Optiplex 9010 hard drive replacment

In the BIOS, verify it is set to UEFI.

Also, change from from RAID to AHCI.

Be sure SSD is completely erased and uninitialized (no partitions). It should be only disk connected for now.

Drive is empty and no partitions.

Changed fro RAID to AHCI, not sure where to set UEFI, but I think it's set. Still doing the same thing.

Re: I installed the same internal SSD I'm using on my own custom built tower, and I can get it to boot from the USB with my Windows files, but it keeps asking me for a driver. I have a second pen drive with every driver Dell lists for this machine on it and it still tells me it cannot find any drivers

It sounds like you want to replace the original hdd with your own ssd and do a clean install which means a quick wiping of all old data on the ssd.

I suggest you use a usb flash drive (at least 8G),  first download official MS Windows 10 installation media creation tool on a pc to prepare installation media on the usb.  All old data on the usb drive will be erased in this process.

Press F12 in 9010 after power on and select either legacy or UEFI for the usb mass storage device.  Choose custom/advanced install option, delete all old partitions on ssd, proceed to install.

If your 9010 cannot see the usb prepared by MS tool, try replace cmos battery with a new battery and clear cmos settings via motherboard RTCRST jumper.

check bios>sata operation. If it is RAID, change it to AHCI.  Save changes. Exit bios.

re: I want to replace the original HDD with an SSD. I have a brand new, and supposedly blank SSD and I wish to do a clean install.

first remove the hdd from system, install only the ssd.

re: I am not being given an "advanced/custom install" option, just install or repair computer.

Are you seeing the second screenshot as shown below?

the following screens are what you are supposed to see if pc is booting from usb drive prepared by MS media creation tool.  Follow the annotated guide to proceed to clean install.

Correct. I want to replace the original HDD, which I believe is starting to fail, with an SSD. I have a brand new, and supposedly blank SSD and I wish to do a clean install.

I placed the new SSD in the Optiplex, with a USB drive created using the WIndows 10 media creation tool.  The 9010 is set to legacy boot in the BIOS.

I am not being given an "advanced/custom install" option, just install or repair computer. I believe it is seeing the USB since with it I get the install program, without it I get a no system disk error.

I am beginning to worry about the new SSD. I installed it as a secondary drive in my own desktop, leaving my system drive hooked up and putting it in place of my file drive and I had to go in and reset my boot options. Even after the new drive was disconnected and everything put back it would boot into Windows Repair, until I went and manually selected my system drive to boot from.

@redxps630 

I get to screen shown in your second screen shot, hit install, and on the next screen, rather than being asked for a product key I get this message:

Not my screen shot, but that is the text of the message I get, give or take a hard drive driver being mentioned as well.

Do you have more than 1 drive installed on the 9010? If so disconnect all drives except the intended boot drive where you are installing Windows 10.

Also have you tried changing from Legacy boot to UEFI?

Found UEFI setting, selected, re-tried, still have the same issue.

It was the only drive connected at the time. The original drive is still physically installed, but I only have the cables to hook up one at a time.

Tried remaking the install media on a different pen drive, and it took it. Either my install media was corrupt, or it just didn't like that pen drive.

good. so in the end the problem was a bad flash drive or bad installation media you used the first time.

The flash drive has to be formatted to FAT32.  Not sure about the one that didn't work.