Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partit

[abinaykia]

Hello,
I was trying to install Windows 7. However, before doing so, I moved all my data onto the same hard disk on to a different partition. When I pressed the boot options and booted using a Windows 7 USB and tried to install, it gave me the error “Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition”. I formatted the C drive (thinking that would resolve my issue as I had data backed up on D and was anyways installing Windows again) and now do not have Windows on my system. I read on another forum that I would have to either
a) Convert my data drive D (my data partition) into a static drive from a dynamic drive or
b) I have to delete that partition all together.
I do not want to do the second. I do not even have DOS to back up my D drive and do option B. please tell me my options right now.
Can I
i) Install Windows on an external hard drive and try and get the data out of my inbuilt hard drive?
ii) I just downloaded a third party software called testdisk. I don’t know how to run it though as I get the error saying no OS found right now.
Or is there something else. I am very worried.
Thanks!

 

[BensTechTips]

Hello,

That's because the drive was partitioned prior to the Win-7 install. What you want to do, to have Win-7 install the 100MB MS hidden system reserved partition before the OS partition, is to start over as a clean installation. Choose Custom (Advanced), then when you come to the 'where do you want to install windows?' Delete all the partitions on this drive.

Also not have any other HDD connected, and if possibly make the USB drive folder Read Only, so the MS reserved partition doesn't get placed on it. Do you by chance have the DVD installation disk if need be?

Give that a try, and if all goes well, in Disk Management, you will see a 'hidden' MS reserved 100MB system partition, followed by your Win-7 OS, boot, crash dump, pagefile partition.