Installing Windows 7 on UEFI machine

[herulach]

Got my shiny new machine built in record time yesterday, and then had a mare of a time trying to get Windows installed. I have a legit copy of windows 7, which sits hanging at the end of the 'windows is loading files' bit just before it goes to the 4 blobs.

I also tried putting an image on a USB disk with the same problem (although it did get the blobs showing before it hung that time).

Some searching seems to highlight lots of people having problems with windows 7 on UEFI boards, but my google-fu isn't strong enough to find a solution. I've tried a number of different settings in the BIOS (AHCI vs. IDE for disk mode etc) with no joy.

Are there any tricks to it? Theres various secure boot settings in the settings that I think are off, but I'm not certain whether they are.

I'd like to avoid having to go with Windows 8 both for cost, and the fact that I hate the interface.

[kalniel]

I've had no problems with Windows 7 and UEFI machines myself, but I have had problems with ACHI vs IDE etc in the past. Have you tried using a different SATA port? It could also be an issue with the SATA drivers, or possibly motherboard IOH drivers.

[herulach]

I'm going to retry it with a gpt usb stick this evening.

I suspect the problem may be that my media is pre sp1. Might have to see if I can get an sp1 install disk

[BobF64]

I cant say I had any problems installing it on mine, used the DVD to install on a blank unused SSD.

One thing of note is that for UEFI booting it needs to be the x64 version.

[directhex]

First, BobF64 is right, it MUST be 64-bit media.

However, I think there might be another issue - even when booting via UEFI, Windows 7 doesn't support UEFI graphics cards - it needs to use BIOS video calls, which requires that your motherboard support UEFI-with-legacy-PCI-ROM-access mode. This hybrid style of booting is not needed for Windows 8 or Linux, nor for Windows 7 if you do a BIOS emulation boot. But Windows 7 UEFI boot requires support for legacy BIOS-style ROM access.

This bit me when I was learning to dual-boot UEFI.

[herulach]

It is 64bit, so that shouldn't be the issue. Sounds like it might be super happy fun times playing in the settings till something works. I thought I might be on a wrong un with the AHCI settings, since that has been on even on BIOS machines since ever I've been using SATA

[herulach]

We appear to be getting somewhere, played around in the BIOS a bit, and setting secure boot to 'other os' and disabling fast boot gets me past the bubbles and into a black screen with a cursor albeit significantly slower than I remember it doing last time I installed it.

I'm presently waiting on a windows 8 image to try and ascertain if its a hardware or software issue.

[herulach]

Gah,
this has to be a hardware problem. Bios has been updated to latest version, and have no joy with Windows 7, 8 or Ubuntu, on two different memory sticks.

My usual first step to debug would be a *nix disk to run memtest etc, but that doesn't bloody work either!

Anyone have any final bright ideas before I give in and start rmaing things?

[jaff90110]

Interesting !About the installing win 7 on UEFI machine. Just wondering what is UEFI machine? I m too new for this!

[BobF64]

A "UEFI machine" is any PC with a UEFI BIOS.

Most recent, ie last year or two, motherboards have been UEFI, im not sure on the named boxes though.

The manual or helpguides for whatever the machine/motherboard is will tell you one way or another, or failing that if you go into the BIOS on start up, it will most likely have UEFI displayed somewhere.

[herulach]

This has now been resolved - there were 2 issues. A dud HDD and the fact that I didn't have a GOP bios for the GTX670. It appearss that only brand spanking cards support installation in proper UEFI mode.

[kalniel]

and the fact that I didn't have a GOP bios for the GTX670. It appearss that only brand spanking cards support installation in proper UEFI mode.

What's 'proper' UEFI mode? We had no problems with older cards (560) and Windows 7 with a UEFI motherboard - the BIOS certainly looks like it's in a proper UEFI mode.

[herulach]

What's 'proper' UEFI mode? We had no problems with older cards (560) and Windows 7 with a UEFI motherboard - the BIOS certainly looks like it's in a proper UEFI mode.

If you install from a GPT memory stick it does the full fat version of fastboot, but needs a compatible GPU.