You usually get the “A media driver your computer needs is missing” error whileinstalling Windows on your systemif you have a corrupt or incompatible installation media.
This incompatibility can be due tofirmware conflictsor amissing SATA/IDE/RAID/USB driver.
However, aloose USB connectionmay also cause it in some cases, and it onlyneeds a replug.
To fix A Media Driver Your Computer Needs is Missing error,verify some BIOS settings,include necessary drivers,andrecreate the installation mediaaltogether.
Let’s move right into the individual fixes, starting with the quickest one.
Replug the USB Drive
It is possible to get this error due to a loose connection or other port issues. On one of my old computers, I resolved this error by plugging the USB installation media into another port instead.
If you browse through internet forums, you’ll find that some people could continue the setup by re-plugging the USB drive after clickingCancelon the error.
So before trying out other methods,reinsert your USB driveorswitch to adifferent USB port(use 2.0 as well as 3.0 ports) as a quick fix.
Change BIOS Mode
The usual methods to create a Windows installation media at present, like Media Creation, create aGPT-compatibleinstallation drive that only works withUEFI BIOS mode.
So check your BIOS and ensure thatUEFI Mode is enabled. For modern motherboards, you may need to disable theCompatibility Support Module (CSM)for the Storage drives. The steps are:
Re-create Installation Media
Another possible reason for this error is an improperly created installation media. It can happen due to the following causes:
The best option to prevent such issues is to use the Media Creation Tool on another Windows system tocreate the bootable media. To do so,
If you want to use a pre-downloaded ISO file,compare its current hash to that provided on the download pagefirst. UseGet-FileHash “Path of ISO file”cmdlet onPowerShellto check the current hash signature.
Then, use a reliable applike Rufus(onWindows) or Ventoy (especially onLinux) to create proper bootable media. If one app doesn’t work, try other alternatives if applicable.
Load Chipset-IDE/SATA or RAID Drivers
Usually, the installation media will contain all the necessary drivers. If it doesn’t, you won’t see the disk/drive during the installation and may instead get the above or similar error message.
Here, the installation media may not have proper drivers for your motherboard’s SATA or IDE. In such cases, go to yourmotherboard’s support pageand download the drivers for yourChipset-IDE or SATA.
you may store them on the same or a different USB device. Then,load these driverswhile installing Windows. Click onBrowseafter getting this error and select the necessary driver to do so.
If you are trying to install Windows on a RAID array, you will need the appropriate RAID drivers instead. I highly recommend checking out ourHow to Download and Install RAID Driversguide to learn the complete process.
Change USB Drive
You may also encounter this issue if yourUSB drive has some corrupt sectors. Tryusing another driveif the previous one doesn’t work properly.
you may also connect it to another computer andrun CHKDSK to repair any possible corruption. Then,recreate a new Windows setupon the drive since the old one may be missing some data.
