Help! Error 0x80070057 - Windows Could Not Format A Partition On Disk 0

I decided to do a clean install of Windows 7, 64bit yesterday. I have continuously run into this error: Error 0x80070057 - Windows Could Not Format A Partition On Disk 0. I originally thought my Kingston 64gb SSD went bad so I bought a new Seagate 2TB drive. Still getting this error regardless of what I try. I have enabled various forms of AHCI or IDE. I have swapped sata cables. I have spent countless hours googling. I have tried two different windows 7 disks. I have cleared the CMOS. I have an Asus P6X58D Premium Mobo with 16 gigs of RAM. I have tested the RAM. Only thing I haven't done is swapped out the BluRay drive with a stock DVD drive to see if that is issue. I could really use some help. Never been this frustrated with a PC before.

Are you installing off a USB key? I had a very similar error until I write-protected it. (I was using an SD card.) Suddenly, wham, everything worked.

I think the USB key ends up being 'the first hard drive' on some motherboards, so Windows tries to format it instead of the correct drive or something, and can't, because the disk is locked from being booted on. Somehow, write-protection bypasses the bug.

Malor wrote:

Are you installing off a USB key? I had a very similar error until I write-protected it. (I was using an SD card.) Suddenly, wham, everything worked.

I think the USB key ends up being 'the first hard drive' on some motherboards, so Windows tries to format it instead of the correct drive or something, and can't, because the disk is locked from being booted on. Somehow, write-protection bypasses the bug.

No just trying to install from the CD. Bought a 3rd hard drive. No joy, so definitely not the hard drive. The problem is all over the Internet. The solution isn't.

Another point - the drive is detected in the boot sequence and in the boot manager portion of the bios, but the only device listed in the sata devices is the BluRay drive. The HDD itself doesn't show in that portion of bios. Not sure if that matters.

So, just in case, you've disconnected all forms of USB storage, then?

You're trying to install onto the new hard drive, right? I'd suggest connecting only it for now, disconnecting the other drives. This is a good idea anyway; it makes sure everything ends up in the right place, on the new drive only. Otherwise, you can end up with a weird system that requires the old drives be present to even start.

Basically, you want the DVD and the target hard drive, and no other storage devices at all. And pop into the BIOS, and make sure the hard drive is in AHCI mode (ideally) or IDE mode (less ideal). If you can't see it in AHCI mode during the install, or if it still doesn't work, try IDE. Don't use RAID mode.

Another thing to check is the cable -- if you're using the same faulty (or loose) cable across both drives, that could easily be the issue.

Oh, another question: are you using that Kingston drive as a direct target for install, or do you have it set to accelerate another drive using the Intel acceleration stuff they added not too long ago?

Malor wrote:

Oh, another question: are you using that Kingston drive as a direct target for install, or do you have it set to accelerate another drive using the Intel acceleration stuff they added not too long ago?

The X motherboards?

Malor wrote:

So, just in case, you've disconnected all forms of USB storage, then?

You're trying to install onto the new hard drive, right? I'd suggest connecting only it for now, disconnecting the other drives. This is a good idea anyway; it makes sure everything ends up in the right place, on the new drive only. Otherwise, you can end up with a weird system that requires the old drives be present to even start.

Basically, you want the DVD and the target hard drive, and no other storage devices at all. And pop into the BIOS, and make sure the hard drive is in AHCI mode (ideally) or IDE mode (less ideal). If you can't see it in AHCI mode during the install, or if it still doesn't work, try IDE. Don't use RAID mode.

Yeah everything is disconnected, but the multimedia card reader thing. No USB drives etc...

Yeah everything is disconnected, but the multimedia card reader thing. No USB drives etc...

Disconnect that too, just in case. Those come back looking like drives, even when empty, and maybe that's related.

All I can tell you for sure is that I got a very, very similar symptom to yours, and it drove me MAD until I figured out to write-protect the SD card. (Talk about an obscure failure!) I spent hours on that one. I don't know that that's actually the problem in your case, but it's easy enough to check.

SATA cable, BIOS AHCI mode, and Intel acceleration settings would all be possibilities too. Well, actually, I think your board is one generation earlier than that, so that's not going to be causing it.

Ooh! I just looked up that motherboard, and it says you have an "ASUS Express Gate SSD". That's an actual, separate, physical drive that's present in the machine, and it could be giving you trouble. Try turning it off in the BIOS.

It looks like it's permanently mounted on the board, from what I can make out in the pictures, so I don't think unplugging it is an option. You can look and see if it looks pull-outable -- it's a little vertical chip sticking up between slots 2 and 3. But I wouldn't do that until it's either that, or losing hair from frustration. Just a software disable should be enough, for now.

Malor wrote:
Yeah everything is disconnected, but the multimedia card reader thing. No USB drives etc...

Disconnect that too, just in case. Those come back looking like drives, even when empty, and maybe that's related.

