Fixed: We Couldn't Format the Selected Partition | 0x8004242d Error [2021]
"I just can't get past the formatting attempt when trying to format my HDD for a clean install of Windows 10. Windows says 'Failed to format the selected partition. error: 0x8004242d', how to fix it?"
Error 0x8004242d usually comes up with an error message that states as, "Failed to format the selected partition. Error: 0x8004242d" on a popup window during the Windows installation process.
Quick Fix Navigation:
Here is quick navigation of all possible fixes. Try the next fixes to get rid of the 0x8004242d error from your computer now:
Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
---|---|
Fix 1. Format the selected partition under the bootable disk | Run EaseUS Partition Master > Go to the WinPE Creator...Full steps |
Fix 2. Delete Disk Partition, Create New Volume | Boot from Bootable USB > Delete all partitions > Create new volume...Full steps |
Fix 3. Clean Disk with Diskpart.exe | Run Command Prompt > Type diskpart > list disk > select disk # (# is disk number) > clean...Full steps |
Fix 4. Format Disk during Windows installation process | Run the install Windows setup > Accustom(Advanced) > Delete > Create > Format...Full steps |
Error 0x8004242d - Failed to Format the Selected Partition
If you are having the same issue of being unable to format a selected partition, don't worry. In this part, you'll learn the causes that prevent you from installing Windows OS on the target disk.
So what caused the 0x8004242d error during the Windows installation process? Check the list below.
Causes of 0x8004242d Error: Failed to or We Couldn't Format the Selected Partition:
- The setup disk has a corrupted file system error.
- Windows is incompatible with a mass storage controller or a mass storage driver.
- A mass storage controller or a mass storage driver is outdated.
- The data cable in the computer is loose.
- The hard disk which you want to install Windows OS on is a dynamic disk.
You May Also Interest In:

Windows Could Not Format A Partition on Disk 0 - 0x80070057
Besides the 0x8004242d error, there is another similar trouble, named 0x80070057, that may have prevented you from installing Windows OS. Click to fix it Now!

So how do you fix the 0x8004242d error - "Failed to format the selected partition" error and allow Windows to install on the target partition again? Follow to make your disk available for Windows installation again with the fixes in the next part.
4 Fixes for Failed to Format the Selected Partition | 0x8004242d Error
After figuring out the reasons that stop you from formatting the disk partition for Windows 10/8/7 installation, it's time to find the best solutions that can help fix the formatting error 0x8004242d.
Quick Fix: Open the computer case and check the connection cable > if it's loose, tight the drive cable > restart PC.
If this quick fix worked, congratulations and you can stop here. If not, don't worry. Move to the guide below, you'll fix this issue.
- Warning
- Note that the upcoming fixes may cause data loss. Please make sure you have created a backup of important files on your target disk. EaseUS file backup software can help.
Fix 1. Format the Selected Partition via EaseUS Bootable Disk
If the target disk contains file system corruption error or unknown disk errors, it sends the error message when trying to format the partition to install Windows.
Fortunately, you can download EaseUS partition manager software - Partition Master here to complete the format from a bootable disk, and then finish installing Windows without any trouble.
#1. Create an EaseUS Partition Master Bootable Disk
Step 1. Prepare a disc or drive
To create a bootable disk of EaseUS Partition Master, you should prepare a storage media, like a USB drive, flash drive or a CD/DVD disc. Correctly connect the drive to your computer.
Launch EaseUS Partition Master, go to the "WinPE Creator" feature on the top. Click on it.

Step 2. Create EaseUS Partition Master bootable drive
You can choose the USB or CD/DVD when the drive is available. However, if you do not have a storage device at hand, you can also save the ISO file to a local drive, and later burn it to a storage media. Once made the option, click "Proceed".

