Solved Unable to Refresh or Reset, drive locked

Nuccii

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Have decided to take the plunge to reset my computer (because Windows Store would not open):(. Booted from the installation disk but cannot Reset or Refresh, I get "The drive where Windows is installed is locked. Unlock the drive and try again."

Never used Bitlocker and chkdsk checks out OK. My mind is not working on all cylinders today and unable to resolve.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
you could try this:

diskpart
list volume
select volume xxx (where xxx is the write protected problem drive)
attributes volume clear readonly

EDIT: If you are already booting from installation disk you could just format and do a clean install (just a thought). It might be quicker.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
It may have to do with the OS version. So you are running 8.0 or 8.1 and the Install Media is 8.0 or 8.1.

It might also be related to using the Install media. May be you need to sign into the recovery environment. I saw that message once, but I don't remember exactly why.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Grown
    CPU
    i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77 -v Pro, Z87-Expert
    Memory
    16 G
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 680 Classified (2)
    Hard Drives
    Kingston SSD 240 GB
Diskpart didn't do anything so did a clean install, a long affair. All my keys were upgrade keys, I reinstalled from a Win 8 disk I had and had to go through the long process of updating to Win 8.1 update 1. Naturally had to purchase a full version of Win 8.1 which I will receive in about a week, for now I am running without a key. MS no help in this, transferred my from person to person. My system backups were useless as they also contained the contamination. Now in the process of reinstalling all my apps, bummer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
All my keys were upgrade keys, I reinstalled from a Win 8 disk I had and had to go through the long process of updating to Win 8.1 update 1.

How to download Windows 8.1 Update and clean install Windows 8.1 Update, if you have a Windows 8 product key? -> link
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G580
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3230M
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, standard user account
    Other Info
    UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8 product key.
As I said, an update or upgrade key is good only if there was a prior version of windows in the computer and there is the problem. I formatted the drive before I reinstall windows and according to MS the key is not valid in this case as it was not an upgrade.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
As I said, an update or upgrade key is good only if there was a prior version of windows in the computer and there is the problem. I formatted the drive before I reinstall windows and according to MS the key is not valid in this case as it was not an upgrade.


This work because there is no Windows 8.1 upgrade product key, so you can activate with a Windows 8 upgrade product key, if you clean install Windows 8.1.

How to download Windows 8.1 Update and clean install Windows 8.1 Update, if you have a Windows 8 upgrade product key? -> link
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G580
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3230M
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, standard user account
    Other Info
    UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8 product key.
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