Solved Can't install Windows on a SSD using Recovery USB drive

PCL2014

New Member
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6
I have just bought an Asus laptop N550JK-DS71T which comes with a 1 Tb HDD and Windows 8.1.
My intention was to swap the drive with a SSD. I have read that cloning the drive to the SSD is an option but I would prefer to use the Recovery USB drive that I created from this laptop.
After installing the SSD and rebooting with the Recovery USB drive plugged, it seems to boot fine on that USB drive and gives me the screen options below.

Would you have any suggestions on how to make it work? Is that even possible to install Windows using the Recovery USB drive in my situation or should I just go ahead and clone the drive, so that there is no issue with partitions.
Also should I try the Backtracker utility from Asus?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Screen 1:
IMG_3134.JPG

Screen 2: I select Reset PC
IMG_3135.JPG

Screen 3:
IMG_3136.JPG

Screen 4: No matter what I select here, I get the error shown in Screen 5.
IMG_3137.JPG

Screen 5:
IMG_3138.JPG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64 bit
Hi PCL2014,

I don't think it's possible to install Windows with a recovery drive. That's there so you can fix an existing copy.

I would go ahead and clone the drives. :)

-Chuck
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built/ Custom
    CPU
    AMD FX-6300
    Motherboard
    MSI 970A-G43
    Memory
    Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus GTX 750 ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP w2207h
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200 Hybrid Internal Hard Drive
    Crucial M500 240GB 2.5-inch Internal SSD
    PSU
    EVGA 500 Watt 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro Series H55 Quiet Edition Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    CM Storm Devastator - Red
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    Really fast.
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    AVG
    Other Info
    Logitech G230 Headset

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.
Thanks Chuck38 and genet for the quick replies!
I will try Backtracker from Asus and report the results.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64 bit
You never say what type of recovery drive you have. Was it the Windows version or one make with some ASUS utility?

But a Windows Recovery Drive can reinstall a system to a clean drive. But the drive is set up with a drive configuration file which sets the partitions. If you move to a smaller drive, you may be able to change that file. But I agree cloning the drive is probably your best bet. Just don't leave both drives connected after cloning. This assumes you have not made an image using some third party software.

I am unfamiliar with the operation of Backtracker, but several folks have been able to use it to overcome the problems encountered by ASUS systems during the 8 to 8.1 upgrade regarding Resetting or Refreshing such a system.
 

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
I have just bought an Asus laptop N550JK-DS71T which comes with a 1 Tb HDD and Windows 8.1.
My intention was to swap the drive with a SSD. I have read that cloning the drive to the SSD is an option but I would prefer to use the Recovery USB drive that I created from this laptop.
After installing the SSD and rebooting with the Recovery USB drive plugged, it seems to boot fine on that USB drive and gives me the screen options below.

Would you have any suggestions on how to make it work? Is that even possible to install Windows using the Recovery USB drive in my situation or should I just go ahead and clone the drive, so that there is no issue with partitions.
Also should I try the Backtracker utility from Asus?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Screen 1:
View attachment 52435

Screen 2: I select Reset PC
View attachment 52437

Screen 3:
View attachment 52438

Screen 4: No matter what I select here, I get the error shown in Screen 5.
View attachment 52439

Screen 5:
View attachment 52440

I made a Recovery Thumb Drive using the "copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive" on my ASUS laptop that had a factory OEM 8.0 install. When trying to Reset to an SSD drive the difference in size caused a "a required partition is missing" error message and it wouldn't work. That was with a blank drive. I even tried pre partitioning the drive, and that didn't work either. Likely as a result of what Saltgrass mentioned. I didn't know about back tracker so I never tried it. I ended up doing a clean install with a TechNet ISO. It read an used my embedded BIOS key automatically. Activated online with no issues too.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Thank you for everyone's feedback.
I am happy to report that using the Asus Backtracker utility worked perfectly!
The laptop is now very snappy and the process was painless.
Based on this experience, I recommend this method.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64 bit
Thank you for everyone's feedback.
I am happy to report that using the Asus Backtracker utility worked perfectly!
The laptop is now very snappy and the process was painless.
Based on this experience, I recommend this method.
:thumbsup:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built/ Custom
    CPU
    AMD FX-6300
    Motherboard
    MSI 970A-G43
    Memory
    Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus GTX 750 ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP w2207h
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200 Hybrid Internal Hard Drive
    Crucial M500 240GB 2.5-inch Internal SSD
    PSU
    EVGA 500 Watt 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro Series H55 Quiet Edition Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    CM Storm Devastator - Red
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    Really fast.
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    AVG
    Other Info
    Logitech G230 Headset
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