You have created an EaseUS Partition Master WinPE bootable disk now. You can manage your hard disks and partitions through the bootable drive whenever the computer fails to boot normally.
If you have RAID drives, load the RAID driver first by clicking Add Driver from the menu bar, which can help you add the driver of your device under WinPE environment, as some specific device cannot be recognized under WinPE environment without drivers installed, such as RAID or some specific hard disk.
#2. Boot PC from EaseUS Bootable Disk
Step 1. Connect the bootable disk USB to your PC.
Step 2. Restart PC and press F2/F8/Del to enter BIOS.
Step 3. Set EaseUS bootable USB as the boot drive, save the changes and restart PC.
#3. Format The Target Partition with EaseUS Partition Master
After booting your computer from the bootable disk, you can proceed with the formatting process with EaseUS Partition Master.
Here are the steps to format the target disk with the 'failed to format the selected partition' error:
Step 1: Run EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the hard drive partition you intend to format and choose "Format".
Step 2: In the new window, set the Partition label, File system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3), and Cluster size for the partition to be formatted, then click "OK".
Step 3: Then you will see a warning window, click "OK" in it to continue.
Step 4: Click the "Execute Operation" button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click "Apply" to start formatting the partition on your hard drive.
Fix 2. Delete All Partitions and Create a New Volume
If Fix 1 doesn't work, or the target drive contains a partition that is not supported by Windows, you may also receive this error during the Windows installation process.
To do so, you can still turn to EaseUS Partition Master for help:
#1. Create and Boot PC from EaseUS Partition Master Bootable Disk
Step 1. Create a bootable disk via EaseUS Partition Master.
Step 2. Connect the bootable disk to your PC and reboot the computer.
Step 3. Press F2/F8/Del to enter BIOS, and set the bootable disk as Boot Drive.
Step 4. Save the changes and restart the PC.
#2. Delete All Partitions
Step 1: Run and enter EaseUS Partition Master interface. Here you can right-click on the HDD or SSD disk and select "Delete All".
Step 2: Click "OK" to make sure that you want to delete all partitions on the selected disk.
Step 3: Keep all changes on your computer.
- Important
- Now, you can enter Disk Management and check if your target disk is Dynamic.
- If yes, you need to convert Dynamic to Basic disk first.
#3. Create A New Volume as NTFS
After making sure your disk is Basic, you can now create a new partition on the drive for Windows installation:
Step 1. Open Disk Management and right-click the unallocated target disk.
Step 2. Select "New Simple Volume", set a new drive letter for the disk, select "NTFS" as the file system.
Step 3. Set to add all space into one partition, click "OK" and click "Finish".
After this, you should be able to continue installing Windows OS on the target disk without the 0x8004242d error anymore.
Fix 3. Clean Disk with Diskpart.exe Utility
Cleaning the problematic disk using Diskpart would solve the format error. However, all the partitions and data on the disk will be permanently removed. Back up the drive if the data is useful.
Step 1. Launch a Command Prompt as administrator.
Step 2. Type diskpart into the Command Prompt window, and press "Enter".
Step 3. Type list disk and press "Enter".
Examine the output of the command to identify the number of the disk you want to clean.
Step 4. Type select disk # (replace the # with the number of the disk you are going to clean) and hit Enter.
Step 5. Type clean and press "Enter". This will delete all partitions and data on the selected disk!
When the "diskpart succeeded in cleaning the disk" message appears, you've wiped the disk partition.
Step 6. Type create partition primary and hit Enter.
Step 7. Type format fs=ntfs and hit Enter.
Step 8. Type assign + a new drive letter and hit Enter.
Step 9. Type exit and hit Enter to close Prompt Command.
After this, close the Command Prompt to continue installing Windows OS on the disk.
Fix 4. Format Partition during Window Installation Process
To fix the error like 0x8004242d or 0x80070057, you can choose to delete all partitions first, then create a new partition, and finally format the partition.
Step 1. Run the Windows installation setup program - like Windows installation media.
Step 2. Click "Install Now". Choose "I accept the terms of license", click "Next".
Step 2. Click "Custom(advanced)".
Step 3. Choose partition and click "Delete".
- Notice:
- If you have many partitions, please choose each partition for deleting. Then you can view an unallocated space. Select New.
Step 4. Delete the existing partition on the target disk, click "Create new partition" and select the new partition, click "Format"
What to Do after Fixing 0x8004242d Error? Install Windows on Your Disk
On this page, we collected 4 reliable fixes to help you resolve the Windows installation failure issue with the "Failed to format the selected partition. Error: 0x8004242d" error.
For an efficient and easy way out, EaseUS Partition Master can help you boot PC from a bootable disk and complete the format, getting rid of the 0x8004242d error from your target disk.
After this, the disk is viable for you to install Windows 10/8/7 without any further issues. For a step-by-step guide, you may refer to Fresh Install Windows 10/8/7 for help.
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Daisy is the Senior editor of the writing team for EaseUS. She has been working in EaseUS for over ten years, starting from a technical writer to a team leader of the content group. As a professional author for over 10 years, she writes a lot to help people overcome their tech troubles.

Author Jean has been writing tech articles since she was graduated from university. She has been part of the EaseUS team for over 5 years. Her special focuses are data recovery, disk partitioning, data space optimization, data backup and Mac OS. By the way, she's an aviation fan!
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I love that the changes you make with EaseUS Partition Master Free aren't immediately applied to the disks. It makes it way easier to play out what will happen after you've made all the changes. I also think the overall look and feel of EaseUS Partition Master Free makes whatever you're doing with your computer's partitions easy.
Read More -
Partition Master Free can Resize, Move, Merge, Migrate, and Copy disks or partitions; convert to local, change label, defragment, check and explore partition; and much more. A premium upgrade adds free tech support and the ability to resize dynamic volumes.
Read More -
It won't hot image your drives or align them, but since it's coupled with a partition manager, it allows you do perform many tasks at once, instead of just cloning drives. You can move partitions around, resize them, defragment, and more, along with the other tools you'd expect from a cloning tool.
Read More
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