How to Restore ‘Couldn’t Create a New Partition or Locate an Existing One’ Error Message

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If you’re trying to upgrade an older version of Windows to Windows 10, you may encounter this problem. You can also get this issue if you want to install Windows 10 from an external device (such as a bootable DVD or flash drive).

Fortunately, the solution to this issue isn’t impossible to find, but you might have to try out a number of different methods before you’re able to solve the problem. Read through the steps below to learn how to start fixing the issue.

Why can’t I create a new partition or locate an existing one?

Creating a partition is one of the most basic tasks you can do with a computer. You use it to divide up a hard drive into smaller parts called “partitions.” Each partition contains data for a different purpose; for example, you might want to store files for work on one partition while storing personal information on another. But sometimes, even though you’ve followed instructions correctly, you still end up getting an error message saying something like “The operation could not be completed because the selected volume format is invalid.” This happens to many people every day. Here are some reasons why you might see this message:

• Your PC doesn’t have a free partition. If you’re trying to create a new division, make sure you don’t already have any existing sections. To check whether you have any partitions on your hard drive, open Disk Management. Click the Start button, type devmgmt.msc, press Enter, and select Device Manager from the list of programs. Then double-click the Hard Drive icon under Storage Controllers. If you see anything listed here besides Unallocated Space, you probably have a partition.

• There isn’t enough room left on the disk. Before you start making partitions, make sure there’s plenty of unallocated space left on the disk. If you run out of space, you won’t be able to create any partitions. Right-click the empty area of the disk where you’d like to create a new partition and choose New Simple Volume.

• The disk is damaged. If you see errors such as “Disk Error,” “Invalid Partition Table,” or “Unreadable Sectors,” this usually indicates that the disk is damaged. Try formatting the entire disk rather than just the partition you want to create. For more info about how to perform this task, see How to Format a Hard Drive.

• The disk needs reformating. If you see an error similar to “Error 0x0000007b: Can’t read partition table,” this usually indicates that your hard drive needs to be formatted. Follow the steps in Reformatting a Hard Drive to learn how to do this.

What is the purpose of partitions?

Partitions are used to separate data into different folders. This allows you to keep certain information safe, even if your computer crashes. You can use partitions to store documents, photos, music, video, and more.

When you partition your hard drive, it creates a folder for each type of file. For example, you might have one partition for pictures, another for videos, and a third for documents. When you restore your computer, you just need to access the correct partition. If you don’t have enough space on your hard drive, you can add more partitions to make room for more files.

How to get rid of the ‘couldn’t create a new partition or locate an existing one’ error message?

Disconnect all peripherals from the PC or laptop

When you encounter this error message while installing Windows 10, it could mean that you have some external devices connected to the computer. If you see this message, try disconnecting any peripherals connected to the device. Then, restart the installation process. This way, the installer will detect no such devices and proceed without any errors.

The partition needs to be activated

You’ve got a hard drive with multiple partitions. You want to make sure that one of those partitions gets used for something important. Here’s how to do it.

To activate a partition, you need to select it before activating it, just like you’d select a file in Windows Explorer. If you don’t know what a partition is, here’s a quick primer. A partition is a section of storage space on your hard drive. For example, there are four primary partitions on a typical PC: C:, D:, E: and F:. Each partition represents a different area of storage space on your drive. There might be another partition called G: that holds recovery tools.

If you try to access a partition that isn’t selected, you won’t see anything happen. But once you choose a partition, you’ll see a list of files and folders inside that partition. Selecting a partition doesn’t change anything about the data on that partition; it simply lets you view it.

Here’s how to activate a partition.

1. Open Disk Management.

2. Right-click the partition you want to use.

3. Click Properties.

4. In the General tab, click Change.

5. Choose Activate.

6. Confirm by clicking OK.

When you boot up your computer, the partition should show up in File Explorer.



Performing a repair on the installation

If you’re trying to install Windows 10 onto a computer that already has a version of Windows installed, you might run into issues. You could try installing Windows 10 again, but there’s another way around this problem. It’s probably easier than reinstalling Windows. To do this, follow these instructions:

1. Connect a flash drive to your PC. Make sure that the drive contains nothing else besides the ISO file for Windows 10.

2. Insert the flash drive into the computer and open the Disk Management tool.

3. Right-click on the partition where Windows 10 is installed and choose “Shrink Volume.” This will shrink the volume to make room for a smaller one.

4. When prompted, select the free space on the drive and click Shrink.

5. Once the shrinking process completes, right-click on the newly freed space and choose New Simple Volume.

6. Name the volume something like “Windows10_Drive,” and then click Create.

Making a new partition with “diskpart”

If the Windows 10 updating wizard wasn’t able to create a new partition for Windows 10 on your hard drive, you could try creating one manually. This guide explains how to do so.

The process is simple to comprehend, and it should fix your issue easily. However, there are some things you should know about this solution before you proceed.

First, note that this procedure will erase all files from your hard disk, including important documents and personal data. So, make sure you have backed up everything before starting this process.

Second, you’ll need to open Command Prompt. You can find it under the Accessories folder. Once opened, type “cmd.” Press Enter.

Third, type “diskpart”, and press enter. A list of commands will pop up. Type “list disk” without quotes. Press Enter. You’ll see a list of disks attached to your computer. Select the disk you want to work with and press Enter.

Fourth, select the disk number. For example, if you want to work with Disk 0, type “select disk 0” and press Enter.

Fifth, type “clean” without quotes. Press enter. Your command prompt window will change into another screen listing the following options:

Clean – Erase the entire disk.

List – Lists the partitions on the disk.

Clear – Clears the specified partition.

Format – Format the specified partition.

You can now start working on your partition. First, type “create partition primary c:” without quotes. Press Enter to create a new primary partition.

Choose the partition on which you wish to install Windows as the primary partition

If you have multiple hard drives installed on your computer, it might happen that you accidentally set the wrong partition as the primary bootable partition. This could lead to problems like the one described above because the system won’t start anymore. In such cases, there are two solutions to this problem. Either choose another partition to become the primary bootable partition or remove all partitions except the one you want to use.

In case you don’t know how to do this, here’s what you need to do:

1. Boot into your PC.

2. Press F8 repeatedly while starting up the computer.

3. Choose “Boot Menu.”

4. Select “Windows Setup” and press Enter.

5. On the next screen, select “Repair Your Computer” and follow the instructions.

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