When you’re trying to install Windows 10 or Windows 11, encountering the ‘No Device Drivers Were Found’ error can be quite frustrating. Fortunately, this issue is commonly due to missing or incorrect drivers and can often be resolved with a few troubleshooting steps. Here’s a breakdown of the top seven fixes to get past this hurdle and successfully install your Windows operating system.

1. Check USB Port and Media:

Start by ensuring the USB installation media is not corrupted and is properly connected. Try using a different USB port on your computer, preferably a USB 2.0 port over a USB 3.0, as sometimes the Windows installation media has issues with USB 3.0 drivers during the setup process.

2. Change BIOS Settings:

Access your computer’s BIOS settings by restarting and pressing the corresponding function key (commonly F2, F10, or DEL). Once in BIOS, turn off Secure Boot and switch SATA mode from RAID to AHCI if applicable. Additionally, enable Legacy boot options if they are available and disabled.

3. Update Your BIOS:

Sometimes an outdated BIOS can cause compatibility issues with newer operating systems. Visit your motherboard manufacturer’s website to download and install the latest BIOS version for your particular model.

4. Provide Storage Drivers Manually:

If you’re using a new SATA hard drive or SSD that isn’t recognized by the Windows installer, you may need to download the storage controller driver from the manufacturer’s website onto a USB drive. During installation, when prompted about drivers, browse to this driver on your USB drive.

5. Reformat Your Installation USB Drive:

If there might be an issue with how your installation USB was created, try reformatting it using FAT32 instead of NTFS. Then use Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool to recreate your Windows installation media.

6. Remove Extra Hardware:

Disconnect any non-essential hardware components that could potentially interfere with the installation process—such as external drives, additional hard drives besides the one you’re installing Windows on, and other peripheral devices.

7. Use Command Prompt Tricks:

If all else fails, boot into the Advanced startup options using your Windows installation media or recovery drive. Navigate to “Troubleshoot,” then “Advanced options,” and select “Command Prompt.” Here, you can use a variety of commands like ‘diskpart’ to prepare your drives for installation or repair potential issues.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the ‘No Device Drivers Were Found’ error during your Windows 10 or 11 installations. If none of these solutions work for you, it might be time to seek professional help as there may be deeper hardware-related issues at play.