Member Avatar for Giampives

I can't install Windows 10 on my Lenovo G50 PC <translated from Italian to English by moderator>

Edited by Reverend Jim because: Please remember that this is an English language forum and post accordingly
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Thread context: reports a failed Windows 10 install on a Lenovo G50. Replies have suggested incompatibility, partition/format concerns and some error codes. This note adds focused, non-repeating diagnostics and practical checks that help identify the real blocker before destructive measures are taken.

Start by collecting exact hardware and firmware info: the full Lenovo model (example: G50-70 series) and the BIOS/UEFI version printed on the firmware splash or support page. Capture the exact installer failure text and any error codes. When an install fails, open the installer command prompt (Shift+F10) and inspect the setup logs — common locations are X:\Windows\Panther\setupact.log and setuperr.log (upgrade attempts may leave logs under a $WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\Panther folder). The setupapi logs can show driver failures during hardware initialization.

Run simple hardware checks before reformatting. Boot a small live environment to confirm the disk is visible and SMART-healthy, and run a memory test to rule out RAM errors. Remove non-essential peripherals and test with a single RAM module and the original drive only; intermittent hardware faults often cause mid-install rollbacks and look like installer bugs.

If logs show driver load failures or "driver not found" entries for storage controllers, the next step is firmware and vendor drivers: update the laptop firmware from Lenovo’s support resources and prepare media with the chipset/storage driver set from Lenovo/Intel so the installer can load them. If logs show device I/O or disk errors, replace or re-image the drive rather than forcing setup.

When seeking further help, include: exact G50 model, BIOS/UEFI version, whether the installer is 32/64-bit, the full installer error text, and the two Panther log excerpts showing the failure. This information narrows hardware vs media vs driver causes and avoids unnecessary reformatting.

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Member Avatar for rproffitt

Small world. There was a recent reddit on that and the conclusion was that the laptop was incompatible with Windows 10. The final advice was to run Windows 8 till the laptop dies. Said laptop was over 10 years old so it's not going to last much longer.

Member Avatar for Giampives

I purchased a license for Windows 10 Home and cannot install it on my Lenovo G50 PC

Edited by Reverend Jim because: Translated by moderator
Member Avatar for rproffitt

The solution was to stay on Windows 8.1. No one was able to get Windows 10 installed on that old laptop.

Member Avatar for Bert Pitt

I had the experience of solving such a problem. It's all about MBR and GPT disk marking. You need to transfer the data from the drive to another medium, because you will need to reformat the drive to delete the data. Therefore, make a backup so that later you don't have to look for how to recover deleted files from laptop. You can also try to burn the installation flash drive through Damon Tools in the desired format.

Edited by Bert Pitt
Member Avatar for Dani

Giampives, are you getting a "friendly" error message saying it's not compatible? Or is it just erroring in the middle of the install?

Member Avatar for SylvesterMante

There is more reason due to not installing Windows 10. Sometimes this error 80240020 could happen while installing this. Follow this simple guide that will help to install Windows 10 properly. There are a few solutions which will definitely help you to fix it.

Member Avatar for markanderson_1

A computer cannot function without an operating system, so installing Windows 10 is a critical step that every non-Mac user should know how to do.

Of course, most devices come pre-configured out of the box, which means Windows is preinstalled and you don’t need to worry about adding the OS manually. However, there are occasions when you might need to install Windows 10 yourself.

Here are the few steps to install Windows 10:

1. Check your device meets the Windows 10 system requirements : Below you’ll find the minimum specs needed to run Windows 10, so check your device is capable:

  • CPU: 1GHz or faster processor
  • RAM: 1GB for Windows 10 32-bit or 2GB for Windows 10 64-bit
  • Storage: 32GB of space or more
  • GPU: DirectX 9 compatible or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
  • Display: 800x600 resolution or higher

2. Create USB installation media:
Visit Microsoft's Windows 10 download page(opens in new tab) and select “Download tool now” under the “create Windows 10 installation media” section. Transfer the downloaded installer tool to a USB drive.

3. Run the installer tool:
Open the installer tool by clicking on it. Accept Microsoft’s terms, and then select “Create installation media for another PC” on the “What do you want to do?” page. After selecting which language you want Windows 10 to run in, and which edition you want as well (32-bit or 62-bit), you’ll be asked what type of media you want to use.

Installing from a USB drive is definitely the preferred option but you can also install from a CD or ISO file. Once you choose your device, the installer tool will download the required files and put them onto your drive.

4. Use your installation media:
Insert your installation media into your device and then access the computer’s BIOS or UEFI. These are the systems that allow you to control your computer’s core hardware.

The process of accessing these systems is unique to each device, but the manufacturer’s website should be able to give you a helping hand here. Generally, you'll need to press the F2, F12 or Delete keys as your computer boots up.

5.Change your computer's boot order:
Once you have access to your computer’s BIOS/UEFI you’ll need to locate the settings for boot order. You need the Windows 10 installation tool to be higher up on the list than the device’s current current boot drive: this is the SSD or HDD that your existing OS is stored on. You should move the drive with the installer files to the very top of the boot order menu. Now, when you restart your device the Windows 10 installer should load up first.

6. Restart your device: Save your settings in the BIOS/UEFI and reboot your device.

7. Complete the installation: Your device should now load up the Windows 10 installation tool on restart. This will guide you through the rest of the installation process.

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