Don’t panic when you encounter the “please insert the external storage media and press OK” issue. This post from MiniTool Partition Wizard is here to help you. It introduces several feasible solutions to this issue. Simply follow them to see if your problem can be solved.

The “please insert the external storage media and press OK” error is a common problem that occurs during the Windows update or reinstallation. You can receive the error message usually when trying to reinstall the copy of Windows 10 by using an external storage media like an external hard drive, USB drive, or SD card.
To help you get rid of the above error, this post summarizes multiple solutions below.

Tips:
This issue may happen due to insufficient disk space on your hard drive. To troubleshoot it, it’s better to check your disk usage and delete useless large files with a space analyzer like MiniTool Partition Wizard. If your PC can’t boot normally, try to create a MiniTool bootable drive, boot from this drive, and then free up your disk space.

MiniTool Partition Wizard DemoClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

How to Create a UEFI Bootable USB & Use It to Boot Your Computer
How to Create a UEFI Bootable USB & Use It to Boot Your Computer

Lots of users want to boot from USB in UEFI mode. How to create a UEFI boot USB? How do I boot from USB in UEFI mode? Now, get the answers from this post.

Read More

Solution 1: Disconnect All Peripheral Devices

If you connect several external devices to your PC, to your computer, try removing all of them except the drive you use for Windows installation. It may help fix the “please insert the external storage media and press OK Windows 10” issue.

Solution 2: Use a USB Port for Your SD Card

Sometimes when you use an SD card to store the Windows update files, you may also run into the Windows 10 upgrade error Please insert the external storage media and press OK. In this case, you can try to fix it by inserting your SD card via a USB port. To do this, follow the steps below.

  1. Remove the SD card from your computer.
  2. Plug a USB SD card reader into a well-running USB port.
  3. After that, insert the SD card into the SD card reader properly.
  4. Wait until a notification prompts you the card is connected successfully. Then re-try the Windows installation to see if the error disappears.
Note:
If you don’t have a USB SD card reader, you may need to copy all the files on the SD card to a USB drive. Then use the USB drive to install or update your Windows.

Solution 3: Update Your BIOS

Another way to solve the “please insert the external storage media and press OK Windows 10” issue is to update your BIOS. It can help you solve certain issues related to Windows setup. To execute this operation, you can refer to this post: How to Update BIOS Windows 10 | How to Check BIOS Version.

Solution 4: Perform a System Restore

If none of the above methods help, then you can try performing a system restore. By doing so, you might be able to restore your system to a previous state without the error. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

  1. Boot your computer from a Windows installation media.
  2. On the Windows Setup screen, change the language and other settings. Then click Next.
  3. On the next screen, click Repair your computer to enter Windows RE.
  4. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.
Perform a system restore

These methods mentioned in this post are worth trying when you face the Windows 10 upgrade error Please insert the external storage media and press OK. If you have any other great solutions to this error, you can share them with us in the following comment part.

  • linkedin
  • reddit

About The Author

Yamila

Position: Columnist

Yamila is a fan of computer science. She can solve many common issues for computer users by writing articles with simple and clear words. The very aspect that she is good at is partition management including create partition, format partition, copy disk and so on. When she is free, she enjoys reading, doing some excerpts, listening to music and playing games.