Windows cannot create a new partition when installing OS

Question

I have a Dell Poweredge r710 that recently had both hard drives on a RAID 1 fail (they failed separately, but no one noticed until I got hired and checked). I got both drives replaced and initialized but was unable to save the data on the drive. Fortunately it was just the OS. So I figured I could reinstall Windows Server 2012 r2 on it nice and easy. But then I got an error I'd never seen before....

"We couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one. For more information see the Setup log files."

I started googling the problem and found a bunch of potential solutions, none of which worked for me. I'll list them below.

1. verified my RAID was properly configured, initialized and formatted

2. using diskpart I reformatted the drive again and verified it was set as drive 0

3. deleted the existing partition when prompted to install Windows and created a new one

4. verified the USB stick with the operating system is USB 2.0 and is read only

5. went to the Dell driver site to try to find RAID drivers. I have been unable to find any RAID drivers that will successfully mount to the device.

Questions I have so far....

1. can anyone point me to RAID drivers they have confirmed will mount so I can rule out a driver problem during the OS installation?

2. If its not RAID related, what else could be causing this error?

3. I have been unable to locate the "setup log files" that the error said will have more information. Does anyone know where I can find those files?

DELL-Joey C · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Give these a try, SBUU (System Build and Update Utility) or SMTD (Systems Management Tools and Documentation).

https://dell.to/3h7vOiC

Alternative, you can try booting into Lifecycle Controller, for OS Deployment feature. I'm unsure if Windows Server 2012 R2 is listed in it, but worth a try.

gmckelvey · Answer

So my problem was my own fault.

the driver packages I found wouldn't read unless I used the Lifecycle Controller to run my OS installation. When I booted into the Lifecycle Controller and tried to install the OS and mount the drivers that way, everything installed properly.

What I had been doing was booting directly to the USB stick for the OS installer and my hardware was just old enough that the drivers weren't automatically loading.

Thanks for the help.

ridella · Answer

Thought I'd reply here as well as creating a new post. Same issue on an R710 and when I plug in the service tag, none of the SSU or other drivers or downloads seem to be compatible. I either get an error that they're not valid Dell drivers or that they're not compatible with that machine. If you have documentation for the download links above, I can try that again. Was able to update BIOS but that's it, and still unable to install any version of Windows Server or desktop due to the partition error

BIOS 6.60
IDRAC 6 w firmware 1.80.17
Backplane firmware 1.07
UEFI 2.21 (I believe)

Thanks.

DELL-Charles R · Answer

Hello ridella,

For installing OS I first recommend to confirm you are installing a validated OS for the R710

Your PowerEdge R710 supports these operating systems

https://dell.to/3LA5Whn

You can use the menu driven Dell Systems Build and Update Utility (SBUU) to create the virtual disk and install OS.

Dell Systems Build and Update Utility, v2.4. This is a bootable ISO.

https://dell.to/41HB2sP

Then in the OS you can use the DELL EMC Server Update Utility (SUU) to update drivers and firmware.

https://dell.to/4481vl6

Mount the ISO in the OS and Double Click suulauncher.exe

Then finally you may need to check the support page to get the most recent driver and firmware. The SUU may not get them all the way to current versions.

R710 Drivers and firmware.

https://dell.to/3Lvffiw

theflash1932 · Answer

RAID controller?RAID configuration?Which version of Server?Where exactly are you getting stuck? What is the exact message? Do you have a screenshot?

Felipe AO · Answer

Using Dell SBUU worked for me. Thank you so much.

PowerEdge HDD/SCSI/RAID

Windows cannot create a new partition when installing OS

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