5: Continue Windows 11 Installation

Return to the Windows Setup screen.

1. Click Refresh to reload the available storage devices.
2. Select the unallocated space on Disk 0.
3. Click Next.
4. Allow Windows Setup to create the required system partitions automatically.

Windows 11 installation should now proceed.

Recommended Rufus Settings for Windows 11

If you're creating your installation USB from scratch, these are the recommended settings for a standard UEFI installation:

Setting| Configuration
Boot selection| Windows 11 ISO
Partition scheme| GPT
Target system| UEFI (non-CSM)
File system| NTFS (where appropriate)

Make sure your laptop is configured to boot using UEFI mode.

Lessons Learned

This troubleshooting experience reinforced a few important points:

1. Detecting a bootable USB doesn't necessarily mean the internal drive is ready for Windows installation.
2. MBR and GPT partitioning schemes serve different boot configurations.
3. DiskPart is a powerful Windows recovery and disk-management tool.
4. Always identify your internal SSD carefully before executing destructive commands.
5. For modern Windows 11 installations, UEFI and GPT are the recommended combination.

Conclusion

The Windows 11 installation problem on my Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Yoga was resolved by cleaning the internal SSD and converting it to GPT using DiskPart.

If you encounter a similar issue where Windows Setup detects your SSD but refuses to install the operating system, checking the partition structure and boot mode is a good place to start.

Hopefully, this guide saves someone a few hours of troubleshooting!