Win7 Fresh Install - SSD not booting - Windows Boot Manager does

[jcsix]

Pretty long title (Sorry about that), but its all I can use for it.

So today I thought I would do a fresh install of Windows 7 on my SDD (Done previously). So the usual steps are where taken.

I did notice unlike previously that the SSD had 3 partitions this time afterI deleted/formatted the other two. The new one was MSR (Reserved).

Next, I went into the bios and noticed Windows Boot Manager. I saw it was in option 1 and I'v never seen that. So I put the SSD there as thats what was there before. However, nothing booted. I went back to the BIOS and changed it to Windows Boot Manager to which it then booted Windows 7 perfectly.


So long story short, is this usual? Right? Or has somthing gone wrong as the past two times, I could boot from the SSD and it had 2 partitions.


Another thread I found which is similar, just want more opinions: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...s-new-ssd.html

[herulach]

You should have deleted the lot before reinstalling. It sounds like you've ended up with a GPT formatted disk thats booting in EFI mode. Nothing to worry about (infact it should boot faster) but if you've not installed everything I'd be tempted to blitz the disk and start over.

[jcsix]

So this then?

Unplugg other HDD:
Boot up Windows disc
Delete Partitions/Format on SSD
Continue with Install?

[directhex]

Pretty long title (Sorry about that), but its all I can use for it.

So today I thought I would do a fresh install of Windows 7 on my SDD (Done previously). So the usual steps are where taken.

I did notice unlike previously that the SSD had 3 partitions this time afterI deleted/formatted the other two. The new one was MSR (Reserved).

Next, I went into the bios and noticed Windows Boot Manager. I saw it was in option 1 and I'v never seen that. So I put the SSD there as thats what was there before. However, nothing booted. I went back to the BIOS and changed it to Windows Boot Manager to which it then booted Windows 7 perfectly.


So long story short, is this usual? Right? Or has somthing gone wrong as the past two times, I could boot from the SSD and it had 2 partitions.


Another thread I found which is similar, just want more opinions: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...s-new-ssd.html

This is the expected behaviour for a UEFI install of Windows Vista, 7, or 8.

You cannot boot a "drive" with UEFI. This is an artefact of BIOS booting, where the start of a drive contains a chunk of 16-bit 8086 machine code to handle first stage booting.

With UEFI, an EFI application (BOOTX64.EFI) can register itself with the firmware, along with a friendly name ("Windows Boot Manager"), and you boot one of your registered applications, not a drive.

Oh, and the extra partition would be the EFI boot partition which BOOTX64.EFI lives on. With BIOS boot, you don't have one of these partitions.

[jcsix]

This is the expected behaviour for a UEFI install of Windows Vista, 7, or 8.

You cannot boot a "drive" with UEFI. This is an artefact of BIOS booting, where the start of a drive contains a chunk of 16-bit 8086 machine code to handle first stage booting.

With UEFI, an EFI application (BOOTX64.EFI) can register itself with the firmware, along with a friendly name ("Windows Boot Manager"), and you boot one of your registered applications, not a drive.

Oh, and the extra partition would be the EFI boot partition which BOOTX64.EFI lives on. With BIOS boot, you don't have one of these partitions.

Thanks for the explanation. I find it odd the last time I did this, everything was as it would be normally (2 Partitions, no windows boot manager etc.), and even when I first got the drive too.

[directhex]

Thanks for the explanation. I find it odd the last time I did this, everything was as it would be normally (2 Partitions, no windows boot manager etc.), and even when I first got the drive too.

Last time you did a BIOS install. All consumer UEFI motherboards have the ability to emulate BIOS, for booting purposes. It can be something as simple as when you hit the boot menu to boot the Windows install DVD, you picked a different entry (your motherboard will have shown it twice - one for BIOS booting the DVD, and the other for UEFI booting the DVD)

[jcsix]

Again, thanks for the explanation!

Thread can be closed. Managed to get it how it was (2 Partitions, no windows boot etc.) with just a simple re-install. Thanks for the suggestions/explanations!

[Krotonas]

I have the exact same problem! I have been looking everywhere on the Internet for a solution until I saw this thread!

I have formatted my PC only once. Before the re-install of Windows, I had the SSD as the 1st boot priority and everything worked fine. After the re-install, Windows Boot Manager is the first and unchangeable (pc doesn't boot) option. Here are my system specs:

M/B: Gigabyte Z77X-D3H CPU: Intel i5 3570K SSD: Intel 520 Series 120GB HDD: Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black

I am installing Windows 7 64-bit (Greek).


