Fix Couldn’t Format the Selected Partition 0x8004242d Error



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In addition to the error message “Failed to format the selected partition with error code 0x8004242d”, there is another similar problem that prevents people from reinstalling a Windows operating system from scratch. It says: “We were unable to format the selected partition with error code 0x80070057.

What are the causes? Be aware that such a formatting error usually indicates that your installation hard disk drive is damaged, Windows is incompatible with a mass storage controller or driver, a mass storage controller or driver is obsolete, a data cable is loose in your computer, there are hardware problems, or the hard disk drive on which you want to install the Windows operating system is a dynamic disk.

Delete all partitions

In most cases, this problem will be due to some form of corruption in the main startup plug. Either the extra partition that Windows needs is missing or it is corrupt.

Several affected users who are also experiencing this problem have reported that they were finally able to solve it by booting from the installation media and deleting each partition instead of trying to format it first.

This will not be a problem if you plan to do a completely clean installation anyway, but it does make it easier to lose data altogether in situations where you hoped you would not have to delete each partition.

Fortunately, if you want to back up your data safely, you can use the Windows system image backup feature before following the instructions below. To do so, follow the instructions below to create a backup of the system image.



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Once your important data is backed up, follow the instructions below to delete each available partition to solve the problem “Formatting of the selected partition failed” (error 0x8004242d).

Use the Diskpart.exe utility to clean the hard disk

To use the Diskpart.exe utility to clean the hard disk, follow these steps:

  • Insert the DVD into the DVD drive.
  • In the HDD selection screen, press SHIFT+F10. A command prompt window opens.
  • Type diskpart.exe, then press ENTER to open the Diskpart tool.
  • Enter the diskette from the list, then press ENTER. A list of available disks appears.
  • Enter the disk number salt and then press ENTER. The number is the number of the hard disk you want to clean. The hard disk is now selected.
  • Type det disk, then press ENTER. A list of the hard disk partitions is displayed. Use this information to verify that the correct disk is selected.
  • Make sure the disk does not contain any required data, type “clean all”, then press ENTER to clean the disk. All partitions and data on the hard disk are permanently deleted.
  • Type exit, then press ENTER to close the Disk Partitioning Utility.
  • Close the command prompt window.
  • Click the Refresh button to update the disk selection screen. This step lists the disk.
  • Run the Windows Installer to perform a clean installation of Windows.

Disable UEFI Boot Media

If all of the above fixes did not resolve the “Formatting of the selected partition failed” error, it is time to disable the UEFI boot media.

To disable UEFI boot media, simply reboot your PC, go to the boot menu and disable UEFI boot media. Save the changes and exit the menu. Now try to reinstall the Windows operating system and it should install without the “Failed to Format the Selected Partition (Error 0x8004242d)” error. Once the installation is complete, you can activate the UEFI boot media.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/trying-to-format-my-hdd-for-clean-win-7-install/709654ef-d6fd-4686-9145-a1e4bd5ee588?auth=1



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