Installing Windows can be a tedious process, and sometimes errors such as Windows cannot install required files can appear and interrupt your installation. This is a big problem, and today we’ll show you how to fix it.

Attaching your hard drive to a different SATA port might solve this issue

  • Windows always had a rather easy installation process. However, during the installation, errors can occur and interrupt the process, stopping you from ever completing it.

  • Reset your computer to default values, and check your HDD, SSD, and RAM. Double-check the physical DVD used or make sure the iso file is undamaged.

  • Download DriverFix (verified download file).

  • Click Start Scan to find all problematic drivers.

  • Click Update Drivers to get new versions and avoid system malfunctionings.

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Windows cannot install required files error while installing Windows, how to fix it?

  • Make sure that your DVD drive is clean
  • Remove overclock settings
  • Attach your hard drive to a different SATA port
  • Make sure that you’re installing the correct version of Windows
  • Disable Execute Disable Bit option in BIOS
  • Make sure that you’re not installing Windows on a large partition
  • Change the hard drive type to IDE
  • Check your hardware

1. Make sure that your DVD drive is clean

If you’re installing Windows from a DVD or a CD, you might encounter Windows cannot install required files message if your lens is dirty. To fix this problem, it’s advised that you clean your DVD drive lens and check if that solves the problem.

There are several methods to do this, and you can a disc with a brush to clean your drive. Alternatively, you can open your DVD drive and clean it, however this may void your warranty. If you’re not careful you can even damage your DVD drive, so if you don’t know what you’re doing, we advise you to stay away from this method.

After cleaning your drive check if the problem is resolved. If you don’t have the necessary tools to clean your drive, make sure that your DVD disc doesn’t have any scratches on it. If your disc is scratched, we advise you to create a new installation disc and try using it instead.

2. Remove overclock settings

Many users tend to overclock their hardware in order to achieve enhanced performance. By overclocking your hardware you put extra stress on it, and sometimes overclock settings can prevent you from installing Windows.

Several users reported Windows cannot install required files message while trying to install Windows on overclocked PC. According to them, the only way to fix this problem was to enter BIOS and remove overclock settings. After disabling overclock settings, try to install Windows again and check if the problem is still there.

3. Attach your hard drive to a different SATA port

If you keep getting Windows cannot install required files message, the problem might be your SATA port. It seems that certain glitches can occur, but several users claim that they fixed the problem simply by connecting their hard drive to a different SATA port.

To do that, you’ll need to power down your PC, disconnect it from the power outlet, open the case, and connect the SATA cable that goes to your hard drive to a different SATA port on your motherboard. If you’re installing Windows from an optical media, you can also connect your DVD drive to a different SATA port and check if that helps.

Bear in mind that opening your computer case will void your warranty if you purchased a prebuilt PC.

4. Make sure that you’re installing the correct version of Windows

As you may know, there are two types of Windows available, 32-bit and 64-bit. While 32-bit is almost completely replaced by a 64-bit version, but some users might still use 32-bit hardware. Bear in mind that you can’t install a 64-bit version of Windows on 32-bit hardware, and if you try to do so, you might get Windows cannot install required files.

Therefore, before you try to install Windows 10, check what type of motherboard and CPU are you using. Almost all new hardware is using 64-bit architecture, so if you purchased a new PC, it’s rather likely that you have a 64-bit CPU. However, you can always visit the manufacturer’s website and double-check it just in case.

5. Disable Execute Disable Bit option in BIOS

According to users, sometimes Windows cannot install required files message can appear due to certain settings in BIOS. According to users, it seems that Execute Disable Bit setting was causing this issue in BIOS.

  • Fix: Windows installation has failed on Windows 10/11
  • Windows installation error 0x80070017 [Fixed]

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To fix the problem, enter BIOS, locate this setting and disable it. To see how to access BIOS and disable this setting on your PC, be sure to check the motherboard manual for detailed instructions. Once you disable this feature, check if the problem is still there.

6. Make sure that you’re not installing Windows on a large partition

Windows cannot install required files message can sometimes appear if you’re trying to install Windows 10 on a large SSD. Few users reported this issue while trying to install Windows 10 on an SSD drive that had a single large partition.

According to users, they had to create two partitions on their SSD drive, and after doing that, the problem was resolved and Windows was installed without any issues. We’re not certain how and why this problem occurs, but if you’re trying to install Windows 10 on a single partition SSD, be sure to try this solution.

7. Change the hard drive type to IDE

If you’re getting Windows cannot install required files while trying to install Windows 10, perhaps the issue is your BIOS configuration. According to users, sometimes this problem can occur if your hard drive is set to work as an AHCI device.

To fix the problem, simply enter BIOS and change the hard drive type to IDE. Once you do that, you should be able to install Windows without any issues. After you install Windows, you can switch back to AHCI mode and everything should work without any problems.

8. Check your hardware

In certain instances, your hardware can lead to this and many other problems. If you keep getting Windows cannot install required files message, it’s advised that you inspect your hardware and ensure that it’s working properly.

The most common cause for this problem is your RAM, and in order to test your RAM, we advise you to try removing additional RAM modules and try installing Windows with only one RAM module in your computer.

If you want to be sure that your RAM is the problem, we advise you to use the MemTest86+ tool and use it to test your RAM. Simply start this application from a flash drive and let it run for a couple of hours. If it gives you any errors, it’s certain that one of your modules is damaged.

To find out which module is the problem, you can test them individually with MemTest86+, but that might take a while. If your RAM isn’t the problem, perhaps you should inspect other components and check if they are working properly.

Windows cannot install required files message can prevent you from installing Windows, but you should be able to fix this problem by using one of our solutions.

Here are some similar problems that users reported:

  • Windows cannot install required files Windows 10 0x80070570, 0x8007045d, 0x80070003, 0x80070002, 0x8007025d – This issue can occur if your installation media is damaged. Be sure that your DVD disc isn’t damaged or create an installation media on USB flash drive and try to install Windows again.
  • Windows cannot install required files network problems may be preventing, the file may be corrupt, the file does not exist, may be corrupt or missing – These are various problems that can appear, but you should be able to fix most of them using the solutions from this article.
  • Windows cannot install required files. make sure all files required for installation are available – This error message usually occurs when there is a problem with the installation disk or flash drive.
  • Windows 10 setup cannot continue due to a corrupted installation file – This usually happens with files downloaded over the Internet, and one of the solutions from this article should help.
  • 0x80070022 windows cannot install required files Windows 10 – If using the official Media Creation Tool gives this error, switching to Rufus to burn the ISO to the flash drive should fix the issue.
  • Windows encountered a problem installing the driver the system cannot find the file specified – Use chkdsk first and then manually download the appropriate driver to fix this issue.

If the advices above haven’t solved your issue, your PC may experience deeper Windows problems. We recommend downloading this PC Repair tool (rated Great on TrustPilot.com) to easily address them. After installation, simply click the Start Scan button and then press on Repair All.

Still having issues? Fix them with this tool:

  • Windows Installation errors

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