can't install windows 8.1 on SSD; (but can install on HDD just fine..)

[vexingv]

i've been troubleshooting this problem for the last 1.5 days now and have no idea anymore...

i just bought a Zotac CI 520 nano pc (think NUC, but passively cooled. for use as an HTPC to downsize from a mATX sized system (Lian Li A05NB). i took the SSD from that previous system, a Corsair F60 60GB sandforce drive, and placed it into the new system. however, i have not been able to install windows 8.1 (via bootable usb flash drive) on that drive. i get to the prompt that asks me which drive/partition i want to install and i can go no further as i get errors like:
- "we couldn't create new partition"
- "we couldn't install windows in the location you chose. Please check your media drive..." error code: 0x80300002
- "we couldn't format the selected partition" error 0x80070057
-"we couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one"
---and so on and so forth...

the SSD is obviously functional as it was working fine. I can still use it when attached in other systems. i was even able to run the windows installer and install it when i reconnected it to the previous system.

things i've tried:
-formatting drive in Win 7
-formatting drive in OSX
-formatting drive in gparted
-unallocated partition
-single NTFS partition
-GPT (install using uEFI)
-MBR
-diskpart
-i suspected BIOS issue with accessing drive, but AHCI is the only option. i've tried both legacy and uefi
-essentially diskpart (via the startup/installation media) does not work with this drive although i was able to perform using it on other systems and also booting into a GParted live session

i don't have a spare SSD otherwise i would try that, but i know the drive is working as it works fine in other systems. i have been able to install windows onto an a spare 2.5" HDD that i had around, so it's not the system itself. which leaves me a few conclusions, something in the bios dealing with SSD or an incompatibility with this particular SSD. this device is pretty new to the market too so there's not too much by way of other users either.

help...
thanks


UPDATE 7/19/14
solved by using a different SSD; definitely some incompatibility with my Corsair F60 SSD

 

[Elixer]

It does sound like a BIOS issue, not much you can do to fix it... I would fire off a e-mail to Zotac support, and see if they can help you with a beta BIOS that fixes the problem.

 

[Burpo]

Update the F60 drive Firmware from your old machine. Install in new. Test..

http://www2.corsair.com/software/Force 2.0 Update/How To Force Series Firmware Update.pdf

 

[Dahak]

Also you can try to do the initial part of the win 8 setup on your old machine , after the first reboot, turn it off and move it to the new machine and see if setup continues or if there is any other issues

 

[vexingv]

thanks for the help. i tried the Corsair update tool before, and it told me i had no new firmware updates. but looking on the Corsair forums, there was a v2.4, which is more recent than the 2.0 firmware i was running. however, even after this upgrade i was not able to install on the SSD.

and i did try starting the install on another system. however, this new Zotac is the only Intel system i have, so i don't think basic platform drivers etc were installed thus the OS would not boot.

but i finally solved this problem by using a different SSD. i had an intel 320 SSD in an infrequently used netbook. i cloned the intel SSD to the Corsair SSD so that I could pull the intel SSD for use in this new system. SUCCESS. two days of troubleshooting. and this is obviously an incompatibility with the Corsair SSD (or Sandforce?)

although i did seem to exhaust all reasonable avenues, thanks for all the ideas/tips!