Some users cannot install Windows 11 on their computers due to the “Install driver to show hardware” error. This error usually occurs while installing Windows 11 version. It causes the Install button to be grayed out, preventing installation from proceeding. If you encounter this error, use the fixes provided in this article.
Install driver to show hardware while installing Windows 11
Use the following fixes for the “Install driver to show hardware” error on your Windows 11 system while trying to upgrade the OS:
- Plug the USB flash drive into another USB port
- Create installation media again and use another USB flash drive
- Download and install the required driver manually
- Disable RAID
All these fixes are explained below in detail:
1] Plug the USB flash drive into another USB port
The problem might be with the USB port. Plug the USB flash drive into another available USB port and try again. If you have a desktop PC, plug the USB flash drive into any rear USB port.
2] Create installation media again and use another USB flash drive
Windows installation errors also occur due to corrupt installation media. This can be the case with you. Create Windows installation media again. You can download the Windows 11 ISO file from the official Microsoft website. Now, use a third-party tool like Rufus or Microsoft’s official Media Creation Tool to create installation media.
Sometimes, problems can be with a particular USB flash drive. If another USB flash drive is available, use it to create Windows installation media and install Windows 11.
3] Download and install the required driver manually
According to the error message, a particular driver is missing, due to which your system is not showing the hardware connected to your system. In this case, the driver can be a storage device driver. If your system has an Intel chipset, the missing driver can be the Rapid Storage Technology (RST) driver.
Use another working computer and visit the official Intel website to download the Intel RST driver. Copy the driver to another USB flash drive and connect it to your system. Now, restart the Windows installation. Click on the Load driver option. You will see this option on the Windows installation screen that shows all your hard drive partitions. Click OK. Make sure that the Hide drivers that aren’t compatible with this computer’s hardware checkbox is selected. Click on the Browse button and select the Intel RST Controller driver from the USB flash drive. Now, select the driver and click Install to install it.
After installing the Intel RST driver, you should be able to install Windows 11.
4] Disable RAID
If the issue persists, disable RAID in your system BIOS and restart the installation. To disable RAID, you need to switch from RAID to AHCI/NVMe mode in the BIOS. Refer to your system’s user manual for instructions on how to do this. After disabling RAID, restart the installation and see if the error occurs this time.
I hope this helps.
How to trick Windows 11 into installing on unsupported hardware?
To install Windows 11 on a computer with unsupported hardware, you can bypass its hardware requirements while creating the installation media through a third-party tool like Rufus. However, Microsoft does not recommend Installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware because it can result in frequent crashes or errors.
How do I install display drivers on Windows 11?
To install the display driver on Windows 11, you can use the dedicated software, like AMD Software for computers with AMD graphics. Alternatively, you can also download the display driver from the official website of your computer manufacturer.
Read next: Windows cannot install required files, Error Code 0x800701B1.
