Windows 11 ARM Installation on HP Elite Folio 13.5 – No Keyboard/Mouse, Driver Missing

[svoecking]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to reinstall Windows 11 on an HP Elite Folio 13.5 (ARM) after a failed Windows update. Since the update, the device only boots into recovery mode, and none of the available recovery options (Startup Repair, System Restore, Reset, etc.) work. Therefore, I’m attempting a clean installation.

I created a bootable USB stick with two partitions:

• FAT32 for the setup files
• NTFS for the large install.wim file

The installation starts correctly, but once the setup window appears ("A media driver your computer needs is missing"), neither the built-in keyboard and touchpad nor any connected USB keyboard or mouse work. I’m unable to proceed with the installation or select drivers.

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

• Exported drivers from an identical working device using Export-WindowsDriver – some drivers were exported, but others failed due to file access errors.
• Manually copied drivers from the DriverStore folder.
• Integrated drivers into both install.wim and boot.wim using DISM.
• Tried external USB keyboard and mouse – also not working.

I suspect that essential USB or HID drivers are missing, which are required for input devices to function during setup. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find ARM-specific drivers for this model on HP’s support site.

Questions:

• Is there an official HP installation medium for Windows 11 ARM that includes all necessary drivers for the Elite Folio 13.5?
• Is there a recommended method to integrate the missing drivers so that input devices work during setup?

Thanks

Sven 

[Qsaifoddin]

Hi @svoecking

Steps for Clean Installation on ARM-based Devices

1. Ensure Correct Windows 11 Version:

   • Make sure you have the ARM-specific version of Windows 11. Standard x86 or x64 versions will not work on ARM devices like the HP Elite Folio.

2. Prepare the USB Installation Media:

   • Use Microsoft's Media Creation Tool specifically for ARM devices to create your bootable USB. The tool should automatically handle the file system requirements for both setup files and install.wim.

3. Format the USB Drive:

   • Start with a fresh format of the USB drive using a single FAT32 partition. Windows setup might not support multi-partition USB setups for boot installation.
   • If the install.wim file is too large for FAT32 (as FAT32 has a 4GB file size limit), split the file into smaller parts or convert it into install.esd. Some third-party tools can assist with splitting large WIM files or converting them, such as using DISM commands.

4. Re-create the Bootable USB:

   • Use the following steps to create your installation media properly:

     diskpart
     list disk
     select disk <your-usb-disk-number>
     clean
     convert gpt
     create partition primary
     format fs=fat32 quick
     assign letter=<your-choice>
     exit

5. Copy Windows Files:

   • After you've created a valid FAT32 partition and ensured there's adequate space, copy all of the extracted Windows setup files to the USB. Confirm that the install.wim fits or is converted/split if it's larger than 4GB.

6. Boot from USB:

   • Insert the USB drive into your HP Elite Folio.
   • Access the BIOS/UEFI (you might need to press a key like F10, F2, ESC, or DEL during startup).
   • Set the device to boot from USB. Ensure Secure Boot is enabled since Windows 11 requires it.

7. Install Windows 11:

   • Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 11.

If you encounter the "A media driver your computer needs is missing" error message during setup, it often indicates that the installation media might be outdated or missing necessary drivers. Make sure that you have the latest Windows installation files.

If issues persist, consider obtaining a USB installation with the correct architecture from another method or device. Always ensure you backup any essential data before performing a clean installation. If the problem continues, reaching out to HP support for this specific device model might provide additional insights or tools tailored for installation.