Windows installation via USB: missing drivers during setup

So, I just picked up a new rig. No CD/DVD drive, and there isn't even an internal header to hook up the old optical drive I have lying around...

I flashed a USB and tried running the install via USB about a million times. The PC sees it, starts the Windows installation, and then suddenly claims it's missing drivers. It’s like Windows just refuses to recognize the USB itself. Pretty hilarious considering my mouse and keyboard work perfectly fine, and they're both USB too.

Now I'm stuck. My external hard drive is at my brother's place and he won't be here until tomorrow, but even then, I have no clue how I'd install from it. He's got a massive amount of files on there, and if I have to wipe everything to make it work, I don't know if that's even feasible...

What should I do here? What options am I actually left with... and if I go the external hard drive route, what's the play?

Maybe via phone, but I'd have to root the thing, and I really don't feel like risking that right now... or maybe I could install Ubuntu, Linux, and then try to run Windows through that?

I even gave Windows XP a shot, but the machine just won't boot into it. Even when I select it directly in the BIOS, I just get a black screen with that little blinking underscore, and nothing happens no matter what I press.

Give this software a shot: Rufus

I actually used it once to get Windows 7 up and running because my DVD drive was acting up, and honestly, I didn't run into a single issue. Once you download the tool, it provides all the necessary instructions right there. Is it really that hard to just follow the steps? Not at all.

neonheron9 said:So, I've got this new PC—no CD/DVD drive, and I don't even have the internal cables to hook up my old one from home...

I flashed a USB and tried installing via USB about a million times now. The computer recognizes the drive, starts the Windows installation, and then suddenly tells me it's missing drivers. It’s like Windows just won't recognize the USB itself (which is pretty fascinating to me, since my mouse and keyboard work perfectly fine, and they're both USB)

And now I'm at a total loss... my external hard drive is over at my brother's place, and he isn't coming by until tomorrow, but even then, I'm not sure how I'd install anything through it. He has a ton of files on there, and if I have to wipe everything to make it work, I really don't know if that's feasible...

What would you guys recommend? What options do I actually have left? And if I do go the external hard drive route, how does that even work?

Maybe via phone? But I'd have to root the device, and I'm really not looking to take that kind of risk right now... or should I install Ubuntu, Linux, and then try to run Windows through that?

I even tried Windows XP, but the computer just won't boot into it—even when I select it directly in the BIOS. I just get a black screen with that little underscore, and no matter what I press, nothing happens.

First off, you didn't mention which version of Windows you're trying to install? You also didn't say which program you're using to burn the ISO (if it's a Windows ISO), or what your hardware specs are. Also, when the Windows installer complains about missing drivers, does it specify which ones? Maybe check the motherboard manufacturer's website first to see which versions of Windows they support and which drivers are available. Personally, whenever I'm moving an ISO onto a USB, I use Rufus—it's easily the simplest and best tool for the job..

Larry Ortiz5 said:First off, you didn't say which version of Windows you're trying to install. You didn't mention what software you're using to burn the ISO (if it's a Windows ISO), or even what your PC specs are. And when the installation throws those driver errors at you, does it actually specify which ones are missing? Go check the motherboard manufacturer's site first to see what they actually support and what drivers are available. When I'm burning an ISO to a USB, I just use Rufus. It's easily the simplest and best tool for the job.

Windows 7 Ultimate

I use Rufus to make my bootable USBs.

It doesn't list them specifically, but it's the ones needed to recognize the USB—basically some SATA drivers.

https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qim...t_to_webp=true

Carl Morris34 said:Give this a shot: Rufus

I used that once to get Windows 7 running because my DVD drive was acting up, and it was smooth sailing. Once you grab the tool, it walks you through everything. Just follow the steps. It’s pretty straightforward.

Did you already have an OS on that machine, or were you starting from scratch?

neonheron9 said:Windows 7 Ultimate

I usually just use Rufus to make my bootable USB

It doesn't specify which ones, but if the installer can't see the drive, it's likely a matter of needing certain SATA drivers...

https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qim...t_to_webp=true

Wait, you didn't mention which motherboard you're actually using? If Windows 7 isn't recognizing the drive at all, you might have to jump through some hoops to inject the hard drive drivers into the installation media. By the way—have you checked your BIOS settings to make sure it's set to Legacy instead of UEFI? Also, why not try installing Windows 10? It might be worth doing just to see if the installation actually goes through smoothly...

Larry Ortiz5 said:So what motherboard are we talking about here? You skipped that part. It’s totally possible that Windows 7 just doesn't recognize the drive at all, so you might have to go through the headache of injecting hard drive drivers into the installation media. Also, did you check your BIOS settings to make sure it's set to Legacy instead of UEFI? And seriously, just try installing Windows 10. At least then you'll know if the install actually works or not.

I tried both in the BIOS—it has Legacy + UEFI and just UEFI options. I even tried forcing the USB to run on just UEFI. It gets me into the installer fine, but once it hits that specific part, it just hangs.

The board is an MSI H110M PRO-D (S1151, DDR4, USB3.1, SATA III, DVI, Audio, LAN) mATX Retail

neonheron9 said:I tried both settings in the BIOS—both Legacy + UEFI and just UEFI... I even tried setting the USB to UEFI only. It actually lets me get into the installation, but once I hit that specific part, it just keeps throwing errors...

The motherboard is an MSI H110M PRO-D (S1151, DDR4, USB3.1, SATA III, DVI, Audio, LAN) mATX Retail

So, I'm looking at the support page for this board and Windows 7—at least that's what it says, even under the drivers section...

But then I stumbled upon this mention of WHQL Certified and Windows 10 Ready.
You get great compatibility and a worry-free experience when using Microsoft Windows 8 / 8.1 or Windows 10 with MSI Pro Series motherboards. They don't mention Windows 7 anywhere there..

Honestly, why not try downloading a Windows 10 ISO and using Rufus to make a bootable USB? If you still run into that same error, then the issue might actually be the USB stick itself... Just to help you narrow down where the problem lies. It’s either the Windows 7 installer or the flash drive, so give my suggestion a shot..

neonheron9, when that error pops up, just hit Cancel. Pull the USB drive out, plug it into a different USB port, and try the installation again.

Noah Miller6 said:Hey Sunny, when you hit that error, just hit >, pull out your USB drive, plug it into a different USB port, and try the install again.

I tried this exact trick about a year ago and it worked like a charm. Actually, I don't think I even needed to switch ports—I just used the same one and hit next, and it finally accepted it. Sometimes the issue is just having too many other things plugged in, you know? Like a mouse, a Wi-Fi dongle, all that stuff.
When I was installing Windows, I only had my keyboard plugged in and just navigated through everything using that.