Cannot Install Windows OS on NUC10i5

[gdperkins]

I purchased a brand new NUC10i5FNH, added a SSD and 16gb of RAM (both Kingston). All the components are showing up correctly in the Bios.

I then created a windows 10 bootable USB on a OS X host via boot camp assistant, but the boot menu (via f10) fails to see the bootable USB with windows on.

Things I have tried:

- Updated the bios to the latest version

- Used different USB ports for the bootable device

- Enabling USB boot reads first in the bios settings

Can someone help me debug this issue and get windows installed?

Thanks in advance.

[AlHill]

You created your boot/install media on a non-windows platform.

On a WINDOWS machine, go here and let Microsoft create your media. 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)

[gdperkins]

Thanks for the quick reply. I don't believe creating the media on a windows machine is a prerequisite for installation, I have seen the method of using boot camp work with NUC previously.

[AlHill]

You came here asking for help installing Windows.  We have given you our recommendations.

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)

[gdperkins · Accepted solution]

Yeah thanks for your fantastic help (sense the sarcasm)!

Solved it myself anyway, using a combination of diskutil/hdiutil/rsync, all native programs on OSX.

[AlHill]

I am really happy for you.  But, the job will be easier if you follow the instructions next time.

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)

[gdperkins]

Which was impossible not having access to a windows machine.

[LeonWaksman]

1. I suggest you to reinstall Windows using the following method:
2. Please prepare your installation media (you need 8GB – 32GB USB stick), using Microsoft Media Creation Tool. This will install version 20H2.
3. Your bios should be set to default settings. Enter bios (press F2 during boot) and then press F9 (Y) to set defaults and F10 (Y) to save settings and exit.
4. With the installation media inserted into rear USB slot, power ON your NUC and repeatably press F10 to get Boot Menu.
5. In this menu, choose UEFI option of you Installation media.
6. Follow this tutorial to continue with installation.
7. In para. 9 you may enter Product Key from the Microsoft Distribution you bought .
8. Skip on para. 14 and continue in para. 15. Important, do not format drive where you want to install Windows, rather delete all existing partitions from this drive, till you see one unallocated space.
9. Press Next and continue with the installation.

Leon

[bathbunny]

I have the same problem.   NUC10i5FN, 32GB mem, 1TB M2 SSD stick on the board, 2TB WD blue SSD in the cage below.  Linux installs trivially and everything works, but a bootable USB stick with the official Windows 10 iso from microsoft.com (written under Linux) boots up, then informs me that my NUC does not have *any* storage media and refuses to do  anything more...

BIOS clearly shows both disks, Linux finds them immediately.   Does Windows need a special driver for SSDs?  (Am a an old-time Linux hand, but a newbie for Windows, having never used before, but need to install it for my wife; do not have access to a Windows machine.)

Your link for the way you solved it yourself does not show anything new -- could you repost?

Thanks!

[bathbunny]

Sorry, I re-read my post and realized that (i) my problem is different -- installer not seeing the SSDs rather than installer not booting -- and that I had forgotten to specify the NUC BIOS version (052) and the Windows 10 iso version (21H1, downloaded 9/26/21).

Problem: Windows installer starts, asks me to confirm language choice (English), then tells me I have no hard disk. 

[LeonWaksman]

Hi @bathbunny 

There is limited number of EFI boot entries that BIOS can store (if I'm not wrong 4-5 entries). So, could be that you have some old EFI Linux entries stored in your BIOS. Please see How to Remove Old EFI Boot Entries in Linux and check if you can delete some old entries using Efibootmgr in Linux.  Once BIOS cleaned from the old entries, use the instructions in my post above, dated Feb 17 2021 (paying attention on para 4-5) to install Windows 10.

Leon

[bathbunny]

Thanks for the very prompt reply!

Getting late here, so will work on it tomorrow morning, but just ran efibootmgr, which lists 3 entries (boot order is 0, 2, 3):

0000 ubuntu

0002 IPv4 Intel Ethernet

0003 IPv6 Intel Ethernet

so I can get rid of the last two.

[bathbunny]

Hello again.

It worked !    It seems to be another spectacular case of the error message (can't find any disks) being unrelated to the issue (could not create a new EFI entry, itself something I would never have thought of).

Thanks again for the prompt diagnosis and advice!