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Shakeare's avatar
Shakeare
Iron Contributor
Jun 24, 2025

We couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one

Trying to install Windows 11 on my hard drive from a bootable USB, which was created with the help of Windows 11 Media Creation Tool. Everything went fine until the phrase for selecting a disk partit...
configuration
Nobel_Baynes's avatar
Nobel_Baynes
Iron Contributor
Jun 24, 2025

The error "We couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one" during a Windows 11 installation usually appears when the installer can't access or configure the target disk partition properly. Here's how you can fix it.

Fix 1: Disconnect All Other Drives

Unplug all external hard drives, USB sticks, and other storage devices except:

  • The USB with Windows 11 installer
  • The hard drive/SSD you're installing Windows on

Restart the installation process. This eliminates conflicts that might confuse the installer about where to create the partition.

Fix 2: Set the Drive as Primary & Active (for MBR disks)

Only for MBR-formatted drives, not GPT. In Command Prompt (Shift + F10):

diskpart
list disk
select disk 0   (or your target disk)
list partition
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs=ntfs quick
exit

Fix 3: Use Another USB Port or Recreate Bootable USB

If you’re using a USB 3.0 port, try a USB 2.0 port instead.

Recreate the bootable USB using Rufus with these options:

  • Partition scheme: GPT (for UEFI)
  • File system: NTFS or FAT32

Let me know which scenario applies to your setup, and I can walk you through the most appropriate fix in more detail.

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