If you don't have installation media, you'll have to contact your PC's manufacturer.

[krikorr]

When trying to boot into  win 10 on my stream 13, I get dialoge box stating: "Please insert external storage media and press OK"

Alternately, when I press escape during boot up and from the start up menu select F11, (system recovery), I get the message:

Your PC needs to be repaired.  A required device isn't connected or can't be accessed.  You'll need to use the recovery tools on your installation media. If you don't have installation media, you'll have to contact your PC's manufacturer.

I did create a USB with the windows 10 installation tool but when I try usin that I get the "Please insert external storage media and press OK" error.

Any help greatly appreciated

[IT_WinSec]

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@krikorr wrote:
I did create a USB with the windows 10 installation tool but when I try usin that I get the "Please insert external storage media and press OK" error.

Any help greatly appreciated

---

Hi @krikorr

You get the same message because your PC is not (was not) booting from the USB pendrive or because the drive was not created correctly. It was booting from the main eMMC drive.

You will have to use a different computer with Windows OS - in proper working condition, to create the Windows 10 installation media. Follow and watch these instructions to get this done:

Video reference >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAvFm52IjI4

Windows reinstallation / clean installation :

- You can directly download Windows 10 ISO from MS site or download >> Media creation tool from Microsoft site, create installation DVD or installation USB  and  proceed with clean installation/reinstallation.

Download:

>> https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO

Make sure you select the proper version (64 bit / Home) if asked.

Media Creation tool will always provide you with the latest Windows version/build - now 1803.

- When download completes, you will need to write  the ISO image and boot from a bootable media. You will need a blank USB pendrive (min 4 GB capacity). >Use the Media Creation tool - it will do it automatically for you.<

When ready with the USB drive:

Please, shutdown the computer using the power button.

Insert the Windows USB thumdrive prepared previously

Power on the PC.

As soon as you press the power-on button, even before anything appears on screen, start hitting the Esc button repeatedly (like tap-tap-tap).

This should open the HP Startup Menu

Choose F9 to open Boot options. Use keyboard to select the USB thumb drive as a boot option and hit [ENTER] to boot it from.

- Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 10. Perform clean installation/custom installation (not repair).

Delete all existing partitions and install Windows on Disc 0 Unallocated space

- After successful Windows installation, do NOT connect to the wi-fi during Windows 10 setup. Skip connecting to the Wi-Fi, connect the device later after full installation is completed.  Eventually, connect to the Wi-Fi and update Windows 10 to update it and also to install missing hardware drivers.

- Make sure Windows is Activated by going to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Activation

- You might want to stop some of the Windows Telemetry by using free tools such as Spybot AntiBeacon or DWS Lite

Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes

[krikorr]

thanks for your help.

YOu were correct in assuming the boot disk was not formatted correctly.  I recreated it on a blan thumb drive and followed your instructions.  Things went well until I received a messages indicating the install could not continue because some files were missing from the install file.  Using my other PC, I went back and carefully downloaded the 64 bit  MediaCreationTool1803 file.  then ran it to create win 10 install on my blank thumb dirve.  Unfortunatley I received the same message ... some files are missing from the install file.  I'm wondering if I can somehow reformat the the PC's  

entire hard drive. And approach this as a "virgin" new install. 

Unfortunately, the Stream 13 is too light to use as a boat anchor.  But it's not much use to me now.  It was an engineering error to only equip the machine w 32GB and not allow for reconfiguring the reovery partitions to give the primary drive enough space to update Win 10.  

[David_J_W]

If the system does not have more than 4GB of RAM and you have no need to run software that is only available for 64 bit Windows, I would install the 32 bit version of Windows. The 32 bit version has a lower disk footprint, as the 64 bit version includes 64 bit and 32 bit libraries.

32GB is very small for the primary drive of a contemporary Windows machine, as you note. I struggled with a 128GB primary drive on my main machine in the early days of SSDs in 2010, though I can manage with a secondary device that only has 128GB. I'd really struggle with anything less even on a secondary device; it is far too easy to find yourself with insufficient space to install a major update. An additional consideration is that solid state drives typically slow down at some point over 75% full (exactly how full you can fill the drive before this slow down occurs depends on various factors).

[IT_WinSec]

---

@krikorr wrote:

thanks for your help.

(...) I'm wondering if I can somehow reformat the the PC's  

entire hard drive. And approach this as a "virgin" new install. 

---

If you want, you can approach this as a virgin installation. However, I think there will be no difference - it's just the installer file which goes corrupt during creation or download. Try the method above again on a stable Internet connection

Here are instructions for the "virgin" installation.

You will need :

- either 1 empty/blank USB thumb drive   OR  1 empty/blank DVD disk - different from the one you have issues with.

- Linux based operating system - free to download - e.g. Linux Mint

You can directly download Linux Mint from their web site:

Download the x64 ISO > https://linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=230

Save on your Desktop, for example.

Once ready, you need to write the ISO to make a bootable media (e.g. bootable DVD or USB drive). Here is how:

How to create bootable ISO on USB device >> http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows

or

How to write ISO to DVD >> http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/burn-a-dvd-on-windows

Instructions in the links are for Ubuntu, use them for example and reference only. Use the Linux Mint ISO file.

When ready with the USB drive or with the DVD:

* Boot into BIOS (if using HP computer, keep pressing F10 during boot process)

* Navigate to Advanced and boot options

* Ensure Secure Boot is disabled  (if applicable for your model)

* Ensure Legacy mode is enabled (if applicable for your model)

* Save the UEFI/BIOS changes.

(if applicable for your model) Details if you have an HP computer >> http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03653226

Eventually, please, shutdown the computer using the power button.

Insert the Linux Mint USB thumdrive prepared previously

Power on the PC.

As soon as you press the power-on button, keep hitting the Esc button (like tap-tap-tap).

This should open a HP Startup Menu

Choose F9 to open Boot options. Select the thumb drive as boot option.

Follow the on-screen instructions to start Linux Mint - do not install it

Linux Mint operating system should load.

- Click on the Linut Mint "Start button" / Mint button

- Type gpar and start GParted app

- Once it loads, on the right side check the drop down selection menu and

choose your 32 GB eMMC from there - it may be called elsewhere but the size is around 32GB

- Once it loads, select the  partition from the below list - may be called different and may be unknown file system

- Right click it and choose Unmount

- Once again, select the  partition from the below list and right click it and select Delete (if any partition found) . Confirm. Errors may appear because of the broken partition table.

- Once again, select the  partition from the below list. Click on Device. Choose to Create partition table and select msdos from the partition table list. Confirm

- Once again, select the  partition from the below list and right click it and select New

- Confirm to create FAT 32 partition and confirm

- Click on Edit -> Apply all changes. Wait and confirm. Errors may appear because of the broken partition table. If in any doubt, repeate the steps above

- Close GParted app and restart the PC using the Linux Start (Mint) button. Follow the on-screen instructions

FINAL STEPS:

Try reinstalling Windows 10

Hope this helps.

Let me know how it goes. Looking forward to your reply.

[krikorr]

Thanks for your reply.   Wish I had received  it earlier.  Frustrating that I have 128GB on micro SD that Win10 install won't allow me to select for Win 10 installation.

I finally managed to reallocat the partitions so I have 20GB free on primary drive and only  256MB for recovery partition.

BUT - Windows install still failed with mesage about required files are missing.  I think ISO file expects some file to be on PC. 

I then reformatted the primary partition so I can no longer use the WIN 10 ISO file created by the media instalation app.  

Error message says to contact PC manufacturer for installation software.

Thanks again for taking the time to help.

Be A Light

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