All I can tell you for sure is that I got a very, very similar symptom to yours, and it drove me MAD until I figured out to write-protect the SD card. (Talk about an obscure failure!) I spent hours on that one. I don't know that that's actually the problem in your case, but it's easy enough to check.

SATA cable, BIOS AHCI mode, and Intel acceleration settings would all be possibilities too. Well, actually, I think your board is one generation earlier than that, so that's not going to be causing it.

Ooh! I just looked up that motherboard, and it says you have an "ASUS Express Gate SSD". That's an actual, separate, physical drive that's present in the machine, and it could be giving you trouble. Try turning it off in the BIOS.

It looks like it's permanently mounted on the board, from what I can make out in the pictures, so I don't think unplugging it is an option. You can look and see if it looks pull-outable -- it's a little vertical chip sticking up between slots 2 and 3. But I wouldn't do that until it's either that, or losing hair from frustration. Just a software disable should be enough, for now.

Thanks, I will try all that before I pitch the whole thing from the roof and then set it on fire.

You can also boot into a rescue mode with Windows 7. Get into a DOS prompt and run diskpart and do a list disk. That will show you what is showing up as disk 0. Sounds like Malor is on the right track though.. you could be trying to install the 100MB system partition that Windows 7 makes when it installs

TheGameguru wrote:

You can also boot into a rescue mode with Windows 7. Get into a DOS prompt and run diskpart and do a list disk. That will show you what is showing up as disk 0. Sounds like Malor is on the right track though.. you could be trying to install the 100MB system partition that Windows 7 makes when it installs

Yep checked all that. Turns out the one thing I didn't do was disable the Marvell port controller and switch the SATA controller off the "enhanced ports" to the normal Gray SATA ports. Did that plugged drive into SATA 1 and bingo. Two days and several hundred dollars later Windows 7 is installing. First person who says well you wouldn't have that problem with a Mac gets one to the grill. Thanks for the help.

Ah, in that case, what you needed was a driver disk, so that Windows would recognize the higher-speed ports. You have a really high-end board, so they tend to assume you'll remember stuff like that, even years after you've bought it. *eyeroll*

Sorry I didn't think of that. I went down the wrong rabbit hole because it sounded so much like my problem, which I remember so clearly because of how intensely frustrated I was with it. ("this worked last week! what is going on?")

For what it's worth, that's a really kickass board, and I imagine a pretty kickass chip on it, so you'll likely be fat and happy with that machine for a long while yet.

Malor wrote:

Ah, in that case, what you needed was a driver disk, so that Windows would recognize the higher-speed ports. You have a really high-end board, so they tend to assume you'll remember stuff like that, even years after you've bought it. *eyeroll*

Sorry I didn't think of that. I went down the wrong rabbit hole because it sounded so much like my problem, which I remember so clearly because of how intensely frustrated I was with it. ("this worked last week! what is going on?")

For what it's worth, that's a really kickass board, and I imagine a pretty kickass chip on it, so you'll likely be fat and happy with that machine for a long while yet.

Yeah problem is I could not find that driver disk. I'm hoping now that I have the drivers from doing the install that I can switch the ports and take advantage of the speed boost. Debating putting the SSD back in as a windows boot disk vice using the WD HDD I bought.

Now I have to reinstall STEAM and all my other programs.

Ok just so everyone knows in case they have this issue or similar. The Marvell Controller for the SATA 6GB/s transfer rate and Windows 7 dont like each other. Also AHCI vice IDE is a sucking chest wound to get right. I had to use the normal IDE ports and disable the Marvell controller and set all the options to IDE vice AHCI to get everything to play nice. I havent tried reenabling the ports yet and using the special Marvell controlled ports because it has taken way too long to get a stable system and I am afraid, very afraid.

SpyNavy wrote:

Ok just so everyone knows in case they have this issue or similar. The Marvell Controller for the SATA 6GB/s transfer rate and Windows 7 dont like each other. Also AHCI vice IDE is a sucking chest wound to get right. I had to use the normal IDE ports and disable the Marvell controller and set all the options to IDE vice AHCI to get everything to play nice. I havent tried reenabling the ports yet and using the special Marvell controlled ports because it has taken way too long to get a stable system and I am afraid, very afraid.

yeah in general its always best to stick with the Intel on board SATA ports when you are installing.. unless you are going with a specific add-on RAID card or something..

Ouch, painful, thanks for the heads-up.

Current boards have actual Intel 6 gig ports, so that'll be easier.

AHCI is usually easy if you're set in AHCI mode when you first install the system. If you're not, and you want to convert from IDE to AHCI, you'd want to run through this quick procedure, which sets the AHCI driver to start earlier in the boot process.

Otherwise, the system starts, but it doesn't run the AHCI driver, only the IDE driver -- but there are no IDE disks, and it can't find the boot volume, and it either reboots or bluescreens, I forget which.

I was under the impression those Marvell ports worked okay, but I'm not sure I've ever actually used them myself. I've always reflexively plugged into the Intel ports whenever I had an option.