I am unable to perform Clean insall of Windows 8 getting Error code:0x80070057"

[ARG3]

Installed New HP 256GB SSD
Installing Windows 8 from HP provided recovery USB device
Choose Custom installation
Select Drive 0 Unallocated space (only option available)

cursor spins for a couple minutes
Screen changes to "installing Windows" but does not show any progress copying files.
Then get "The installation was cancelled" and error message:
"Windows could not format a partition on disk 0. The error occurred while preparing the partition selected for installation. Error code:0x80070057"

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Did you try creating and formatting the partition when you were at the 'Where do you want to install windows' screen?

[ARG3]

I just tried - I used "New" to create a partition.  It created

Drive 0 Partition 1  System

Drive 0 Partition 2  Primary

I tried to format Drive 0 Partition 2  Primary and after a minute or two received 

"We couldnt format the selected partition. [Error 0x80070057]."

[Paul_Tikkanen]

OK.

Try it again...delete the partitions, leaving just the unallocated space again.

Then create the partition again, but don't format it and see if Windows will install.

[ARG3]

Thank you for your help.

I have just tried your suggestion and I received same message: "Windows could not format a partition on disk 0. The error occurred while preparing the partition selected for installation. Error code:0x80070057"

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

OK...see if this works...

Install W8.1 by using the W8 product key in your notebook's BIOS.

Install W8.1 by creating the Microsoft installation media, using another Windows PC, if yours is not working...You want W8.1 Professional 64 bit.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows8ISO

Only if you are asked to enter a product key during the installation process, use this generic key.

This is the generic key for W8.1 Professional:

XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB

If you had to enter the generic key, manually change the generic product key to the W8 key in your PC's BIOS in the PC settings menu.

After you get W8.1 installed, and you had to manually enter the W8.1 generic product key, you will need to run the free utility I zipped up and attached below, that will show you show the W8 product key in your PC's BIOS.

I have also zipped up and attached below, the Microsoft tool which hopefully will transfer the ISO file to a DVD or usb flash drive so it is bootable.

Then you can install the available drivers and software from your PC's support page.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-elitebook-840-g1-notebook-pc/5405360

If you still get the windows can't format a partition...error, then perhaps the SSD is defective in some way.

But using this method will rule out a defective W8 installation USB flash drive.

[ARG3]

Hi Paul,

Thanks again. I am using a brand new Windows 8 recovery USB shipped from HP.  While I suppose it could be bad, i am not inclined to go through all the steps to rule out that it is bad given my previous efforts to install Win10 on same Machine/ssd

A little background:

I have already tried to install windows 10 on this same brand new SSD. I spent hours with HP support. After failing every attempt with either:

"we couldn't install Windows in the location you chose. Please check your media drive. Here's more info about what happened: 0x80070057."

Or

"Windows could not format a partition on disk 0.  The error occurred while preparing the partition selected for installation.  Error code:0x80070057"

HP’s suggestion was that I might not be able to install Win 10 since this unit was not shipped with Win 10, it was shipped with the win 8.  The thinking was if I installed Win 8 I could upgrade to Win 10.

The other theory HP had was that there is something wrong with the system board preventing it from writing to the hard drive. My original SSD died completely such that the Bios diagnostics would not even see it installed. What I don’t understand is why I am able to run hard drive diagnostics on new the SSD without fail but it cannot seem to format or copy files to this SSD. If I was convinced there was something wrong with the system board I would trash the computer.  But if there is a problem, why don't  the diagnostics show it?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Unfortunately, I have no idea what the issue is.

Since you are getting the same error on W10, you would get the same error on W8.1.

HP's opinion that since your notebook didn't come with W10 could mean that it can't run W10 is not accurate.

Lots of folks with 840 G1's have updated to W10.

I am inclined to believe that it is a hardware issue of some kind.

What that could be, I do not know.

Maybe you can format the drive using a 3rd party utility...and then see if you can install Windows.

https://www.easeus.com/partition-master/bootable-format-tool.html

[ARG3]

Thanks Paul,

I have downloaded and created a EaseUS Partition Master WinPE bootable disk .

I have booted the machine and it currently shows

Disk 0238.47 GB, basic, MBR

   C:   Unformatted 0 Byte fee of 350MB            Active, Primary

   😧   Unformatted 0 Byte fee of 238.13GB      Primary

Assuming I want to start installing Win 8 or Win 10 after I'm done with this tool, what should I try to do with the existing partitions?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

I haven't used that utility in ages.

Does it give you the option to delete partitions and format?

If so, delete the partitions creating one partition of unallocated space as the drive originally came to you.

Create a partition.

Then format the partition MBR-NTFS, cross your fingers and hope W8 installs.

Make sure that legacy mode in the BIOS is enabled and secure boot is disabled before formatting the partition with the  EaseUS Partition Master WinPE bootable disk.