Hello
On this page, you want to delete every single partition listed under disk 0, until they all merge into one unallocated space, then select that, to continue the install.
Trying to do a clean install of Windows 11 Pro, don't know what disk to use.
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MonsterouzGemini
20
Reputation points
Title basically sums it up, my PC was BRICKED and I couldn't even get to the login screen only the boot screen. Bought a USB today and installed the Microsoft creation media on it, and started to use it to go through the process of a clean install to save my PC. I chose Disk 0 Partition 3 as that seemed be the right choice, however I got an error at round 10 percent that said it failed. I wanted to know if I picked the wrong disk or my PC is just that ruined, and I should just try to buy a new one.
Windows for home | Windows 11 | Install and upgrade
2 answers
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor2026-03-22T19:26:20.8566667+00:00 -
MonsterouzGemini 20 Reputation points
2026-03-22T19:48:14.96+00:00 Did that, and the installation still failed. The installation got close to 100% (about 76%) but still failed, is there anything I can do?
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-22T19:53:44.23+00:00 Then the issue can be from something else.
You said your PC was bricked, what happened prior to that that led to this issue? Your harddrive/disk itself might have issues.
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MonsterouzGemini 20 Reputation points
2026-03-22T19:57:03.7966667+00:00 I made a reddit post that has the whole story + plus an update and more info on the situation. I'm not sure if you're able to access it, but here's the link: https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowsHelp/s/7edf3ZSqVl
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-22T20:12:22.74+00:00 I saw someone in that thread recommended that you ran chkdsk, did you recall the results? Did you run it with /r or /f handle?
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MonsterouzGemini 20 Reputation points
2026-03-22T20:22:12.71+00:00 I ran "chkdsk /f /r" and the response was "the type of file system is NTFS. Cannot lock current drive. Windows cannot run disk checking on this volume because it is write protected." However this was a day ago and I did a lot in an attempt to fix it afterwards.
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-22T20:39:53.0033333+00:00 Can you boot up with the USB again, then use the Shift + F10 key combo to launch Command Prompt. Then run - one at a time
diskpart list volume exitYou want to identify the internal SSD, not the USB stick, see what driver letter it is. Typically it is D drive.
Then try CHKDSK on the correct volume letter, for example.. see what the result says.
chkdsk D: /f /r -
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-22T21:01:21.4+00:00 Shoot,, sorry, somehow some of my comments weren't posted. I corrected.. particularly this section
Sorry about that. can you do that again.
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MonsterouzGemini 20 Reputation points
2026-03-22T21:12:33.0033333+00:00 Not sure if I used the right letter, but it just finished and it found no issues.
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-22T21:27:15.59+00:00 Oh it is actually C, so you want to run it under C:, not D.
chkdsk C: /r /f
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-22T21:28:04.5533333+00:00 Never mind, I saw you did run C:.
In this case, I suggest that you make the flash drive again with the Windows Media Creation tool - you used that tool right? Just in case the media tool itself is the issue.
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MonsterouzGemini 20 Reputation points
2026-03-22T21:30:43.7266667+00:00 Yes, I used the official tool from the Microsoft site. Could it be a problem with the USB?
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-22T21:31:54.0333333+00:00 Yes, it can be a possibility. If you can try another USB drive and go through the download, try that.
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MonsterouzGemini 20 Reputation points
2026-03-22T21:42:07.3566667+00:00 That's the problem, this is the only drive I have, I bought this drive today after all.
A Lexar 32gb USB that is type FAT32
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-22T21:50:36.1733333+00:00 You can always just redownload the installation files using the Windows Media Creation Tool first. Format the flash drive to NTFS or exFat file system, don't use FAT32. Then run the tool to download the installation files again.
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MonsterouzGemini 20 Reputation points
2026-03-23T00:18:43.1233333+00:00 It still failed, I tried converting it to NTFS in multiple ways but it still won't work. I tried using the command "convert (drive letter): /fs:ntfs" and formatting on the other Microsoft device multiple times.
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-23T00:21:36.02+00:00 It doesn't have to be NTFS, exFAT would do.
If it still fail, see if you can borrow a flash drive or get a different one to try.
Otherwise there's a chance that this can be RAM or GPU issue too judging by what you posted in Reddit. You might need repair in this case, because clean install process cannot be a Windows issue considering Windows is not installed yet.
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-23T00:23:13.2066667+00:00 Also, if you can bring up command prompt again, while it is in X drive, run this:
dir /wShare a picture so I can see what is there.
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MonsterouzGemini 20 Reputation points
2026-03-23T00:35:36.32+00:00 These are the results of dir /w
Formatting the drive to exFAT may take awhile since the device I'm using to do it is really slow.
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-23T00:40:33.01+00:00 Ok, you are in the sources folder. Run these one by one:
cd.. dir /w -
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-23T00:59:40.2433333+00:00 See if you can run this
CD C:$Windows.~BT\Sources\ -
MonsterouzGemini 20 Reputation points
2026-03-23T02:15:48.9233333+00:00 Unless I did it wrong, nothing popped up after I used the command. After the C: there were no spaces.
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EmilyS726 224.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-23T02:17:47.4233333+00:00 I was hoping to see if it might have some log file to review.. but looks like that's not the case.
You might want to try a different USB if you can.. otherwise you would need repair to rule out RAM or GPU issue. , not a software issue.
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Q&A Assist2026-03-22T18:54:40.0133333+00:00 AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn moreDisk 0 Partition 3 is the main data partition on Disk 0, but for a clean install of Windows 11 the recommended approach is not to pick a single existing partition. Instead, delete all partitions on Disk 0 so Windows can recreate the correct layout automatically.
This performs a full wipe of Disk 0, so any data on that disk is lost. If anything on Disk 0 must be saved, back it up first.
Steps from Windows 11 Setup:
- On the “Where do you want to install Windows?” screen, select each partition on Disk 0 (Partition 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) one by one and choose Delete.
- Do not delete anything on Disk 1 (your USB install media).
- When finished, Disk 0 should show a single entry: Disk 0 Unallocated Space.
- Select Disk 0 Unallocated Space and click Next.
- Setup will create the required System, MSR, Recovery, and Primary partitions and start the installation.
If installation still fails after wiping Disk 0, use the same setup screen, press Shift+F10, run
diskpart, and uselist diskto confirm the drive is detected. If the disk is detected but install continues to fail, follow the guidance to clean the disk with Diskpart (cleanorclean all) and then rerun Windows Setup.If Windows Setup or Diskpart cannot see or work with Disk 0 reliably, that indicates a disk or hardware problem rather than choosing the wrong partition.
References:
- On the “Where do you want to install Windows?” screen, select each partition on Disk 0 (Partition 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) one by one and choose Delete.