And not only all the above. I have noticed the following: In the "Starting Windows" screen, before the format (no Win. Boot Manager etc) this message was shown in Greek language instead of English. And another thing that I strongly believe it has to do with the boot manager:

-When I have my HDD plugged, the time between pressing the power button and getting to the user-login screen is about 24+ seconds. The time for the same procedure with the HDD unplugged is 20-21 seconds.
All that 4-5 seconds difference is concentrated in a specific part of the boot-up. At the point where the black screen with "Starting Windows" and the four orbs starts. HDD-on the orbs make a full flag and it kind of sits there for a sec or two. HDD-off the orbs hardly make a movement of 90-100 degrees (pi/2 rad, or 200ish grad ) and bam! I'm in login screen. At this point I have to point out, that even though I had never tried it HDD-off, the time for this procedure before I re-installed Windows, was roughly the same as it is now HDD-off (I think a very tiny bit slower).

And to sum up, I would like a more "newb-friendly" explanation on what you have been talking about previously because I really tried to understand but it was "all Greek to me".

Thank you all In advanced for reading through all of this and please excuse any mistakes.

[Krotonas]

Hello guys. I think I have the exact same problem, but I didn't quite get what you were talking about, so maybe you can give me a more "newbie-friendly" explanation.

I made a clean install of Windows 7 64bit a week ago, after a year of use. My system specs are: MotherBoard: Gigabyte Z77X-D3H CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K RAM: Corsair Vengeance CL9 1600MHz (2x4GB) SSD: Intel 520 Series 120GB HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB . To reinstall Windows I unplugged the SATA cable on my HDD, booted from the Windows DVD and then deleted the two partitions on my SSD (100mb system and the rest). I then installed Windows on the space made available after the deletion of the partitions. After all the first few restarts I plugged the HDD, did a quick format through Disk Management and went on to install my programms. If you think I made something wrong on that, please tell me.

I also have that boot priority issue and in addition to that, the "Starting Windows" screen doesn't show in the localized text as it used to be but in English instead.
I have run on another issue though, that I believe it has a lot to do with the Windows Boot Manager. Here is what happens:


Before formatting, my pc woud boot lightning fast. The four orbs that form the Windows flag made a little spin and before forming the flag I was on the user-login screen.
Now the orbs complete the flag and it kind of sits there for a couple of seconds. I have tried something a user in a local forum suggested and tried booting without the HDD and the boot-up time was pretty similar with the first case! No full-windows flag. To give you some specifics HDD-on--->25secs, HDD-off--->20-21secs (time between pressing the power button and moving to the login screen). I had not tried the same before formatting my pc but I would say that HDD-on it was more like 21 secs.

The reason I am connecting the two issues is because they both appeared the same time, with the re-install of Windows. I believe that If I "save" myself from that Windows Boot Manager in BIOS, I think it will all be like it used to.

Thank you all in advance and please excuse any mistakes on my part

[AndrewPoole]

Hello guys. I think I have the exact same problem, but I didn't quite get what you were talking about, so maybe you can give me a more "newbie-friendly" explanation.

I made a clean install of Windows 7 64bit a week ago, after a year of use. My system specs are: MotherBoard: Gigabyte Z77X-D3H CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K RAM: Corsair Vengeance CL9 1600MHz (2x4GB) SSD: Intel 520 Series 120GB HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB . To reinstall Windows I unplugged the SATA cable on my HDD, booted from the Windows DVD and then deleted the two partitions on my SSD (100mb system and the rest). I then installed Windows on the space made available after the deletion of the partitions. After all the first few restarts I plugged the HDD, did a quick format through Disk Management and went on to install my programms. If you think I made something wrong on that, please tell me.

I also have that boot priority issue and in addition to that, the "Starting Windows" screen doesn't show in the localized text as it used to be but in English instead.
I have run on another issue though, that I believe it has a lot to do with the Windows Boot Manager. Here is what happens:


Before formatting, my pc woud boot lightning fast. The four orbs that form the Windows flag made a little spin and before forming the flag I was on the user-login screen.
Now the orbs complete the flag and it kind of sits there for a couple of seconds. I have tried something a user in a local forum suggested and tried booting without the HDD and the boot-up time was pretty similar with the first case! No full-windows flag. To give you some specifics HDD-on--->25secs, HDD-off--->20-21secs (time between pressing the power button and moving to the login screen). I had not tried the same before formatting my pc but I would say that HDD-on it was more like 21 secs.

The reason I am connecting the two issues is because they both appeared the same time, with the re-install of Windows. I believe that If I "save" myself from that Windows Boot Manager in BIOS, I think it will all be like it used to.

Thank you all in advance and please excuse any mistakes on my part

It seems like there are a few problems here. You have set the boot order wrong and possibly you are booting into a previous copy of Windows installed on your SATA disk.

Try disconnecting your SATA drive and booting up to see if that is any better. If so, you will need to go into your BIOS and choose to boot from the SSD first.

After doing so, add the SATA drive and reboot. Check in the BIOS to make sure the SSD is still first in the boot priority order and boot. Reboot again to make sure you have saved the changes.