Fix: The Drive where Windows is installed is locked Windows 10

If you’ve been locked out of your Windows 10 computer because of the “The drive where Windows is installed is locked” error, don’t worry. There are a few ways you can fix this problem.

First, try restarting your computer and entering your password again. If that doesn’t work, you can try using a password reset disk or changing your password from an administrator account.

If you’re still having trouble, you can use a Windows 10 installation disc to access the Recovery Console and fix the problem.

Whatever method you use, make sure you follow the instructions carefully. With a little patience, you should be able to fix the “The drive where Windows is installed is locked” error and get back to using your computer.

If you’re seeing the error message “The drive where Windows is installed is locked” when you try to install Windows 10, it’s because the Windows installation process is trying to access files on the drive that are currently in use. This can happen if you’re trying to install Windows 10 on a drive that already has another operating system installed on it.

To fix this, you’ll need to use the Command Prompt to unlock the drive. Here’s how:

1. Boot into the Recovery Console.

2. At the Command Prompt, type the following command:

lockvol /d

3. Press Enter.

4. Type exit and press Enter to reboot your computer.

You should now be able to install Windows 10 on the drive without any issues.

Table of Contents

What Causes the Error?

The “The Drive where Windows is installed is locked” error can occur for a few reasons. The most common reason is that the BIOS is configured to boot from a drive that is locked. Another possible reason is that the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store is corrupted.

The BIOS is the first thing that starts up when you turn on your computer. It is responsible for initializing the hardware and loading the operating system. If the BIOS is configured to boot from a drive that is locked, you will see the “The Drive where Windows is installed is locked” error.

The BCD store is a database that stores information about the boot configuration. It is used by the Windows bootloader to load the operating system. If the BCD store is corrupted, you may see the “The Drive where Windows is installed is locked” error.

If you see the “The Drive where Windows is installed is locked” error, you can try to fix it by reconfiguring the BIOS or repairing the BCD store.

How to Fix the Error

If you receive the error message “The drive where Windows is installed is locked. Unlock the drive and try again”, it means that the Windows Boot Manager (BOOTMGR) is locked. This can happen for a number of reasons, but most commonly it is due to a corrupt or damaged boot partition. In order to fix this error, you will need to unlock the boot partition and then try again.

There are a few different ways that you can unlock the boot partition. One way is to use the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE). To do this, you will need to boot from your Windows installation media and then select the “Repair your computer” option. Once you are in the Windows RE, you can use the “Bootrec” tool to fix the boot partition.

Another way to fix the “The drive where Windows is installed is locked” error is to use the “Diskpart” tool. This tool is included with Windows and can be used to modify the partition structure of your hard drive. To use the Diskpart tool, you will need to open a command prompt and then type the following commands:

DISKPART> list disk

DISKPART> select disk 0

DISKPART> clean

DISKPART> create partition primary

DISKPART> format fs=ntfs quick

DISKPART> active

DISKPART> exit

Once you have used the Diskpart tool to create a new boot partition, you should be able to install Windows 10 without any issues.

Other Methods of Fixing the Error

Other methods of fixing the error include using a Windows installation disc to access the Windows Recovery Environment and using the Command Prompt to fix the issue.

If you don’t have a Windows installation disc, you can create a Windows Recovery Environment USB drive. To do this, you’ll need a blank USB drive with at least 4 GB of storage. Once you have the USB drive, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Microsoft Download Center and download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.

2. Run the Media Creation Tool and select the option to create a bootable USB drive.

3. Select the USB drive you want to use and follow the prompts to create the bootable USB drive.

4. Once the process is complete, boot your computer from the USB drive.

5. Select the option to repair your computer.

6. Select the Command Prompt option.

7. At the Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter:

bootrec /fixmbr

8. Reboot your computer and check to see if the issue has been resolved.

If the issue persists, you can try using the Command Prompt to fix it. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Boot your computer from a Windows installation disc or a Windows Recovery Environment disc.

2. At the Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter:

bootrec /fixboot

3. Reboot your computer and check to see if the issue has been resolved.

Conclusion

If you’re seeing the error message “The drive where Windows is installed is locked” when trying to install Windows, it means that the installer can’t access the hard drive where Windows is installed. This can happen for a number of reasons, but the most common one is that the hard drive is locked by a third-party application.

To fix this, you’ll need to unlock the hard drive using a third-party tool like DiskGenius or DiskInternals Linux Reader. Once the hard drive is unlocked, you should be able to install Windows without any problems.

How Mobile