How to fix Windows installation error 0x80300002?

Windows Setup shows 0x80300002 when it refuses the drive or partition you picked on the "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen. Old partitions, a second drive or a stick started in the wrong firmware mode cause most cases. Delete the target drive's partitions, unplug other drives and start the stick from its UEFI entry.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2 and Windows 10 22H2 Setup started from a USB stick, against Microsoft's guide to the MBR and GPT partition styles and two Microsoft Q&A cases with 0x80300002.

What Windows installation error 0x80300002 means

The code comes from Windows Setup during a clean install, not from a running Windows. You started the PC from a USB stick or DVD, chose Custom, picked a drive or partition and selected Next. Setup then refused that location before copying anything, so your drive is still as it was.

Why Windows Setup refuses the drive with 0x80300002

Microsoft lists no causes for this code. The ranking below joins Microsoft's partition style rules for Setup with the answers given in Microsoft Q&A threads about 0x80300002. Each cause points to one fix.

How to fix Windows installation error 0x80300002

Fix 1 and Fix 2 solve most cases in minutes, but Fix 1 erases the target drive, so save your files first. Fix 3 and Fix 4 match the firmware mode and the drive, which is what helps when a wiped drive still fails. Fix 5 replaces the stick, and Fix 6 tells you when the hardware is at fault.

Fix 1. Delete the old partitions and install to the Unallocated Space

5 minutesRead the warningYou are reinstalling on a drive that held Windows before, and you picked one of its partitions.

Microsoft's steps for Setup are to delete each partition on the target drive and select the unallocated space. Setup then creates the partitions it needs in the style that matches how the PC started, instead of reusing a layout it refused.

1. Boot from the Windows install stick and go through Setup until the installation type. Select Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).
2. On Where do you want to install Windows?, find the target drive by its size, for example Drive 0.
3. Select its first partition, select Delete and confirm with OK. Repeat for every partition of that drive.
4. When the drive shows a single line, Drive 0 Unallocated Space, select it.
5. Select Next. Do not use New or Format first: Setup creates and formats the partitions itself.

Fix 2. Unplug every drive except the target and the install stick

5 to 15 minutesLow riskThe drive list shows more than one drive, or a USB hard drive, SD card or phone is connected.

With several drives, Setup can try to place its boot files on a drive you did not choose. The Windows MVP answering a Microsoft Q&A thread on 0x80300002 starts with this step, and Microsoft warns against deleting partitions on the wrong drive.

1. Shut the PC down fully and unplug USB hard drives, card readers, SD cards and phones. Keep only the install stick, keyboard and mouse.
2. On a desktop, with the power cord out, unplug the data cable of every internal drive you are not installing to.
3. If the cables are hard to reach, disable the other drives or their ports in the firmware setup instead.
4. Boot from the stick again. Where do you want to install Windows? should now list only the target drive.
5. Repeat Fix 1 on that drive and select Next.
6. Reconnect the other drives after Windows has finished its first start.

Fix 3. Start the stick in UEFI mode and convert the drive to GPT

10 minutesRead the warningThe target drive is already one Unallocated Space (or you ran diskpart clean), and 0x80300002 still appears.

Microsoft explains that the drive's partition style must match how the PC started: GPT for UEFI, MBR for legacy BIOS. The most helpful answer in a Microsoft Q&A thread on 0x80300002, after clean had failed, was a stick started in the wrong mode, fixed by picking the UEFI USB entry.

1. Plug in the install stick and restart the PC.
2. Press the boot menu key shown on the start screen or in your PC maker's manual.
3. If the stick is listed twice, pick the entry with UEFI in its name, for example UEFI: USB. A plain USB entry starts it in legacy mode.
4. On the first Setup screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
5. Type diskpart and press Enter, then list disk and press Enter. Note the target drive's number by its size.
6. Wipe and convert that drive. Press Enter after each line and replace 0 with your disk number:

   select disk 0
   clean
   convert gpt
   exit

7. Close the command prompt, choose Custom, select the Unallocated Space and select Next.

Fix 4. Reset the firmware and set UEFI, CSM off and AHCI

10 to 15 minutesLow riskThe stick shows no UEFI entry, the PC was built or repaired recently, or the SATA mode is RAID or Intel RST.

The install checklist from a Windows MVP in Microsoft Q&A for 0x80300002 is to update or reset the firmware, set the SATA controller to AHCI, enable UEFI and disable CSM or Legacy BIOS. A wrong storage mode or a legacy start keeps Setup away from the drive layout it expects.

1. Restart the PC and press the firmware key shown at start, often Del, F2 or F10.
2. Find Load Setup Defaults, Load Optimized Defaults or a similar entry, confirm with Yes, then save and exit.
3. Open the firmware setup again. Set the boot mode to UEFI and turn CSM or Legacy support off, if your firmware has these options.
4. In the storage settings, set the SATA mode to AHCI, unless the PC maker's manual says the PC needs RAID or Intel RST.
5. Save with F10 or Save and Exit, boot the stick from its UEFI entry and repeat Fix 1.
6. If the PC maker offers a newer firmware version, install it with the maker's own tool and instructions first.

Fix 5. Make a new install stick with Microsoft's tool and use a rear USB port

30 to 45 minutesLow riskThe stick was made with a third-party tool or from an old download, or Setup also shows copy or read errors.

One Microsoft Q&A answer on 0x80300002 suspected corrupt install media, and a stick built only for legacy start gives no UEFI entry. A fresh stick from Microsoft's own tool rules both out.

1. On a working PC, open Microsoft's Download Windows 11 page (or Download Windows 10) and download the Media Creation Tool.
2. Plug in a USB stick of at least 8 GB. Everything on it will be erased.
3. Run the tool, accept the license, choose language and edition, then USB flash drive and your stick.
4. On the failing PC, plug the new stick into a port on the back, directly on the motherboard, not a hub or front panel.
5. Boot it from its UEFI entry as in Fix 3 and repeat Fix 1.

Fix 6. Check the drive, its cable and the motherboard

20 to 45 minutesLow riskThe drive vanishes after Refresh, diskpart can clean but not convert it, or nothing else has helped.

In a Microsoft Q&A case, the SSD disappeared after Refresh, and create partition, format and convert gpt all failed with The specified device doesn't exist. The PC maker's support found a faulty motherboard and replaced it. No partition fix helps when the hardware drops the drive.

1. Turn the PC off and unplug it. Reseat the drive's data and power cables, or move the SSD to another M.2 or SATA slot and another SATA port.
2. Boot Setup again and watch whether the drive stays in the list after Refresh.
3. If it still drops out, connect the drive to another Windows PC with a USB adapter or enclosure and look at it in Disk Management.
4. On that PC, check the drive for errors: Check a disk for errors (chkdsk). Then run the drive maker's own test tool if there is one.
5. If the drive passes elsewhere but fails in this PC, contact the PC or motherboard maker. If it fails everywhere, replace it under warranty.

If Windows Setup still fails with 0x80300002

Setup does not explain 0x80300002 on screen. The best clue is diskpart from Fix 3. Run list disk and look at the Status and Gpt columns, then select disk 0 and detail disk for the target. A drive that is Offline, shows a wrong size or refuses commands is not a partition problem.

• What to send to support: the full message with the code, the PC or motherboard model, the drive model and size, and the output of list disk.
• Say whether the stick started in UEFI or legacy mode, the SATA mode, and how many drives were connected.
• List the fixes you tried and what changed after each one.

How to avoid 0x80300002 on the next clean install

If your current Windows still starts and you only want a fresh system, you can skip this screen entirely. Reinstall from inside Windows and keep your files: Reinstall Windows without losing files.

Frequently asked questions

What is error 0x80300002?

It is the code Windows Setup shows when it refuses the drive or partition you selected during a clean install. The full message is usually "We couldn't install Windows in the location you chose. Please check your media drive." Microsoft does not publish a text for the code. Microsoft Q&A cases tie it to old partitions, other drives, a stick started in the wrong firmware mode and, rarely, failing hardware. Nothing has been installed or erased when you see it.

Does "Please check your media drive" mean my USB stick is broken?

Usually not. Setup adds that hint to several errors on the drive selection screen, whatever the cause. In most cases the stick works and the target drive or the firmware mode is the issue. Try Fix 1 to Fix 4 first. Remake the stick with Microsoft's Media Creation Tool (Fix 5) when it was made with another tool, gives no UEFI entry or Setup also shows read errors.

I deleted all partitions and ran diskpart clean, but 0x80300002 is still there. Why?

Then the drive layout is no longer the problem, and the firmware mode is the next suspect. A Microsoft Q&A reader had exactly this case, and the most helpful answer was a stick started in legacy mode on a UEFI PC. Start the stick from the boot menu entry with UEFI in its name, run clean and convert gpt (Fix 3), and check that CSM is off and SATA is AHCI (Fix 4).

Will deleting the partitions erase my files?

Yes. Delete on the Where do you want to install Windows? screen removes the partition and everything in it, and diskpart clean wipes the whole selected disk. Neither can be undone from Setup. Copy your files to another drive or a cloud service before you boot the stick. If the old Windows does not start, connect the drive to another PC to copy them first.

Is the error different on a SATA SSD or an NVMe SSD?

The message and the fixes are the same on both. On a SATA SSD, the SATA mode in the firmware matters: Microsoft Q&A install steps set it to AHCI. On an NVMe SSD, check that the slot is enabled in the firmware and the drive is listed. If a new SSD fails while an older hard drive installs fine, test the SSD and its slot with Fix 6.

What do 0x80300001, 0x8030002c and 0x8030002f mean?

They appear on the same Setup screen and people search for them together with 0x80300002. Microsoft does not describe these codes, so we cannot give an official meaning for each one. In practice they come from the drive selection step, and the same order of fixes applies: delete old partitions, unplug other drives, start the stick in UEFI mode, check the firmware, then the hardware.

Is 0x80030002 the same error?

Most people who type 0x80030002 mean 0x80300002 and swapped two digits. Check the code on your screen. If it reads 0x80300002 during Windows Setup, this guide applies. A real 0x80030002 is a different code that we could not tie to the drive selection screen, so it is not covered here.

What is windowsinstaller-kb893803-v2-x86?

It is the file name of an old Windows Installer update package, a program installer for very old Windows versions. It has nothing to do with Windows Setup or with error 0x80300002, which appears when you install Windows itself. This page does not cover that package, and you do not need it for a Windows 11 or Windows 10 install.

I tried a fix and it still does not work. What now?

Go down the list in order and do not skip Fix 2: one forgotten drive is enough. If the error stays with a new stick, one drive, UEFI start and reset firmware, stop changing partitions and test the hardware with Fix 6. The same applies to readers writing in other languages: the screen and the fixes are the same in every language of Windows Setup.